Never So Few (1959)

Set in WWII Burma (now Myanmar), an OSS Captain (Frank Sinatra) must deal with the lack of men, support and supplies from his superiors in holding back the Japanese forces. He and his men have utilized the indigenous Burmese in their fight against the Japanese. Complications ensue when he becomes attracted to the mistress (Gina Lollobrigida in an awkward performance) of a powerful businessman (Paul Henreid). Based on the novel by Tom T. Chamales and directed by John Sturges (BAD DAY AT BLACK ROCK). This is a rather schizophrenic film. On one hand, it's an engaging if standard WWII action movie. On the other hand, it's a wartime romance. The film's duality seem to be fighting against each other for dominance and the action portion wins because it's far more interesting. The attention given to the romance pushes the film past the two hour mark. On the plus side, the Burma, Thailand and Ceylon locations are handsomely shot by William H. Daniels (SOME CAME RUNNING) in Panavision wide screen, Lollobrigida looks very glam in her Helen Rose creations and Hugo Friedhofer contributes one of his very best scores. Still, its entertainment value is considerable. With a pre stardom Steve McQueen, Charles Bronson, Peter Lawford, Richard Johnson, Brian Donlevy, Dean Jones, Robert Bray, Kipp Hamilton, Philip Ahn, George Takei and James Hong.