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They Were Expendable

They Were Expendable

Drama · War · 1945

After a demonstration of new PT boats, Navy brass are still unconvinced of their viability in combat, leaving Lt. "Rusty" Ryan frustrated. After the attack on Pearl Harbor, however, Ryan and his buddy Lt. Brickley are told they can finally take their squadron into battle. The PT boats quickly prove their worth, successfully shooting down Japanese planes, relaying messages between islands, and picking off a multitude of enemy ships.

Movie details

They Were Expendable

“A Tribute to Those Who Did So Much... With So Little!”

1945 Drama · War 2h 15m

Critical arithmetic

The consensus, allegedly.

IMDb

7.2 / 10

9.5K votes

Rotten Tomatoes

91 %

Tomatometer

Metacritic

86 / 100

Metascore

TMDB

6.5 / 10

Community rating

External scores via OMDb · CC BY-NC 4.0. Values normalized for display; availability varies by title.

After a demonstration of new PT boats, Navy brass are still unconvinced of their viability in combat, leaving Lt. "Rusty" Ryan frustrated. After the attack on Pearl Harbor, however, Ryan and his buddy Lt. Brickley are told they can finally take their squadron into battle. The PT boats quickly prove their worth, successfully shooting down Japanese planes, relaying messages between islands, and picking off a multitude of enemy ships.

CriticWise case file

What this film says about your taste.

Not a recommendation score. A measure of how closely the film’s taste signals resemble yours.

The archetype split

Who fights over They Were Expendable?

The split comes from the same five-axis model used by the test, not audience ratings or review sentiment.

Taste neighbourhood

Nearby on the taste map.

TMDB supplies the candidates. CriticWise reorders them by craft, strangeness, prestige, emotion, and pace.

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Tora! Tora! Tora!

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The Monuments Men

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Based on the true story of the greatest treasure hunt in history, The Monuments Men is an action drama focusing on seven over-the-hill, out-of-shape museum directors, artists, architects, curators, and art historians who went to the front lines of WWII to rescue the world’s artistic masterpieces from Nazi thieves and return them to their rightful owners. With the art hidden behind enemy lines, how could these guys hope to succeed?

The Last of the Mohicans

The Last of the Mohicans

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Empire of the Sun

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Shepherd: The Story of a Jewish Dog

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Names above the title

The people responsible.

Directed by

John Ford

Written by

Frank Wead · Christina Stead

Robert Montgomery

Robert Montgomery

Lt. John Brickley

John Wayne

John Wayne

Lt. (J.G.) 'Rusty' Ryan

Donna Reed

Donna Reed

Lt. Sandy Davyss

Jack Holt

Jack Holt

General Martin

Ward Bond

Ward Bond

"Boats" Mulcahey, Chief Boatswain's Mate

Marshall Thompson

Marshall Thompson

Ens. 'Snake' Gardner

Paul Langton

Paul Langton

Ens. 'Andy' Andrews

Court is in session

Put They Were Expendable on trial.

Two incompatible taste archetypes. One film. Read the arguments, then issue a completely binding cultural ruling.

The defence The Prestige Tourist

“Ambition earns the room.”

The film reaches for consequence and scale, accepting the risk of seriousness instead of shrinking from it.

The prosecution The Popcorn Loyalist

“Importance has entered the chat.”

The production keeps announcing its significance, as though awards-season posture were proof of insight.