In this well-made re-enactment of one of the most significant conflicts of the war in the Pacific, John Wayne leads his marines to hell and back and they love him for it, every bloodsoaked, heroic foot of the way. It was made on the cheap, often shows its age and is particularly anti-Japanese in its sensibilities. But it's still eminently watchable - propaganda aside - and the Duke nabbed his first Oscar nomination to boot. Apparently, Kirk Douglas was in line for the role of Sergeant Stryker, but, according to the film's producer, Wayne wanted the role so badly "he could taste it." If you believe Wayne's son, though, the Duke worried about the script and only relented when war veterans lobbied him to play the part.

Haunted by personal demons, Marine Sgt. John Stryker is hated and feared by his men, who see him as a cold-hearted sadist. But when their boots hit the beaches, they begin to understand the reason for Stryker's rigid form of discipline.