Merrill's Marauders

The place: World War II Burma. The mission: Drive a fatal wedge between an enemy linkup. The troops: the 5307th Composite Unit, led by Brig. Gen. Frank Merrill (Jeff Chandler) and manned by Stock (Ty Hardin), Chowhound (Will Hutchins), Kolowicz (Claude Akins) and other young dogfaces who, after a few weeks of basic training, have the fate of the world loaded on their backs. Director Samuel Fuller, whose later The Big Red One is a benchmark work about GIs in World War II's European theater, turned to the war in the Pacific for Merrill's Marauders. Few moviemakers capture life among the grunts as well as Fuller. He brings you up close and personal to the intense, gritty heroics of our World War II combat veterans.