All right. Hello, everyone. The second episode of Golden Poppies, or perhaps known as another name, sometimes used to say I'm back always by my lovely co-host. Thank you. Take my word for it, because you can see I ask, how are you doing?

And I am good. Jamie, your roommate sounds a bit off in my ear, but I'm sure I'm sure it's the chat rather than it might be fun to see for everyone.

Why won't it?

Yeah, we'll find out at least. So I've repaired my headset, but by taking the soft bit from the ears of a really old, like little headset thing, I taking the ears of that and take it over the microphone. So hopefully it's not as correctly now.

Well, and see, and that'll be a fun reveal for both of us, I imagine. Exactly.

Exactly. So what's the film from this week, Jamie?

It's a film called To the Hero, which is not a grammatically correct title.

That's right. I referred to as a hero. Too late to my parents twice. Oh, I got it.

I kept calling it too late hero, which was also, you know, we in fact, at least sounds like to late hero to them.

It's too late. Just to call my sense. Uh, to know because. Yeah, I don't know if it makes sense, it doesn't make a lot of sense, but, you know, sometimes Sunitha makes sense. Always. Yeah, I don't think I don't get with this one man. So I'm sorry. When did it come out, Jamie?

It came out in 1970, just like just like you slowly realizing if you want to slowly realizing that this is going to have a real trend, you know. Yeah, exactly.

This is what we decided to do. If for some reason you're watching this episode first. The whole premise of the podcast is that we're reviewing films that came out 50 years ago this week. That's right. OK, it's too late.

The hero came out on the 20th of May, 1970 in the U.S. and August in the U.K., but, well, October in the U.K. even.

I think it is August, but our sources differ obviously fairly.

Dunkin's wrong. But regardless, it came out in the US. That's right.

So do you join in some of the historical context or do you want to save that for.

Yeah, go. So is it my bit as in as in do you want to do the historical context?

But generally or Janet folks in the film, lots of context. Why not mix up my my bit. OK. Yeah. OK. So by the way, did we ever work out if all the dates are the same 50 years ago.

All the time. Did you like that. I did not. No I didn't either.

We promised our viewers last week that we would give away five episodes from now and we will resolve this cliffhanger either way.

Certainly for now is and probably for the foreseeable future until we reach a leap year. And then we can worry about it so we can revisit the issue.

This came out in a Wednesday, the 20th of May. Do you know do you know who was born on the 20th of May 1970, Jimmy?

I do know a good friend of the podcast, Louis Freeh, was born. Oh, I mean, yeah, they're good people. Yeah, exactly. A. You can you can see him in well, it shows Jamie, because he's our sponsor for this week.

I don't watch television. No, me neither.

But Frem Leaf through the man is sponsoring this week's podcast. So thank you. Shout out to him. I think he wrote an autobiography recently.

Go by. Go by it. 100 percent of proceeds go to golden turkeys. Exactly.

So basically, we're just going to give free promotion to anyone and everything until someone sponsors us.

Eventually they'll pay us. But yeah, exactly. I mean, I'm still waiting for the paycheck from take me back to who I am once again, using as my source for what was going on.

But we can change that any time. Take me back to you.

I'm just again, we can use other other and date checking websites are available. You want to keep your good side exactly, keep us, and you could say so apparently on today, 24 May 1970, 100000 people marched in New York and supporting US policy in Vietnam, supporting them. OK, I realize that I've typed this out and I don't actually know whether I meant to type, like, supporting or going against U.S. policy, just supporting them, which probably the other option we should.

Yeah. OK, you felt the filler. I don't know. I mean, look up and talk. OK, well, Dunkin's doing it looking that up. Hello. How's it going everyone. All the time.

And I don't do research for these things so.

No. To support the Vietnam War. Support the Vietnam War. OK, I guess is the word we get people out.

On May the 20th, 1970, more than 100000 marched to show support for the Vietnam War and for Nixon, huh? Oh, OK.

That's interesting because I taped I obviously without actually thinking and I was like, oh, it must be a protest against that. But apparently no, it was protest for it. That is interesting. It is.

I wonder if your history vindicated in that particular song.

Yeah, who knows. Who knows. And OK, so well maybe OK, maybe I should go actually jump across a couple of my things and go to the Kent State massacre, which actually happened on May the 4th. Yeah.

And day it was against the massacre.

But and it was, it was in all the magazines that take me back to Tío Promotes or shows. It was in all the magazines this week. All right. In 70. So that's why I never knew I would do it, to make it a lot more sense.

It would have made lower sense. Talk about it last week. We're to mention it this week because it was it was a news news. Take a lot longer to get back in those days. I feel that that's true. Maybe so.

Do you know anything about the Kent State? Kent State?

There was a protest, I assume, in terms of the Vietnam War.

A bunch of armed guards were murdered by the police and it was, I think, four killed or became a lot more injured, nine regardless.

So regardless about it, yeah, it's pretty bad. You know, it doesn't the death doesn't by any means. And so we're trying to excuse it, but it is it's interesting that it's referred to as a massacre. Well, what does something have to be to a massacre, to be a massacre as to be violence against a group of unarmed?

Right.

So so it was a massacre and the other group of weapons. You bet, sneeze. I'm awesome. I stopped by, but, you know, it's funny, she did that voice all the time. That was great.

I love that is speaking. You're going to talk about the Kent State massacre and that.

Right, with the wounded fortunes or Swedish. Give it up for me to talk about to get to state the massacre like that.

Anyway, I think if a group of unarmed people are getting shot, then it's generally a massacre.

Yeah. What was that in the background? That's my dog. Fucking dog.

Sound like a human, but not. All right.

OK, so there was also a lot of stuff about the Cold War, just generally what was going on and what wasn't going on. You know, as I same as last week, I can I can actually read the articles, but I could sort of see the headlines and stuff.

So, yeah, that is was going on. This is still Khrushchev and 1970.

Yeah, sure. Something like that. I think it basically was just it was the usual paranoia, you know. What were they up to to know what we're up to, that kind of thing. You know, I have coworkers like that.

OK, well, the Knicks the Knicks won the NBA the same week the Kent State massacre happened. It was the first NBA championship and that was all over the news as well. And I feel like I should I should really be trying to find out what happened that week that rather than what was just in the news. But the problem is I'm only allowed to use our sponsor, Tamie Pactio, and the publications that they promote so that the rules, unfortunately.

But yeah, the next one, the NBA, which is was the first time. And I said, OK, so music. Oh, yeah.

My Sacramento Bee came out in the UK this week. Right. Or close to it. And maybe where I'm guessing my guess is last week would be leading the charts for leaving the charts.

Yeah it was, it was, it was I think it was number ten in the U.S. So it was it was down a bit in the UK back home by the England football team was still number one. And so I guess that's probably going to be the same until we get knocked out, um, which we talked about last week a bit. I can't remember maybe I don't know if I've actually made it in or not. I might been lost in the the great the great audio loss of last week.

Um, but yeah, that was that was still I assume that's going to be number one or in the top five for a while.

And Spirit in the Sky by the Guardians of the Galaxy Band was also was two great titans of the year. Exactly. There was also a kind of a cover of House of the Rising Sun. I by frigid pink, which I listened to, was quite cool. I heard them.

You never heard of them, Bridgid Pink? No, I don't think I have either. And I don't know I don't know who they were, but they they cover tunes for you. It wasn't that different from like the animals on or anything, but it was it was a bit more seventies I guess.

And the a book about Mary Queen of Scots was very popular. Oh yeah. And the only reason I bring that up is because I watch that film last night, the the new one or new it not new but you know.

Well it came out a few years ago. Right. Two years ago I think. For years. OK, yeah. I think I know what you mean. Yeah. Have you seen it. I haven't. I wasn't.

No I was. It was all right. It was um. Yeah, yeah, yeah. All right. Basically. So I'd say it wasn't on our, on our scale it was probably give it a watch if it's on but don't get your way to watch it. And so maybe you rank down from last week's so. Well, maybe it was good, it was fine, it was good. Yeah, OK, that's my that's how my background stuff there wasn't really anything relevant to the Second World War, obviously.

So, you know, to give some context to late the Hero is a film about the Second World War is set in the New Hebrides, which is not there anymore.

It's called the Republic of Something with the I'm very sorry.

I've forgotten that many if you keep doing your talking. So is set in this British army base in the jungle. An American officer is sent to join some British troops on a quest to destroy a Japanese radio. And then on the way, they discover a secret airfield that the Japanese have. And it's a race against time to get back to the British base to report what they've seen or the Japanese discover them and kill them all. That's right. A secret from going out.

That's right. And Vanuatu in Oceania, that is, they now own the New Hebrides.

So a fun fact about this film is that the Japanese were never in that area of the world in World War. Yes.

So that the U.S. arrived in 1940. Right. Despite the fact this film set in 1941. Is that right?

You know, in 1942, just the Japanese were never there. Oh, OK. So this is semi well, not really accurate. It's just not I guess I guess I guess the New Hebrides name was probably convenient for, like, British viewers. Oh, yeah.

I think it's yeah. I mean, it was still it was called that up until the 80s. I think it was the 80s. Right. So so so the point where this film came out, it was so called back.

Yeah. So I guess I mean I don't think that's probably I don't think that's really a major. Element of historical accuracy, because it's not like that, the film revolves around the fact that is on that particular island, you know, it could really be.

Well, I think the reason I bring it on is because I think it's very critical to the reader, to the presentation on this film that takes place in the jungle. Yes. As we have discussed, there was another war going on at the same time.

And I feel this film draws some possibly unintentional, but I think definite parallels to the Vietnamese war. I would say so far as to say it's perhaps about the Vietnamese more or more than it is about World War two.

I entirely agree. Jamie, I, uh, I was on Wikipedia that great that great source of knowledge. And it said it said the same thing.

