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Halls of Montezuma

Halls of Montezuma

Adventure · Drama · Action · 1951

Richard Widmark leads an all star cast of marine leathernecks including Jack Palance, Robert Wagner, Karl Malden, Richard Boone and Jack Webb into battle on a heavily fortified island. This action-packed story follows the squad as they pick their way through enemy-infested jungles on a time sensitive mission to find the source of the enemy rockets. As the mission progresses, the squad and leader overcome many challenges as they are transformed into an effective and efficient fighting unit.

Movie details

Halls of Montezuma

“The everlasting story of the everlasting glory of the UNITED STATES MARINES!”

1951 Adventure · Drama · Action 1h 53m

Critical arithmetic

One number, for now.

TMDB

5.9 / 10

Community rating

Richard Widmark leads an all star cast of marine leathernecks including Jack Palance, Robert Wagner, Karl Malden, Richard Boone and Jack Webb into battle on a heavily fortified island. This action-packed story follows the squad as they pick their way through enemy-infested jungles on a time sensitive mission to find the source of the enemy rockets. As the mission progresses, the squad and leader overcome many challenges as they are transformed into an effective and efficient fighting unit.

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 Halls of Montezuma?

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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Names above the title

The people responsible.

Directed by

Lewis Milestone

Written by

Michael Blankfort

Richard Widmark

Richard Widmark

Lt. Carl Anderson

Jack Palance

Jack Palance

Pigeon Lane

Reginald Gardiner

Reginald Gardiner

Sgt. Randolph Johnson

Robert Wagner

Robert Wagner

Coffman

Karl Malden

Karl Malden

C.E. "Doc" Jones

Richard Hylton

Richard Hylton

Stuart Conroy

Richard Boone

Richard Boone

Lt. Col. Gilfillan

Court is in session

Put Halls of Montezuma on trial.

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

The defence The Adrenaline Seeker

“Momentum is a formal choice.”

The velocity sharpens instinct and tension, making every beat land before self-importance can settle in.

The prosecution The Cool Ironist

“Speed as an alibi.”

The film races past its weak spots and hopes acceleration will keep the audience from inspecting the evidence.