Bataan

Not exactly a gung ho WWII movie, since even Hollywood had to acknowledge American setbacks in the Pacific campaign at this stage of the war, but still contriving to have its scratch patrol of thirteen men (entrusted with a suicidal rearguard action) wipe out half the Japanese army while being decimated to tunes of glory. The ending, with the last survivor (Taylor, naturally) still firing defiantly on the advancing yellow hordes, hardly needed the closing title commending the heroism ('Their spirit will lead us back to Bataan'). So much for the realism much vaunted at the time, but - clearly modelled on The Lost Patrol - the film is beautifully paced by Garnett and boasts a sterling cast.