And apparently the one in the post was featured, featured a soldier in 1960s garb with an M 16 understanding. That was that that's not the main poster that it comes up. But that was one. And it was also the line in this, like long haired conscientious objectors yelling, which is obviously very. Vietnam War, as opposed to World War Two, you know, you didn't have hippies, yeah, maybe you did, but not not to the same extent.

It is quite clearly a cover thing. And it was actually filmed it was filmed in the same parts of the Philippines as another film called Nam NAMS Angels or the Losers, which is a Vietnam War biker film, also about a group of bikers that fight in Vietnam. I believe apparently a lot of the same sets were used both from the same part of the Philippines as that film. So there's yeah, it's very obviously. And Vietnam inspired. Yeah, I would say.

So just to start off, I suppose the plot synopsis is the beginning of the broad thing, but we start off in an American base camp. That's right.

Our hero, Lt. Lawson or Lieutenant Lawson, and he will come to them.

Yes, he is played by who? Jamie.

I forgot Robertson for all of us. And thank you for, you know, what else he's been in. I don't he look vaguely familiar, but he was Uncle Ben in Tobey Maguire Spiderman films.

Really? Yeah, sure. I didn't recognize him at all. No, I didn't recognize him either.

But I was that seems to be the most knowing other thing and. Yeah. Oh yeah, yeah.

I'm going for the part we can go back to there their. Well so he's relaxing on a beach. The American beer guy, he sent me a beer and this. Hey what's up. What's the good word Colonel or sergeant or whatever. And he's like I'm just about to go on my holiday. Four weeks paid leave and yeah. I don't know, I need you to do the suicide mission instead with the British.

Well, he doesn't describe it as a suicide mission. No, but he does say that it involves combat, which this guy is a competition before in disguise. But yeah, he's a language specialist. The reason for this mission is like speaks Japanese and he's like the reason he got into this particular line of work for the men who'd be by radio behind the fence, I wouldn't be seeing any combat.

Now it's all changed, which sets up his character very nicely, which I'm sure is not one obvious character arc, but certainly worth discussing. Yes. So he's shipped out to be with the Limeys in Brodies, who are all a bunch of lovely archetypes who are led by.

But old Michael Caine, Michael Caine, Michael Savage says you're only supposed to blow the territories off in full at that era of his career.

Michael, Michael Caine, he's really talking like this and he's he's just like Michael Caine. He's being sarcastic. Is anything. Yeah, of course. You were only supposed to blow the bloody doors off. You blown Holbein up and you. Exactly. Oh, I can't do I can't do my cocaine or you just say my cocaine is in cocaine.

Yeah, you say my, my, my cocaine. I know it does his accent quite well. And then you pick up a few words because you're not from the area of the world. So you fuck up a bit. Right.

Going through. Yeah. So there's Michael Caine. There's a funny joke. Yeah. Ridiculous character. Who has a broken arm. Yeah. Not Yeah.

I want to go, I want to go into later and then there's like five other eyes and I have forgotten almost all of them because none of them are that memorable. Yeah.

And it's a corporate, the corporate that just follows those orders. He's kind of memorable and then.

Oh yeah. Their leader is Stamets Corporal.

I know Art Hornsby. Hornsby. That's it. No, he's he's he's the officer.

I'm talking about the corporal. Like the um. Yeah. The Corporal. The one that's below him. That just keeps asking to do stuff. I've already completely forgotten, and he's like, he's very responsible and he's like, OK, so I'm sure he exists. Yes, I of the characters, the most the most memorable.

No, they focus on individual ones.

They have a lot of banter, the stereotypical 1970s banter, the plastic. They all make fun of each other. Yeah, well, sound exactly the same.

Yeah. Which is very sort of soldiery I think. Yeah. Well one of the things that I did sort of feel about this film is that I thought it was very the atmosphere was very boisterous, you know, like particularly what it's all just boys, you know, it's all just a bunch of lads, little boys, dervish boys.

All boys. Trabis, right? Yes. It's a very, very fun time and, you know, even throughout the fun time was had by all the.

Yeah, it's not the most horrifying depiction of war, obviously.

Well, I don't know, man. I would disagree with that. Huh. But certainly in the very beginning, after all, having fun, they're all fun and fun.

I would say that's more coping mechanisms, mechanism that they're using. I right from the start, you see guys getting shot up and like, you know, there's all sorts of really brutal bits where they have to walk over their dead comrades and there's a lovely bone where the landmines.

And so someone gets blown up by a landmine. And then Michael Caine goes up and he's all around us.

I know we're in the United States. Yeah, I would say that's more at that point.

That's clearly like desensitisation. Yeah.

Desensitisation, I would say, is what I got from the boys trip style.

Yeah. Humor is definitely got it from Michael Caine's character. I'm not sure. Yeah.

All right. We are they are led by Captain Hornsby, who is a postup, who is played by the guy who plays Marcus in Indiana Jones, and you remember his name, Denim Denim Elliott Denim Elliott.

Yeah, it's very he's very young in this, isn't he?

He's quite young. This fellow here to top his first film role was in 1949. Oh, so he's not that young.

Well, yeah, yeah, yeah. He had been in the business 21 years.

OK, so when I say very young I compared to character Marcus Footmarks Baruti. So it's interesting.

This is the second week in a row where we've seen Indiana Jones actors.

Oh yeah. Earlier earlier stage of the career, which is exactly Sean Connery next week votes probably just coincidentally showing off our friend.

Yeah. Is he. It's not a the the no, not was the reason you must have been right. I have been doing very late James Bond or he would have been aware of the fact.

Well, I'm sure we'll run into them again. Sean, Sean Connery, at some point when we were watching all these films, surely. So Sean is going to be in one of them.

Anyway, Michael, caginess one, so we'll go back to him. What did you think when he sees the next, as it were, or did I think of Michael Caine?

Yeah. Have you finished have you finished your summary? Oh, no.

I figured we'd just stop for a bit. Oh, yeah. OK, I'm going to.

Yeah. I mean, he was he was. I feel like he has a very. Specific style, especially at this time in his career, and he kind of just is playing himself.

Yeah, essentially he's playing himself, which I'm fine with because I mean, I like him.

I think he's a really good well, I think the thing about sort of films this or this time is that obviously the main thing you're selling with your film is who's starring. That's not going to know that. That means there's not a lot of motivation for stars to act outside of their persona. So that's why people like Michael Caine, the character, I think was different hats on. Yeah. Thanks very much, Michael Caine, as he is in the Italian job.

Yeah, so many things.

I would say the Italian job is probably the Alfie was the film that set him as that character, would you say?

I would if I'd seen Alfie, but yes. Have you seen Zuli? Yeah, absolutely, yeah, because in Zulu, he's he's not really Michael, it's serious, not because he he's playing a very different character, like he's a he's a police officer and.

Yeah. Whereas. Obviously is very different as going in what Harry Palmer films like the Dresden Files and stuff, right?

Yeah, yeah. Um, yeah. So obviously in zulily there's the two officers and I feel like Michael Caine. In after Alphie, an Italian job and this kind of film, we'd probably be playing the other officer, there is a man in the mind of the people.

Yeah, I mean, that's definitely what he's going for here.

Yeah, I think I find it interesting that he started his career, actually. Is this like an upper class officer type and, you know, now six years later, he's really flipped or he's become the MicroCon everyone knows and loves. Yeah, exactly.

Well, like, there's certainly a very clear path for him in this film as there isn't any more film, I suppose, because obviously Dunham's character, the Captain Hornby, competent, basically, but he's been promoted to this station, one assumes, because of his past. You mentioned from Cotswold that he's, you know, very posh compared to the rest of them.

Yeah. You know, he was he was very placatory to me. Oh, yeah. Just was like, no, not is it not is it necessarily like the character of Blackadder but just the show in the vibe.

Him I could see it on like Blackadder. Gosforth being like, right chaps. We're going to have to go over the top now. There's a good lad put you put your hat on. Let's let's go.

There's always like with him though is very much an area of cruelty to it rather than perhaps there's not. Yeah.

He gets his moments to shine a lot more.

I mean, I see you as a for commanding officers that we try an ambush, this Japanese patrol, and they're ambushing them. They still lose three of them. And then we kill five of the Japanese each other, right? Yeah. They shoot like all the men shot in the back with Michael, as Michael Caine points out. Yeah. And like two of the Japanese are sort of lying there wounded. I mean, just the commanding officer just shoots them in the head.

Yeah. Which is another brutal bit, throwing out a lot of rubbish. Yeah.

You kind of get the impression that he's trying his hardest, but he's really is that you can you can tell the. You can tell he genuinely believes in what he's doing, it's not yeah, exactly, he's not one of these like, um, you know, totally incompetent. Totally, I don't know, some another word that describes him.

He's not lazy, I suppose you might say. Yeah, he's he is actually doing his job. It's just like, no, he's great.

Yeah. And he never saw one of those people. Like, as things start to go wrong, he gets more and more entrenched in his own.

Yes, exactly. He's infallible.

And Michael Caine doesn't really make it easy for him by. Yeah, exactly. Really challenging.

Which is, you know, obviously that that is absolutely necessary as a. Officer, I think he I mean, I think he makes a couple of good points, like there's a bit where he it's like once you've you've taken on the responsibility to go through with it, you know.

Which I think is quite poor and quite an important thing, I mean, I feel if you're so I mean, obviously it's hard in wartime, but at the same time led to your death by someone who's not going to be able to protect you. I don't think you have any obligation to them, frankly.

But, um, no, not necessarily. But I think I think he's got a point about like they're there now, so, like, they have to like it. So, you know, it's not made easy for him. And he has to make a lot of hard decisions. Right. The film. Well, you know, just because they continue on doesn't continue on with the mission. Does he take back the wounded people? They like kind and stuff?

