Review of PT 109 (1963) by Joey T — 30 Dec 2010

Oh my goodness. Where do I start? First of all, I have been watching this movie on VHS since I can possibly remember. This has to be my favorite war film of all time! I have watched this film HUNDREDS upon HUNDREDS of times. I also got to read the book by Robert J. Donovan, and it was an excellent treat. I must say that although the historical inaccuracies do stand out, the fact that this is only a dramatization makes the film work, and thus the pacing of the film is not lost. The battle scenes are very well-crafted, and better than what CGI has done for battle scenes in some of Hollywood's later releases such as Pearl Harbor (2001). They are very entertaining, and they are most certainly the highlight of this film. Cliff Robertson does very well for the role of the young John F. Kennedy, as well as the rest of the supporting cast, including James Gregory as the uptight and cynical Commander Ritchie, and the recently deceased Robert Culp, who serves as the very candid and lighthearted comic-relief character of Barney Ross. The cinematography is very well handled for what they had in 1963, and serves the movie well as far as presenting the story. I cannot find a single major flaw with this film.

In conclusion, it would be a crime for me to say that this movie didn't inspire me to become a World War II buff and someone who loves and appreciates history, as well as attributing to John F. Kennedy being one of my favorite presidents of all-time. I love this movie, and if you're a war buff guy like me whose really looking into some of the older genre of war films (especially war films that are based on a true story), I highly recommend this film! It may be extremely hard to find, but you definitely got to see it some way or another! This is an absolute cinematic gem in the war film genre!