American Guerrilla In The Philippines (1950)

Set in the Philippines in 1942, an American naval officer (Tyrone Power) finds himself stranded after his ship is sunk by the Japanese. He and another survivor (Tom Ewell) lead a band of natives in fighting the Japanese until General MacArthur's promised return. Based on the novel by Ira Wolfert and directed by Fritz Lang (THE BIG HEAT). Inspired by the life of Iliff Richardson, a survivor of the sinking of PT-34 in WWII, who joined the Philippine guerrilla forces. It's well done but it's clearly a paycheck movie for Fritz Lang. It's a straightforward movie with little of the psychological exploration usually examined by Lang in his darker movies. Harry Jackson's (MOTHER WORE TIGHTS) handsome Technicolor cinematography benefits from being shot entirely on location in the Philippines. I'm not much of a fan of war movies but I liked this one. With Micheline Presle, Tommy Cook, Juan Torena and Jack Elam.