Well, to be fair, I don't think those are presented as being tough decisions for him. And I don't think he ever really considers them or even when.

No, I don't know if they're necessary, but I think I think they're shouldn't be a strain on him in some way.

They are violent. That strain manifests itself. Well, no, no, I don't think it manifests itself. I think that he's not good at his job. That's what we're trying. No, that's what I mean.

So so he has to make all these hard decisions and he potentially makes the wrong one. Or, you know, maybe he doesn't make the easiest one, but he makes it very quickly. And then I think there is a lot of strain on him, especially with the relationship between him and Michael Caine and the other guys.

But he does. He does choose the wrong thing an awful lot of the time, I think. Yeah, but I mean, what they have to do the mission, though.

Well, the thing, though, like when it gets to the point, if you remember when the radio is broken, for example. Yeah. And he starts going beyond the scope of the mission and directly obeying disobeying his orders. Yeah, well, exactly. Exactly. I think to me that's where his defense of I'm just doing what's required of me is or begins to run out.

Yes. Yes. And I think at that point he's gone so far that he can and.

Can't comprehend feeling like he doesn't want to feel because he probably knows that he's. Incompetent or that he's not able to do his job, his full ability, and he has to cover up for that by taking on the persona of like the officer that's doing his duty over.

I mean, certainly they do establish that this is like he's messed up something in the past. Yes. Yeah. And he wants to prove himself. So I think I think it's actually quite an interesting character that he plays.

And I think when you look into it, you certainly give him a lot more sympathy.

And I would certainly something there. At the very least, it's hard to. Yeah, I mean, I think we I think we probably have different views on this. Yeah, but I think you but I think even if you don't have sympathy for him, you can still or even if you don't have empathy for him, I suppose you still have some element of sympathy for the situation that he's in.

Yeah. Yeah. So he is in charge. He leads them on their way to this Japanese camp, whether the radio or some small incidents happen on the way.

Yeah, I mean, names such as someone getting blown up, someone getting killed by a Japanese person and basically by a lot of people die on this mission really doesn't seem like it should have been the case.

But, um, no, no, I suppose it establishes how dangerous it does.

But I think it does also reflect poorly on this mission, at least for the first part, is just walk from the jungle from here to here. And yes. Our son dying.

Yeah. Yeah. Yeah, yeah, once they destroyed the radio, you can understand a bit more, but they definitely. Yeah, it's it's yes, an interesting one, so something something about those people dying, did you did you notice that like this, the size of their group seemed to keep changing for the film?

Something is the issue with me only really like remembering three of the characters now for the carrier group is that it was just all of them and the rest.

Yeah, well, in like there were some expendable ones and just be like, that's Chumlee over there and now he's dead. Oh, was he here.

Yeah, exactly. But as in like. I don't mean changing in the people were dying, I mean, is it like to be like it was quite obvious that on certain days of filming them, they had some people. So like when they were camped out and it was a long scene, there was just like the five main characters that survived were like next year. But then in the Montanti, suddenly there was like ten of them going for the jungle.

And you were like, I was kind of like, who are these people?

I feel like I know that, you know, maybe it was more obvious to you with the filmmakers I as it worked, but it wasn't enough to be distracting for me. But like this general sense that I really was not keeping track of who was in the group.

No. I mean, but at the same time, they did establish, I think, fairly early on who the key players were.

Well, yeah, let's be fair. The reason I remember only four people is that only four of them are important.

Yeah, I know.

I'm trying to remember, if any, did it did anyone die that was established in the initial going to the the Japanese camp, the die on the way back, obviously.

Yeah. But didn't anyone die in a way there that was established with the old. Just not really like the guy, the tower guy.

The guy that got killed by a Japanese guy.

Yeah, I'd say. But he only established in the same scene he died. Yeah.

Yes. He was somewhat establishment already. Yeah. So that's interesting. Yeah.

So the first thing we see is that patrol we mentioned earlier. Yeah. Cockup five people. Michael Caine says actually if you notice because of Deer Hornsby's tactics, we ended up oneman and move on to the retired radio guy and they have another altercation with some Japanese soldiers and he ends up critically wounded. Michael Caine, cigarettes. And now we'll be back for you. And then he's killed. Yeah, at this point in the film, as they're killing some Japanese in the undergrowth, the disgusting Jaque.

Yeah, that prick is not ridiculous as we all fossil fuels the cigarettes that Michael Caine left from the corpse. And then one of the Japanese soldiers who died has a ring on his finger. And he is, after all, a really joke that this right. The ring off his finger and that doesn't work. He gets his goddamn machete and chops off the finger just so he can just gold, I guess.

That's right. Yeah.

You played well. And then I guess we got to the Japanese base. They're all sort of hiding out under a building. Oh, yes. Sorry. In the way that the radio breaks in a weirdly preventable accident or one of them fall three oh oh oh.

It's a funny shipmen each. Yeah. It was like yeah he just it's like it's like watching a fat person like fallers across the river.

It was, it's like tiny like maybe, maybe like five centimetres deep. Yeah. Across this is only one stepping stone and then they got Michael Caine has his hand. It takes the character maybe four minutes to go across and he falls.

Yeah. Do you think Michael Caine dropped him though on purpose?

I guess they did accuse him because I played or suggested by the officer.

Yeah, well, ultimately, yes. I think that's destroying him as being paranoid at that point. Right.

I suppose I suppose the radio, it's probably very heavy.

Yeah, probably at this point. Michael Caine had a disagreement with the officer and he's now been his and he's been placed under court martial. Yeah.

So, I mean, Michael Caine wants to just turn back. Yeah. Just not great. No, but also perhaps most reasonable thing to do is certainly.

Yeah.

But you know, in these situations you can't really. That's what goes back to the kind of like having to do your duty thing because all the warships are going to get blown up if he doesn't if they go back.

Yeah, well. So apparently a radio drove over to wait ten point six CGY on a total of four airplanes, seventeen point four Yukichi is happy for the timing, the constant. Wait, I feel you can still get across.

Yeah, it doesn't feel it doesn't feel heavy enough to, like, make you feel unable to walk. I mean you'd be walking for a long time I guess.

Yeah. You could still just pass the radio across the pond. The pond is. Yeah.

You think it was, it was your take on this and the effect to do two things and it's such a delightful. Oh yeah. And I mean this is a combo radio.

Do you think that maybe like songs like they wrote down the script, like they have to cross pulls over and like the tube almost like he was in a much different stream.

Then they go funny because alwayson they got to say they'd been used by NAMS fighters and they'd fucked up and it was just a little stream they and they're like, oh, we'll do our best. And then the actor is like, well, I'm no, I'm not falling over fully. I just I was sort of it. And you're like, come on, man. He was like, no, it's not my contract. So he just like, sat down over.

And then he was like, two of the things are broken. We don't have any spares because, you know, we didn't say we need space when we were crossing the jungle and getting into combat with Japanese soldiers.

Actually, this is a great staircase for this film's second type of joke that has this is a great film, obviously, for if you like sarcasm. Yes. If you love that one joke where an American says something and the Englishman doesn't recognize the expression or vice versa, then this is a film. Was this are those there were a ton, though. If I didn't know if I know those really couple give me. Oh God. So like there's one where is like saying he's won like at the very beginning.

So this particular example is saying all this to tube's broken shoot and he goes back to you wink. And then there's like at the beginning is a bit where he's like ah he's got one debt card short of like one deck short of a house of cards. I thought I lost marbles.

He goes, he's cucu. I was like, oh yeah. Oh man.

That you're my impression is so like up in that thing it was like perfect. When you said you said Michael Caine and I say, oh, that's good. That's good. Yeah. Yeah. OK, there were some good bits. Yeah.

Yeah. Anyway, so they got to the Japanese camp, the captain Andorian or Captain Orany.

Captain Hornsby.

Captain Orny. Yeah.

Captain Horny LT he says goes beyond the scope of his mission and he says, you know, we can just use Japanese radio. We don't need our own. Yeah. And the American Lieutenant's like that's beyond the scope of orders. I'm not following you if you go with that plan. Yeah. It's like are you will you will like he believes in his, like, inner spirit. He's like, oh yeah.

He's he's like, you are where you are, which of course. Which of course spoiler alert he is later on, but he's too late.

I think maybe you could be too late to him.

So it's like it's like with like a child like, you know, for miles refusing to go somewhere. Then you pretend to them and then you're like, oh yeah, it is exactly like that.

Yeah. Strategies like, you know, when you see the I'm in mortal danger, you'll come rescue me. I'll be fine.

Oh then my cocaine's like like OK well you don't get it go. And it's like I told him I wasn't going and it's, it's like there's a split when he's out the window and he's like, oh OK, I'm not going. Yeah it was. Oh it was funny. Oh shit.

Yeah. So at the end of that debacle, the Lieutenant Horton tries to kill a Japanese, the Japanese radio officer, but he doesn't do it properly because he's not hit over the head.

So they both got he and the radio operator both get shot then I think.

I see the backtracking, but backtracking before we before we talk about this.

Number one, I when I was watching that scene, I was just I was just like, imagine if stealth missions and games were like this easy because he just he just he just he, like, stands up in British or with the Japanese guy to turn around.

And he just walks across and walks in and then and then the other guy does as well. And then I'm sure the American could just go away for it as well.

They just walk away.

It was amazing. And they got rid of the hat. And then it's like there's no there's no tension.

There's no tension. Like it's not even like you're like is he is the is the center you going to turn around?

He's just standing saying it's slightly weird because the tension builds up while they're planning, almost also arguing whether or not like he's going to get like as soon as the operation starts, like the tension goes away or anything.

So then let me back up that to me, kind of felt like they had to set that. They had to say it like laying down. They're like, man, there's no way that we can have them creeping across. How could we how could we get them in that radio room that's across the clearing from the pictures we've got them in. Oh, let's just let's just have them walk across.

