NR | 1h 50m | Drama, War | 1961
Helmed by British director Leslie Norman, “Jungle Fighters” (alternately billed as “The Long and the Short and the Tall”) is a World War II film set in Southeast Asia. It’s based on a 1959 play of the same name, written by British playwright Willis Hall, and benefits from an excellent cast including Richard Todd, Ronald Fraser, and Richard Harris.
During the 1942 Japanese invasion of Burma, a squad of seven British soldiers are tasked with testing a “sonic deception” device that has the potential of distracting enemy forces and misdirecting them. Sgt. Mitchem (Todd) leads the disparate patrol, along with his right-hand man, Cpl. Johnstone (Harris), with a pair of pack mules carrying their heavier equipment.
As the movie opens, we see Mitchem’s squad moving through a dense stretch of Burmese jungle while clearing their path with machetes. Their mission is to set the device up at a specific location, test it, and return to camp to report their test results.
From the outset, it’s apparent that one of the British soldiers, Private Bamforth (Laurence Harvey), is the squad’s resident troublemaker, frequently delivering rapid-fire barbs at his cohorts.
As a torrential downpour begins to pelt them, the men come across a hut in the middle of a clearing. Leading from the front, Sgt. Mitchem bravely creeps up to the hut with his submachine gun at the ready. In a tense scene, he clears it. The empty hut becomes a welcome reprieve from the relentless rain and the men scamper in to dry off.
Mitchem immediately orders the squad’s radio operator, Pvt. Whitaker (David McCallum), to set up his radio and try to hail their base camp. Unfortunately, besides a few faint sounds, all that Whitaker picks up is static.
Mitchem decides to take Johnstone with him to scout the surrounding area. Although it’s been reported that the squad is many miles away from the frontlines, there’s always the chance that Japanese reconnaissance patrols could have slipped through. Before departing, Mitchem leaves Lance Cpl. Macleish (Ronald Fraser) in charge.
Mitchem and Johnstone discover a mine nearby that could expedite their trip back to base camp. Meanwhile, back in the hut, Bamforth seizes the opportunity to sling insults at the other men. While most laugh them off, Macleish seethes with pent-up anger. When Mitchem and Johnstone return, they find Macleish and Bamforth in the midst of a brawl, with the former getting the best of the exchange.
The squad’s squabbles come to an abrupt halt when they suddenly pick up a Japanese radio broadcast. What’s more, the quality of the broadcast is quite good, which indicates to Whitaker that enemy forces could be a lot closer than initially thought.
While packing up their mules to leave, Bamforth spies a lone Japanese soldier (Kenji Takaki) coming their way. Tense moments ensue as the Japanese man, clearly middle-aged, slinks around underneath the raised hut while the Brits try to stay as quiet as possible. But when the enemy walks up the stairs and through the front door, the squad springs into action.
The men haven’t the nerve to kill their helpless older captive—except for Bamforth, who seems intent on getting back some respect from his squadmates by gutting the enemy with a bayonet. “Here! It’s only like carving up a pig,” Bamforth shouts through gritted teeth as he grips the bayonet’s handle and moves in for the kill.
“Jungle Fighters” is a very dialogue-heavy flick, due in no small part to Bamforth’s constant haranguing. He’s such a thorn in the squad’s side that many viewers will probably find themselves rooting for his comeuppance.
While the acting performances were good all around, Laurence Harvey seemed to go a little overboard with his character at times. I’m not sure if director Norman wanted Harvey to play his role this way, or if it’s due to overacting on Harvey’s part, but it detracts somewhat from the otherwise involving film cadence.
Indeed, there is a sense of existential dread since the squad isn’t particularly outfitted for combat (they carry outdated equipment besides the sonic device) against the better-equipped the Japanese.
Overall, “Jungle Fighters” is a pretty solid World War II drama, if a little talky. It combines a good amount of gripping suspense with excellent cinematography that effectively captures the claustrophobic nature of the jungle. Those who fancy a more cerebral war movie should check this one out.
