In the beginning of Cornel Wilde’s Beach Red a group of young American soldiers invades a Japanese-held island in the Pacific. It’s a beginning common to many war movies. Battle hungry characters are dropped in the midst of a chaotic fight to control a beach only to discover that they aren’t ready to face the horrors of war. Beach Red; however isn’t interested in merely showing these gritty combat scenes. Instead, the film relies on a series of still images, voiceovers, and flashbacks to explore the internal world of its multiple characters.

At first I wasn’t convinced that this technique was working. The abrupt flashes of still photos detract from the ongoing battle scenes, but as the movie progresses Wilde begins to use these flashbacks to greater effect. Once the movie slows down and allows the characters to interact the audience is shown glimpses of their civilian lives. It’s during these scenes where Beach Red separates itself from most war films and starts to truly explore the moral dilemmas that these characters are facing. Wilde also focuses on the Japanese soldiers, developing their backstories and blurring the lines between hero and villain in the process. As Beach Red heads toward its conclusion the character work that Wilde establishes pays off; creating an ending that is visually simple (no big battle scene to end this one), but emotionally complex.

Another of the film’s major assets is its brutal honesty and the fact that it never flinches when things get gory. This is an intense movie, especially for 1967, and doesn’t shy away from the blood and guts. Yet, the violence is not sensationalized. Rather, it works to create an atmosphere of utter despair where young men are in constant peril. Beach Red is a compelling war film that is worth tracking down.