See, the thing is, I know you say that, but I actually think that that strategy probably would actually work. Probably no. Probably it was like you belong there and you just take off like the hype given us. It's night time as well. So that's the only identifier if you just purposefully go.

Well, the thing is well, I'm not sure.

I feel like that's a technique that works in a lot of cases. Like this is a classic thing of like if you're just confident you can get in and you know, but I feel like when you're at war and your little job is to overlook for enemy invasion, I don't think it would work. Surely, you know, if I if I go into a bank dressed in a suit and just, like, walk straight through to the bank, but I might be fine because they're they're going to assume, you know, they're not on look at look out for people trying to infiltrate the base.

But if you're at war and you're Japanese soldier, surely you're going to be like, who's that guy? That's like a foot.

That guy's probably been like on watch for like every night for a week. And this is like our free of five, you know, he's probably not give him his full go. Look, it's a critical period, Jamie.

It's a critical radio transmission period. No. All right. All right, I stretch my disbelief too much. I think if they'd gone on too long, the fact that I think he does, I think it would be cool.

But, you know, they would make games a lot easier. Right. You're playing a stealth game and you could just sleep.

Isn't that basically what the hit man franchise?

That is kind of what it means. Like, yeah, I guess it is kind of hitman. Fair enough. And then the other bit before we go on to the big battle that goes on there, so the radio operator wakes up and shoots them. So it wouldn't have made any difference if the American had gone across. Unless unless unless it somehow if it if it got there before the guy woke up and noticed yesterday to wake up, then it would have made a difference.

But otherwise, it's really not because the guy would have still woken up and shot one of them.

At least I think the implication is that he was only able to get the drop on them because Lieutenant Horny was staring out the window, staring at the window, whereas.

Come on, come on, come on. If the American had been there that have been like, yeah, the pair of eyes and like, he wouldn't have been out to at the drop on them. Yeah.

So I can I kind of sympathize with the American because I feel like we've all everyone's been in a situation where like you don't want to do something and you will let you come up with any excuse to not do it.

Well, is the American is right like he is following, OK, he's he's right.

But at the same time, it's quite clear that he's he's the you can shoot go across because otherwise you're going to die, you know, like he's being he's being stubborn and he might be being stubborn for the right for good reason.

But like there's a point where he should he really ought to like. OK, they're in there. I've got to go, but I feel I sympathize because I feel like, yeah, you know, everyone's been in a situation where you just make as many issues as possible to not do whatever you don't want to do.

I mean, I think the Americans like up to this point has been very clear that you'd like to treat this as a job, as it were, like it's something that he does what he's agreed to do. He's not going to do any more. Exactly.

Which which I think is something that a lot of people do.

And I think, to be fair, is probably the right attitude to bring.

But I would say, I mean, it's not the best search to have, though, in life. Obviously, this is different. This is a life and death situation. And like he's obviously very much someone that just wants to survive the war, which is I mean, that's a whole other thing to that. You could talk about where like, you know, obviously other people are risking their lives. Is it right for him not to? But also, you can obviously sympathize with him because you don't want one.

Trying to say is I interpret his actions in that scene as cowardice. I interpret.

No, I wouldn't interpret this cowardice, but I'm just saying that it's like definitely something that everyone's done at some point in life. Yeah.

Where they go so far say honestly, maybe closer to laziness, even though it's not the right word.

Yeah, right. Uh. It was stubborn as well. Yeah, stubborn as well, regardless. Captain Hornig gets shot in the back east or Granville outside and he dies right in front of the steering and clear. But, you know, he could have stopped.

And, you know, this is his big turning point as a character that ignites something, ignites something in that way.

The force of change. Yeah. So he leads the remaining four men, not five men in the unit total at this point.

So. Right, yeah, yeah, they do this what they do destroy. Yeah, they do destroy the Japanese radio, which I'm sure I've invested in.

But that's quite important. Yeah. Oh, man.

I just drink some water and I went down the wrong way. Duncan's call covid-19 he's going to die.

Oh no, no. Don't spread the fake news.

So the secret Japanese airfield, no one knows about it.

They didn't know it was cool. The way they covered it was awesome. How the it was like the the branches over all the planes and like the behind the hangars, the hangars were all made of like sticks of the same color as the ground.

So it was like a totally secret because that was the point was it wasn't just that no one knew about it was it was actually a secret one. Yeah, it was definitely a secret.

Well, they see how the US had done like AirCon I. Yeah. So so I just thought they missed it.

No, no, no. Because I remember all the when when the Americans are spotted, the first thing they do, rather than searching back in, the first thing you do is grab all the big branches and like Republicans.

Did you miss that? I did miss that. I'm sorry. It's probably quite boring not to.

It's probably my military expertise, me that I played for it to subtle the subtle thing of grabbing like 100 giant branches and chucking them on top of stuff and parking all the planes and hangars that were obviously not hangars. So it was pretty subtle.

Yeah, really.

Anyway, anyway, they discovered the secret airfield and Japanese spot them to shoot them. They lose one more guy. Yeah. And then they're off and running into the jungle. That's right. Secret information. They got to get back home, tell it. Otherwise, bad things will happen. That's right.

And of course, it'll be on the radio because the radio's broken by a massive accident that I've fallen and I can't get up anyway.

Thus begins the second half of this film, which is vastly better and also very weird for the second half is better.

Yeah, I didn't like any of this film that much to be on my oh sagmeister.

The the transition between just quickly between the, the fight, the radio bit and the airfield was cool because the, the, they finish the fight the radio bit and you get away and then you see, you see like an engine being started by a white jacket and you think, you think that is the American.

It's like but they got way. Yeah. Right. And then then it kind of cuts to reveal it's actually a Japanese pilot at the airfield and then you're like, oh what. Because at that point I was like, oh. So this part of the film, that part of the film's over like this. I don't know what it's going to come now, but he's he's got back. But. Then that was a cool transition. I don't know if you noticed it.

I'm sorry, I don't know. Fair enough, I wouldn't I wouldn't expect a play like you to really take on full time anyway. I mean, like many who.

Right back to your synopsis.

To the synopsis. Yeah. So at this point, they hear I saw a radio speech coming from nowhere.

Oh, that was like The Hunger Games doesn't it is very hungry.

I full fought Battle Royale because I'm very cultured.

Oh, that's a great film. Have you seen them? Have you seen Battle Royale too? Of course not. It's also as awful.

I've only seen I watched the first one and then I watched the second one a day after and oh my God, that film is awful.

I'm surprised you're right. I wrote then maybe it's very Hunger Games, but it was very bad some seasons ago. Japanese.

Yeah. I mean, it's not that I'm more cultured. Maybe I'm just racist, but yeah.

Maybe much like the characters in this film. Exactly.

Although I don't know, I don't know how much it's racist when this country has a strange attitude, I would say towards the enemy, as it were.

Yeah. They kind of portrayed as almost not that bad.

They're very they're portrayed very positively. So part of part of that I was wondering, I was going to talk about this later, but I'll do it now. And so the guy that plays the main Japanese major. Yeah, yeah. He's an actual Japanese actor. Yeah. Yeah.

And over 100 films before he was in the U.S. But I noticed that in the opening credits, they still say introducing 10 Takakura well to the obviously to the audience because I believe it is from Okri and I think I might be wrong, but I think all the other ones are Japanese films at that point.

Yes, but so he. So he was. Yeah, yeah. So he was actually Japanese and and a lot of the crew seemed to be Japanese as well.

I don't know, based on my slightly stereotyping names in the credits. But I mean Japanese names are generally pretty distinctive I would say. Yeah. And so I was wondering if maybe there had been some sort of involvement to make them seem less. But I mean, obviously they still hang Skyscape. That's because he's an asshole.

Yeah. So that feels right. That feels like the right thing to do. And the character, the characters always talk about them as if they're, as if they're really bad, which obviously a lot of Japanese soldiers were or a lot of, you know, I think the prisoner of war camps and stuff.

Yeah. I don't think I'd be defending 1940s Japan, you know.

No.

And so I was I find it interesting that the portrayal was actually not too bad because they they hang the guy that chopped off one of their their fellow soldiers fingers because we did so.

Yeah, because he did that.

And they can't use that disgusting joke they gave Hanwell deserve. Yeah, it's true. It's true. Yeah. I'm going to say Ken Tucker, who art do you know what film some specific films he was in that may be a Western audience would be more familiar with.

Do you?

I do. I have three written down here. Give them, uh, Susan, the film adaptation of Dolgov thirteen, which is a very famous manga about an assassin, is the longest fucking manga in the entire world.

All right. I went to the manga museum when I was in Japan.

Did you see and you will have seen some great stuff. Yeah. Um, you're not going to recognize it. Let me look it up. What's it called?

Dolgov farting geo geo algo thirteen. He was also in 47 Rowden, which you may remember how the Western remake with Keanu Reeves in it. Right.

I've got some I've got some manga for you by the way, man. Oh do you. Yeah, I bought some of those in Japan some insecurity because we've not seen each other for like a year.

It's very sad he lost anyways. Yeah. So he was also in these shots. Black rain. Right.

I think his biggest role. Okay.

But I mean he plays. Oh yeah. And also he won the Japan Economy Prize for outstanding performance by lead actor four times, which is more than any other actor in China.

So he's pretty good even at this point. He was like a really respected Japanese actor. OK, I'm trying to say, yeah, probably more.

I mean, obviously Michael Caine's in this film, but like at least compared to the other Western actors, probably of higher standards standing in his home country. I mean, Henry Fonda was in this film, yeah, weird thing. I'm just going to say this because I also the thing is that the credits to this film, the opening credits, they say guest starring Henry Fonda.

Yeah. Because he's not lot works in the film at all. Which characters?

He's the general staff that sends him off. All right. So I would say costarring is pretty accurate.

