I am generally not a fan of war films, but "Beachhead" is a more personal kind of war film, in which a small group of people take a journey that challenges not only their bodies, but their priorities and their values as well. The director, Stuart Heisler, maintains fairly consistent tension; an opening scene, where a man is blown up in an explosion as the title appears on the screen, is quite graphic for 1954. A young, pumped-up Tony Curtis holds it together with a strong, physical performance, and he is well-supported by Frank Lovejoy and the most appealing Mary Murphy. She is also game for the physical scenes, even if her character cannot escape the cliché of the woman who sprains her ankle and then has to be carried along. Filmed on location in Kauai - which is another plus. *** out of 4.
Review of Beachhead
