They Were Expendable (1945) review

Flag-waving, lip-quivering, manly-weeping advertisement for the United States Navy, made with the oh-so-helpful assistance from the United States Navy. John Wayne (who did not serve in World War II) and Robert Montgomery (who did) concoct a strategy where they use PT boats in the naval battles with the Japanese - because of their speed and size - and prove how useful they are at torpedo-ing the massive Japanese warships. For this one, you not only have to stomach the endless braggadocio and ugly splicing in of naval battle footage, but you also have to endure the scenes with actual dialogue, which more often than not prove to be awkward and wooden (and don't get me started on the 'courtship' between cocky Wayne and nurse Donna Reed). Montgomery's (probable) direction from Ford: keep your back straight.