Like he's you have guest stars in films that just seem. I think so. I think so. And a cameo I guess, would be there. But they're not going to be they're not going to put in the credits like Cameo Cameo ing featuring as a cameo.

I think I think that's what it means when they say they usually say something like, you know, Henry Fonda as the colonel or something, you know.

Yeah, but that implies I think that implies that he's in the whole film.

I get that starring scenes where I don't think I've ever seen that in a film before.

Well, maybe maybe it's more like of the time. Time.

Yeah, I guess like a lot of sitcoms, sitcoms have guest stars sense because. Well they have it now.

Yeah. But I don't know, maybe it maybe a little TV show, maybe more TV shows had that had.

I completely understand how it works in a TV show because like, you know, like 19 episodes of the season and then the if you got the Yeah. Williams in there and she's like a guest star and she's lovely. Wholesome lesson about tennis.

Yeah. Whereas in a movie like these, just in a small role, it's not a guest star, he's just in it.

Yeah, well, I kind of feel that. I feel like I was not too inaccurate a description of what he is. And so we can talk about Henry Fonda now then.

Well, we're on point all. Well, you don't know babies well, he's he's he's a pretty good actor, a great actor, even one of the, you know, one of the one of the great actors, I think people. Would you say people consider him that? Maybe, I don't know, maybe I'm making it up anyway. Yeah, so so he's he was in 12 Angry Men. Well, that's why I've seen you see that, right?

I'll be honest.

I haven't seen it. I mean, to. All right. I do recognize his face from what's been OK from it.

Yes. He was in that for, you know, he plays. Which juror does he play? Is he the main guy that. I think he's. I think he's. The main guy, let me look it up, and in 12 angry men, the jury that that child is you know, I see him as a little younger. Either I recognize him a lot more.

Yeah. Yeah. So, yeah, he's the juror that changed everyone's mind, I think. I don't want to say that wrong, but I think he is.

And yes, he was in that he was in the wrong man. Have you seen that one.

No. Hitchcock film. It's it's pretty funny.

And so it's a pretty good film. But the whole premise of it is that like one man gets mistaken for another one because he look identical.

It's not like Hitchcock.

Yeah, that's quite well, that kind of thing is quite common in these films and it's quite funny. But at the end we're like they walk past each other and it's supposed to be like the big moment where they see each other and they really don't look very similar at all. And like the whole film's premise up to this point is they like they are indistinguishable, like they look identical to each other. Yeah. And they just they don't at all, which is quite funny.

That's that's a funny little bit. And it's been you know, he's been in lots of classic films. It was it was one time in the West.

Have you heard about that when you heard about it? Yeah, I've not seen it, but I've definitely it's one of the one of the most famous Westerns considered one of the best Westerns. Apparently it's not apparently it didn't get great initial response, but it's now a classic thing. And he died in 1982, uh, age 77.

So this is kind of towards the end of his career or somewhere in this film they were talking about. Um, so I guess that's why he's guest starring in it. But yeah, he was I will say his turn as the colonel was fine, yeah, I said he totally could have done this job. No, absolutely not.

But I think I quite like it when you get at these. It's kind of like in 1917, it was you know, you had like Benedict Cumberbatch and.

Yeah, my think the other I mean, I don't write Benedict as an actor. I think he's a bit late. But the point that was definitely a role that called for certain.

Yeah. And what's the guy's name? There was an Dunkerque so. Oh I don't know the end. I didn't see Duncalf.

You don't see Dunkirk now Jamie. It's like the best film ever.

Oh, I'm sorry man. All right. I'll film for next week, including this one next week.

We're watching and I think you know Martin, Kenneth, Kenneth Branagh.

So it's kind of brown while he was in Dunkirk and who's was in 1917. Oh, yeah. He's he's in 1917, I think.

Yeah. I was more like, you know.

Yeah, he he he does the most emotional bit in Dunkirk. But anyway, if you see Dunkirk, I went well yeah. I mean, I assume you know what happened at Dunkirk.

They went and take back France right now. That is D-Day.

Turnaround in that is not that I know that I was making a fighter. I know you were. I got it.

And OK, where were we in the synopsis? I was going to say, yes, there's a feature of the tannoy and he's like, OK, OK, here's the deal. Here's the deal, Leo.

It's the flim flam. You have this information that we can't let it go out until I think it's like Tuesday. He says, like, then we're doing this thing will be revealed. So it's fine. Yeah. We're going to chase down as you come closer and closer to your home base is going to be less and less potential routes that you could possibly be choosing your argument to catch you eventually. But if you surrender now, then we'll keep you here for a few days.

We'll let you go afterwards. Yeah. And that'll be the end of it. You know, it basically is like, you know, you can choose to run away or you can choose to surrender. Yeah.

And of course, of course, the dumb, stupid, fucking cowardly jock. Right.

Well, that sounds nice here. That sounds fucking nice. Sounds Ray Lewis after us. And then the wise, the wise clever.

My cocaine's totally educated in American turn to each other.

Go. I know the Japs treat people. Is it that I used that word as a film that that was bad, right? Yes. OK, but it's it's in the film, OK.

And he says he says that's how they I smiled and all these Japanese people. And then the American goes, yeah, you're right man. They're not going to do that. Hell no. We're not letting yourself get caught because he's a hero now.

Of course. Exactly. Um, yes. And the the the other guy is the soldier, the injured. That's like the professional soldier guy.

Remember him now the one that gets killed by the horrible, disgusting Joe.

Oh yeah, yeah, yeah.

So he's like he's he agrees with them, I think because he's a seasoned veteran, kind of crazy injured soldier. And he's like, yeah, you're right. And then the other the other two, the other two is the corporal that was talking about earlier that just goes along with whatever and the other guy that's even more forgettable, I can't remember at all.

And they they both they both side with the emotional side of them.

Yeah. But you can tell that there are swayable.

Yeah. They're they're exactly. They're open for. Open for a bit later, yeah, but desertion quite, but I yes, the Japanese guys can't like strategies to speak on the radio. And then he says, like, he's making five separate speeches that day. So, like, one of them will be guaranteed to reach them. Yeah. So one of the weirder things about this film is that the Japanese apparently have radios everywhere and loudspeaker system.

No. And they pick up to like the edge of the British camp. What are you talking about?

You see them climbing up the trees and picking them up as they move. Yeah, it seems like a waste of time. Why? They need to contact the people, though.

I'm going to be honest. You caught me. I was not at that.

You didn't get what I just told you.

So you see, because initially you don't you're like, where is this coming from? And then by, like the third speech, you see, like there's like four, four or five shots of Japanese soldiers climbing up trees and setting up loudspeakers.

OK, I understand what the know. I thought they were taking them down. Right. Good, cool. So yeah. So that's uh. Yeah.

And to talk to you about that.

Oh my God. Amazing. Yes. Should we, should we talk about. Well can we talk about real action on a bit.

I mean just a little bit. It's really it's really your film is a very good film. You and The Hunger Games.

I refuse to believe that a lot of The Hunger Games was not stolen from.

But will she ever come to that? Yeah, she denies it. She said she'd never heard of or seen bugs, which I don't believe that.

Yeah, it's the basic idea. I would believe her. But when I was watching Barberio, I watched a few moments ago, it was I was just like, there's so many similarities. Like there's like the couple, the unlikely couple. There is a bunch of the specifics of what the game were that were identical.

And I was like I was like in the zone. The zones are danger zones. And like all that stuff, the the announcements of who died every night, it was just like it was it was identical. It was kind of yeah.

It's been a couple of years since I've seen my Auriol. But I remember even at the time they're talking about like it's not like, like the general idea. I can understand someone else definitely coming up with even stuff like having the and stuff like this. Absolutely. It was like very specific parts of the game. Yeah. Yeah. Identical. Yes.

Yes. And that that. Yeah.

Well I was also a much better film than The Hunger Games, just. Yes, I would say so I, I enjoy The Hunger Games. I enjoy it.

Fine. But yeah I would say about houses. Both has more to say and yes, certainly more entertaining like actual death game compared to long. Yeah.

Most of the deaths are awesome. Yeah. That film that's is an awesome film. And the second, the second, the second one is genuinely awful.

But I'm curious now I'm going to say it's entertaining enough. I would recommend you watch it. It's, it's awful but it's, it's um. Yeah it's interesting.

In 2040 something. Is that right. Yeah. 2040 something. No later 2050. Even for that reason I yeah.

I think it came out in 2000, maybe some of them.

Anyway, back to back to that. He was too late to some late the hero.

A bridge too far a hero to lay some something. Yeah.

Play hero. Light hero. Questionmark Ansary. Yeah, so they go they say, we're not doing what that guy says and they travel for a day and then they wake up the next day, the Japanese guy's like, hey, we're closing in time to really think about that deal.

Yeah. And then they travel some more and then they sort of settle down by room. And whilst the guy who got shot earlier lines down to die there rest.

Well, he's not he's not going to die, actually.

No, but that discussing abandoning him the rest.

So they they fall asleep big time in this place. Like they they just like all fall asleep.

No, all sleep and I but I feel like that's probably actually kind of realistic.

That's true.

I mean, there's part of me there was like how could you fall asleep that easily in that situation? But then there's another part.

I mean, it's like they've been walking for like four days, you know, of course they're going to just fall asleep like that.

One of those pretty things that does sort of weirdly stick out to me is that is feels increasingly unclear how large the jungle actually is.

Yeah, they are because. It sort of seems for quite a long journey on the way there, and then they make it back in like three days, I think, and then like whenever they talk about surrounding it, make it clear that, you know, if you just, like, put your hand up, we'll see.

You know, they have to show them to you.

It gives them like a 30 second countdown to surrender at one point and light that imply.

This is so they have to shoot them to shoot the gun, though, is that it?

Did you did you miss that as well? I don't know.

That was what they were supposed to do just to surrender.

No, we didn't. He said several times, like 10 times in the film, he was like, you have to shoot your gun once in the air to show that you surrendering.

That will be said, OK, could you not understand?

His accent is something I don't remember him saying. That's all I'm saying.

I mean, literally, he said it like several times. I'm not I'm not just saying that he like said it once. It was like very clear that was how to surrender.

All right. I'm sorry. No, it's OK. Don't apologize. But you should apologize.

Probably I didn't either. I'm not sure you watch Jimmy. Yeah, I thought I did.

And I think you watched I think you watched The Simpsons episode of it. And you're taking all your ideas from that.

Yeah. Well, the thing yeah. Regardless of that particular thing, it does the size of the jungle, it seems very mutable. Yeah. It's kind of fluid I suppose. Yeah.

I mean, I think it's you vaguely get an idea that it's several days wide, but it's not necessarily specific, which is.

Yeah.

And so at this point, they're all asleep and that who is possibly time for but the cowardly jock, incredibly disgusting, filthy fucking joke to show his true hand.

So he gets up like, hey, guys, we're going to surrender now. OK, that's cool. I got your back. But he's like, nah, I'm not doing that. Yeah. So Merrison.

Yeah, just straight up, just it comes easy to them as breathing because he's a filthy fucking joke.

Exactly. That's just how they do it up there. It's all true across there. Yeah. So peaceful. And then he says, I'd like to characterize OK, we're going surrendering now.

Well, no, but he Turkson because he said to them that the officers killed the other guy. Right. Yes, it is it's a very uncertain I'm very uncertain about myself these days, I don't really think so.

He so so he implies that the officer because obviously we're talking about should be leaving behind. Yeah. Microstates now we all live by we're going to carry him. And then the joke kind of picks up in that tension.

And then he implies that Marcus Brud, Officer Marcus Brody has killed.

No, I'm not. Marcus, the American has killed the joke.

Yeah. You shoot this film, Duncan. So that's my revenge. I'll drop it implies that the Americans killed the joke.

And and so he's like, we're going to go surrender or does it imply that Japanese person killed the joke? No. Go, the other guy's got issues, all right, the soldier, because he calls them Scottish, like in a very derogatory way. So he calls them Glaswegians or derogatory, doesn't he?

I didn't pick up Edinburgh phone, so that's why I'm assuming. No. Well, that's true. I thought I might get to be from elsewhere on the island.

Yeah. And yeah. So maybe he wasn't from consulate.

He might be an Irish or something, but maybe one of them as well, shouldn't they. Yeah, there's a good spread of the unit.

I think the unit I mean the unit was made up of people that had been in Singapore and another unit. I think the main unit was Scottish because the commander was Scottish. Right. And the the hats they were wearing were Scottish.

So so he might be Scottish and that might be why he specified specified Glaswegian males who might be nobody else other than those who nobody else in the union Scottish.

The commander definitely isn't Scottish.

The commander Scottish. Oh, come on.

He's just being like, yeah, he's just being a stereotypical commander. It's got a really nice silver cane, you know, but he's got it.

But he's Scottish is my point. So he just got out and they're wearing the hats that are and there, I believe, Scottish army style.

So I think I would I think the unit generally is Scottish, but obviously Scottish units are not made up of only Scottish people. And as is as they as they say at the start, a lot of them are from Singapore. The units that were in Singapore, they're now separate units, at least in this unit.

There's only one clearly Scottish person. Yes, I think I think this soldier was I think the soldier guy that that gets his first.

It was also Scottish. But all right. Let's just I mean, one of them is that one of them is definitely Welsh as well.

Yeah, I they all pack up and they go to the Japanese bloke, the disgusting Glaswegian John gets hung and killed.

That is fair. And I can get behind that. They can get behind that.

I'm going to count it and we're going to feel like I'm going to alienate Glaswegian listeners.

When we did it, before it felt self-deprecating. Now I just feel you Glasgow.

And, uh, is that doxxing you by saying it, saying, yes, you've got three long arm. The fans are going to buy something that you that you Glasgow is at doxxing.

Mm hm. New Glasgow. I want to see if you want to see Jimmy go to a subway in Glasgow and you'll find him.

Yes. I'll be hitting my door on the way out, hitting my head on the way out. Sorry.

What? Oh, no, I meant subways in the sandwich shop. No. Oh yeah. I know something.

Because you do, don't you. I do. I'm surprised. I know. I know you. Oh thanks. Um yeah. I wasn't talking about the subways in the underground. Yeah.

Because it's not really a real one compared to average. I give to watch any place where you might.

I'm not in Aberdeen alone.

When you lock yourself where where could we be. Well other possible town. Edinburgh, Scotland.

Hello. The town in Edinburgh. Cubavision. That's right. We're in people's thoughts right now. We're in panic room. Panic taking, taking notes of how people are using. Hi. Sorry.

All right, now we're going to norling killing random woman bitches.

And it's. Oh, that's a reference.

That's a reference to all our listeners are going to get exactly like it probably will all get them because they're just all people we know.

But do they know that story? Should we tell a story, should we serve them on, should we tell that story on on on the podcast, you know, he's going to listen.

So Jamie and I well, it was actually my it was my geography, my geography project. And my final year was to compare the high streets of Peebles and Pennicuik, which if you don't know a couple of towns in the Scottish borders and where we live. Maybe CampbellI Redox and we don't live there anyway, so my my parents and my parents sent me to Peebles because it's a lovely town and they like went shopping while I was out in the street doing a questionnaire about the High Street.

Um, but they wouldn't take me to Pennicuik because it's a shithole. So I asked my good friend Jim what's very nice.

One last time I asked my oh, that's true, I get sponsored by the Pennicuik Tourist Board if we talk to them.

And so I asked my good friend Jimbo, Jamie Giberson, to come with me to do my questionnaire and Pennicuik about the High Street. And when we were there, it was like an awful day, wasn't it? Was like really rainy. We had to get the bus there because my parents, my parents are like, we're not driving to Panichi. We've got no business there. We'll drive people's anytime that got any business in and out of the question.

Um, so it was like a horrible rainy day. We've got the bus there and we didn't know where we were. Like, we didn't we don't know Pennicuik at all. And then we were on the High Street in this questionnaire.

And then this woman, this woman came out of like her apartment or was over a coffee shop.

I remember she came out of a coffee shop and she I think she lived there. I think she had an apartment there as well as we saw and we saw later in the day. But she came out and were like, what would you like to and do a questionnaire?

And of course, we're like, kind of really like awkward school schoolboys who like, would you would you like to do a questionnaire just to give some context?

Like, I came out of a store at one point and told us to do our jobs properly because we were going to.

Yes, sir. Do that. He was like and I tried to pretend it was because of the sampling method that we were using that like we could only ask every fifth person or something. But in reality, we were just like we were only approaching nice people. It's like my, my, my, my statistics are entirely based on like the old people of people and panicky and can't believe this woman because she was in like a suit and she was like had a coffee and she's obviously going somewhere.

So we asked her to do a questionnaire and she was like, no, no, I'm too busy. And then she just left. And then I said to Jamie under my breath, What was it fucking bitch that I said, Yeah, as a as a joke. It's pretty, very, very harsh and not a very nice thing to say by any means.

But it was a joke between between us and we found quite funny.

But then later in the day, later in the day she came back like an hour later and she.

Oh, have you just dropped off the call, Jimmy Duncan. OK, well, I'll keep telling the story, but, um, yeah, so she she came back like an hour later and she was like, um, she came back. I'm getting distracted. His Jamie's dropping off the caller. Is it my Wi-Fi that's gone haywire? Oh, well, anyway, they're recording so on. And so yeah, she came back like an hour later and she was like um oh I felt really bad for not talking to you guys earlier.

And I'll talk to you now. Are you back, Jamie?

Can you hear me now. Yeah, you're back. Wow. OK, I just I saw I kept going with the story.

Yes, I kept my recording going. You'll you'll find some lovely audio files of me asking you.

So, OK, well, I might I might just cut that out. So if I have cut I we we're back now. We had audio. If I haven't cut it out, which I probably won't.

I hope you enjoyed that brief portion of Jamie asking me. I was late and keep telling the story. So anyway, I called, I called her a fucking bitch under my breath, which was a terrible thing to do. And I apologized profusely to everyone, everywhere, and it was funny as well. And then she came back like an hour later and she was like, ridiculously apologetic for not talking to us.

And she was like, I'm so sorry. I was just I was busy, but I've got time now. I can answer your question there.

And it was I to this day, I still really think I should probably leave Shihad.

Yes.

She heard me calling her a fucking bitch, which is I like to believe in the goodness of human nature and that Duncan was proven wrong, you know, very timely and I hope so.

But I also think that that woman probably like her to me. And just I mean, I'm surprised she came back and didn't, like, try in fires or something like, you know what, I heard you because we were in Pennicuik.

So, like, she could have been like for you call me because you Kokanee, obviously you have hard time.

She's a fucking disgusting joke.

Maybe she chop my head off and like, I don't know how yourself with a great light you might.

Well, well, well, no. I'm coming back into the film with the fuck exactly. She was she was she was a nice enough woman and she answered questions. I hope I hope she didn't hear me. I felt really bad. It was a joke and I felt really bad.

Great. It was quite funny. It was hilarious. But man.

So that was that was a big thing. I think I'm kind of disappeared again.

Well, I'm here, you know. Hear me, Jimmy. I can hear you. So this is good, I'm just going to hang up and then call, call, call him again and this is going to be so good. Is it going to be like Bofors talking over each other? Jimmy? Yeah, you're back.

I could hear I can still hear you, man. I can hear you very well. I could hear you. All right.

Oh, well, where are we?

What are we doing? We're going back to the phone.

Right, to keep our. Anyway, uh, so the Japanese guy has these two guys who came with the Jocke who haven't been killed, but they think they're going to be and he's like, you know, you got to the commander to, you know, surrender himself so that you guys can live. Yeah. Michael Caine and the lieutenant both say, please say fuck them. Who was it, Lieutenant? No, but it was the other person you said, Michael Caine, Michael Caine, Michael Caine.

You go you go say it properly.

And every time I do, it puts pressure on me and I got to have a good one.

So sexy, Seltmann.

I mean, he sucks. You suck. That's my costume.

It's a Michael Caine would say it sucks. The second I suck, you suck off them. Right.

And they're like, you know, we're not doing that. So the lieutenant's like, OK, so we've got to go back to camp. And the Michael Collins like, nah, man, just go completely all direction.

Yes. Let's go and hang out for a few days and then at that point will be a moot point because the real will have already happened before anymore.

I was just thrown back and the kids, he he still does not appreciate the importance of the mission. Exactly.

Despite everything he's been through and the American has I realized this is the Americans point to have a character arc where he decides that there's things more important than his own life. Exactly.

Which is which is, you know, an interesting thing to have to think.

But well, see, one of the reasons I feel this film is not Sufa, right. Is that I feel this is very I mean, this is a pro-war movie.

I think we can both agree, or at least I felt and I wouldn't say it is pro. It's certainly not an anti-war movie. Yes. I wouldn't say it was pro-war, pro-war particularly.

Well, I think it's definitely very much about themes of, you know, serving your country. Yes.

It definitely has themes that it's kind of it's kind of like war. War is. Hard but necessary is maybe the wrong word, but like the sacrifice, the sacrifice is brutal, but necessary, I guess.

Yeah, it's definitely as law, it's not necessarily glorifying war itself.

No, it doesn't, because it's got some really brutal bits. And you can see that the characters are like under strain. You know, it's not like one of these films where, like, they're just shooting people in the eye. Well, this is awesome. You know, it's definitely it definitely is definitely a bit deeper than that.

But I think one thing is money is not anti-war. It's not war itself is necessary.

But is saying that your personal sacrifice is that. Yes, exactly. The very related message.

Exactly. I would certainly the final film came out at the same time as Vietnam when they were trying to drum. The general sentiment does not surprise me in the least. No, no. So this isn't personally a message either. Necessarily. Agree with that, I don't look at Michael Caine and I think you're supposed to think he's being a bit of a coward and horrible and I don't personally feel bad. Yeah, yeah. I feel be justified in the actions he suggests.

Yeah, I feel like it's but but the the I mean, the point is that other lives are at risk.

Well, yeah, there's the you know, the the US Navy is going through that area and they're all going to get bombed by these ships. Yeah. So, yeah. You know, it's kind of it's a tough one. I think. I think there are quite a lot of these kind of hard decisions that can illustrate this point. It's like having to serve. Your country in this film. Yeah, I mean, that is the theme. And so this is where they have the little disagreement and the intense like, no, I've learned my lesson.

And our moral of the day is it's a sweet and honorable thing to die for one's country. Exactly. And what's important?

You may ask the question, did you wonder why I maybe sat an English? I'll give you I don't know I don't know the last time was it is honorable to die for you. Don't I don't say decorum is appropriate tomorrow. Of course, much more. Yeah, I hear that there's a school in Edinburgh that has.

But as one of its. Oh, no. It has a Jim hold it says proprietor Murray above it.

I never knew that and all the time we were there and also some old time we were where Jamie Patriots judge wasn't Jazzmobile Petis, they're going to get hit by elimination.

Oh, shit. Merchiston St Georges. Mary Erskine's and yeah, anyway, um, so they decided to go to the parts of the camp, is MicroCon in the stomach or as cowardice?

Yeah. What does he punch? Oh, he punched him when he's a coward. Yeah, I kind of I, I'm not going to lie. That was like the I watched the film actually pre and. Intently, but I kind of wasn't fully focused on it at that exact point, and then he punched him and I was like, what the fuck just happened? But yeah, he punched him, right?

Yeah. And then you move off to the camp. And then I think at this point our deadline comes up. Yeah. The major is like, OK, I'm going to shoot them now. You know, he does a big wink to the camera and then you go right past our ears and saturate Festivus.

Yeah. Which is because I for sure if they were just going to kill them.

Well, so he does this whole thing was like he didn't think I was actually going to shoot you, did I?

What do you think is so bizarre. It's so bizarre. Well, here's the thing. Like we were saying, the presentation was Japanese and this movie is very positive, which is contained in this other way, makes it kind of hard to root against them.

Yeah, I mean, because it's like I mean, I would say that the Japanese army in World War, too much like the Nazis, is one of the groups that films can really make evil.

There are only so many groups in the world, but you can make just a quick clean cut bad, you know.

Yeah. And I would say they're one of them, you know, obviously, obviously, there's the whole the whole Japanese thing where they were like the whole fucking country was brainwashed, you know?

So it's, you know, it's the same thing. It's like Nazi Germany, you know, it's not. Yeah.

You know, you can't just say that all of them believed it fully or whatever, but certainly the atrocities committed were pretty major. So you'd think that they would be able to portray that in some way.

And like you think, I see the motivation for this is, of course, some moral ambiguity in the film. I don't think it really lands either. No moral ambiguity. It doesn't focus on it at all.

Obviously, at this point, the Japanese were allies quite strongly. Yes, politically, economically speaking. So. Well, I mean, even I wonder if it's like almost whitewashing of what happened.

Well, even if we just remove it from its context, I realize that's a very major that's taken just like there is one side and there is the other side and is made up of these separate characters. And I don't think it's in any context whatsoever.

I don't think even works on that level because there's no. It doesn't feel the fact that the Japanese guy is kind of nice doesn't really seem to make the situation more interesting to me.

No, they like they're fighting for their lives. And like, even if he was at the annual puppy parade or whatever, like you'd still. Yeah, because.

Well, it's like because they I mean, what they believe the Japanese would do to them is most likely what would happen in real life if the Japanese.

It's not like the film, the film. The film's almost saying that that was stupid, like it's stupid that this is the view of the Japanese in World War Two when when it's not isn't. Yeah, it's just so weird.

Weird thing. I'm like, what the effect of it is just that you end up not caring, at least for me, is that you don't care about as much as the story. Well, I think everyone's just more of a mustache twirling villain, like even a more simplistic I think that would actually make for a more effective film.

Yeah, yeah. Maybe maybe an American audience would feel differently. Because of the risk to their Navy, I don't know, like, you know, they'd sort of be seeing like all these these Japanese are going to blow up our ships. That's what that's like. But no, that doesn't really work because you. Yeah, no, I don't know.

I don't know where I was going with that. That doesn't make any sense.

It was just weird. It was weird, man.

Well, I feel like even if it was just like but they know he's a good person, then there'd be like some kind of fanatic struggle or whatever. But he's just the good. And it doesn't affect anything because they don't find out.

They don't know. Yeah. I mean, it must be. It must be.

It must it must be like whitewashing because Vietnam is the enemy, no more part of me, that doesn't even make sense because like I've been saying, like a lot of this film, at least to me, would be like to sort of tacitly support Vietnam, at least.

And even then, if you're saying like, yeah, but they are not the same as it were then.

Well, I think I think the Vietnam thing is more and. The situation of the Americans in the jungle fighting, yeah, I think I think they probably I think they probably want to portray the Japanese in a bad light because it maybe it maybe they don't want, like, anti Japanese sentiment growing because that's who they're at war with.

Well, I suppose like also the internment camps at this point would not have been not a memory, would that. You know, maybe that's part of it.

Yeah. Yeah, it was weird.

And I suppose, like, if you imagine like you were watching Indiana Jones and something and then like the Nazi officer turned out to be a really nice guy in his all like, is that sort of a fact?

It is.

And that's and that's because we were at war with like France and Germany is our biggest one of our biggest economic allies and like. You know, that's kind of what it feels like. Well, yeah, that's what you're saying, like, you know, because they're at war. If it's similar, I don't know.

Well, I mean, at this point and I'm pretty sure Japan was in a recession in the 70s, I might be wrong because definitely the 80s is one of the same major economic power. Yeah, but it was pretty pretty quickly, after all, were to the they flipped pretty majorly to an. Like a capitalist and, oh, yeah, economy backed by the US very strongly. Yeah, because, you know, the government the government didn't change in Japan.

I found this out like yesterday. I think I'd like obviously Nazi Germany like the completely removed the Nazis and like redid the whole country. But apparently in Japan they just kept the same government and like, got rid of some elements. So there was some there was some improvement. There's like three prime ministers after the, uh, after the end of the war that were, like, strongly involved with stuff the Japanese did in World War two.

Interesting as someone who consumes far too much time and there is this sense that there's not a lot of hands or what happened in World War two, partially because, like. It's apples to oranges, obviously, but being the victim of two atomic bomb strikes, sort of like the. They committed the worst crimes in the entire war, but one of the worst was also committed against them. And I think, yes, that sort of eliminates any cultural guilt, as it were.

Yeah. Yeah, it does. It does that. Yes. Yeah. I don't know. Yeah.

But anyway, in the context of this film is still weird that he's likable because it just so our worst film frankly.

Yeah. Yeah, yeah, cool. And how much more do you know, I'm not much more to say. Let's just finish off, so. They go, we don't say like that, man. No, no, I'm just trying this is for George Bush is no longer just Bush is good at done.

Oh, the way the American lieutenant go and kills the major assassinate Saddam. And this means that the Japanese are all thrown into disarray and they can try to make a final run towards the base camp. Yeah, they do a zigzagging thing, which is dramatic and funny.

This exactly was fucking funny is good. And it's also like a cold back.

But one of the first scenes, which is really dramatic, we kind of we didn't talk about that scene, but that first super dramatic when you're all running.

Oh, yeah. And they're all running across and everyone's cheering them.

Yeah, I was that was a good way to establish a situation.

I thought so. Chuckles Just goes, bang. This is the point. They zigzag across the field and they're being shot at. At this point, the camera's pulled back. So you can't really tell who's who. Yeah. Which I like. I like it's nice post-conflict.

Yeah. And then, you know, the guns are going to go and bang, bang, bang. And then one of them falls over. Oh no one Campuzano running. He also got shot. He falls over attention. You know, the American the British comes right. Incoming fire and it gets up again. Then towards the end and Japanese clear off and they all surround him and, you know, he rise. And, you know, there's a very almost painful protraction of scenes not showing who it is who made it to the end as the it's like, oh, God, that man.

Why have you come from who? Who was with you? What information do you have? Questions and any. And then he looks like I'm okay.

I'm Michael Caine.

At my age, he time zero zero, I'm telling you. Yes, this is the point where Michael Caine discovers he, too, can sacrifice himself for his country.

I may tell you that that yank back there is a fucking zero zero in you all you all don't know it, but he's a real hero. Mm hmm.

He a very Jap's. Oh, Jamie, it is on a boat from there. I can't believe it.

I mean, I don't know. I don't know to what extent that word is. Well, it is the other one worse than one. Yes, clearly not always in the Japanese and, well, not the not the not the not the N-word.

I don't know what you're talking about then the nipples, but the clothes at the end. Yes, a lot worse, probably worse. I don't know. Anyway, let's let's move on from that topic quickly.

Did we say the. No, we didn't say the N word last time. Did we know no more was in the third one we described it is less bad one which is which is bad. And now we're seeing the J word and the other N word.

We have discussion of racial racial slurs on this broadcast. So maybe the KKK will sponsors and it was a bad joke. I'm sorry. Oh, OK.

Right. What were you saying? Let's move on now.

Oh. Oh dear. Oh dear.

Oh yes. So that's the end.

Michael Caine learned his lesson yet a major crisis because the 70s, the beginning as you could, there were quite low Japanese people, as I said earlier.

So it's that you are you done your business.

The synopsis cool. That took that took almost as long as the film to truth do.

It actually did know because you did your background. Yeah. No I didn't actually.

OK, so um. Right. Well, what else do I have to say I see. I've got my thing and oh, so apparently they they were asked to film two endings, the film two endings, one where the American guy made it. Yes.

Well, we heard this was based on a book and then there was an unpublished novel, Don't Don't DEMAT. Aspire title. Yeah, too late, the hero and the original version, Michael Caine's eyes, but he wasn't going to have that causes Michael Caine.

Michael Caine was apparently so apparently they found another ending. And I'm wondering if, you know, if the ending was released. In the US, like, did we watch the British version and is an American version with the Americans surviving?

Or was it because all the information I found was that they filmed the two endings I didn't find?

Yeah, well, we watched very, very little on YouTube, on YouTube, but available anywhere else on DVD.

But it's available on DVD and chose. So I assume we would have watched the American version that there were two versions. I think there's only one. Yeah, I think this is my version.

But they filmed two endings either way. Yeah. Which is an interesting another film with a hero in the title. There's two endings, you know, local hero, you see. Local hero. I know. Oh, it's a great film.

It's one of the best films. And I said I kind of like Trump, didn't they.

It's one of the best films you'll be extolling, Don, when it is.

It's a great film and you should watch it. One local hero, it came out in 1983, so we won't be talking about that one for another 13 years. But, um, yeah, it's a really good film. And they he was asked to film like another ending for American audiences. It was like happy. And he met he met them halfway and like, filmed one. That's kind of ambiguous.

Well, I was watching I watch Seven Samurai and the Mugginess and recently I saw a remake compare thing. And that has a much happier ending.

The Americans I've not seen the Magnificent Seven, but it just is interesting. I think at this point, I think it's a very common thing because it's, um, it's kind of it's like a I don't think it's necessarily something that everyone needs, but I think it's like some people really like it and it's just like become a thing.

I'm sure at that point in time when, like, even more violent, you're really catering to a mass audience with everything you like.

It's a method actor. They have test screenings and stuff, don't they? And like they kind of I didn't like I didn't like how many American died at the end. Why did that why that that British guy, Michael Michael Caine. Michael Caine, is that called my Michael Caine. That's such a weird name. Why why did he survive? Not the American guy. So the test screenings were like, I can't imagine anything different. And why why did my Yank not survive?

Why was it and why was it Michael Caine that's so weird, Michael Caine? He's he's gross. He's brilliant and gross.

And I hate to tell you this, but based on my Michael Caine's stardom at the time, I think there were clearly a contingent of people who wanted to fuck him.

Now he's he's British and gross. He probably he's got like he's got these these big, big, ugly teeth. And you know who is really gross? That Jack that Scottish guy, he was so gross. He cut off the guy's hands and like he like he was all like hung up. And that that was gross margin. All right, so that's about this film, right? Very fun. Ready? I'm ready.

One of the worst losses in ABC film history. It lost six million seven hundred sixty five thousand dollars.

Jeez, ABC ABC Films didn't last long. I didn't come up. They were like from 1969 to 1972. Well, this clearly contributed. Yeah, I think I think the as a whole, they made a massive loss. Yeah. So, yeah. Well, let's hear your opinion. Why do you think this film would make any money? Um, so we're very limited, so, yeah, we're pretty limited in marketing, I thought it was a pretty good film, but it wasn't great.

Did you have you got the reviews there? Yeah. I mean, let's talk about that first.

I think it was okay because I've not seen any of the reviews.

So Roger Greenspun of The New York Times wrote that A committed to the notion that war is an inclusive system of betrayal's. A film subverts that notion and settled instead of some fashionable ironies and remarkably conventional gung ho war displays. Right. So from what I can tell, he's just saying it's too much sarcasm. It's not very often.

It's because it's a disgusting British film and he's got all these all this sarcasm and jokes in it that I don't like after DeMar Felsberg, which still exists today, say, of a variety. Oh, yes, it does still exist today.

You're right. Yeah. So does The New York Times. I'm just going to say it was the first guy. Yeah, right.

An OK World War two melodrama. The net result is not very much at all except for a pervading load of bland competence under the supervision of Walter.

Oldrich, I think we have somehow imagine this is the Robert Aldrich from the other team who really say that again, he of Dirty Dozen fame.

Yes.

And I think that's the big driving force behind this film, was that he made the Dirty Dozen.

And I would like to do that again. Yeah, exactly.

And that was the impression I got from what I read was that ABC basically wanted another dirty dozen. They had they had two script and lying about based on this novel, unpublished novel. And the novelist through the novel has apparently worked with Aldrich before on other films. And so it was kind of they were familiar with each other and the film was similar. Have you seen a dirty dozen? No, sorry. No, neither. And but I want to see it.

It was quite good, but it is similar. Like it's a small team that has to do something in World War Two. So, you know, it's quite clear that the driving force behind this film is that that film exists. And they wanted another one.

Gene Siskel. Right. Obviously gave the film one four four oh.

Oh, my God.

I for one I for one now four and one out of four. I caught one out of four, but not one out of five.

No, because. Right. Twenty five percent.

It was it was Cisco that we had that we talked about last week.

Yeah. Cisco also was also down on going straight.

What have you got. What you got against Ibut. Ebert isn't listed on Wikipedia, so it's not listed on Wikipedia amongst the critical response Ebert. OK, let's go anyway. So what? Isn't Siskel and Ebert? I don't know, I answered the question by my knowledge of Siskel and Ebert comes from the Bloodhound Gang song.

OK, the bad touch and we watched one clip was one clip of Siskel and Ebert in class, and I don't really know.

OK, well, our film critic Gene Siskel critique is that the essence of an action film is action, and that's precisely what's missing. And Robert Aldrich is too late. The hero only Aldrich, who directed The Dirty Dozen, substitute Borden in the form of annoyingly long, prologue, repetitive scenes and combat in a closed space. Wow. So why don't you talk about that last? I see where people started, but, um.

Yeah, I didn't think it was that bad. I can see I mean, I've not seen the Dirty Dozen, so I don't know how it compares. I imagine, given that film seems to be so popular and good, I can imagine that this one is worse than that and would be a disappointment to audiences that were familiar with that.

But overall, I wouldn't say I fully I wouldn't say the film was bad. I kind of agree with the combat thing.

Um, well, the thing is, when you're watching a war film or an action film, it kind of needs good combat. And I think we're very much spoiled in today's world with like the amount of well that can happen to combat.

And this film is very grounded and as he is usually in those spaces.

But I kind of that's the point, I suppose, for us. Speaking of someone today, I suppose and obviously I'm thinking like I'm thinking of this as a film from 50 years ago, not necessarily the same standards, but I suppose if you are if you had nothing but that, then you'd be a lot more discerning about what makes good grounded action and what doesn't.

And to be fair, I was never I was never looking at oh, wow, what a thrilling action was.

Yeah, the action wasn't feeling particularly. And I quite like the overall I would say. I don't I don't think it deserved to lose however much you said it lost.

It wasn't a bad film by six million.

And Ebert started reviewing in 1967, so he probably wouldn't have been as popular at this point.

Right. When did they start their show together? Uh, 1975. 1975. So we're not going to be talking about Siskel and Ebert show for a long time.

For a long time. Long time. OK, um, all right.

Well, is there any more reviews? Yeah. One covid Thomas of the Los Angeles Times. A war movie is most routine. Indeed. It's depressing. Yes. And expensive. Expanded with so little to show for it.

It's. If you want one more opinion from Aldrich himself, he said, never understood why this film was never successful, if it was one of his marvelous movies.

And he thought that and ever since this point, all of his properties were scrutinized at another level because. All right, he had a loss. And your opinions and these good your last picture, which reminds me a bit of that thing Kevin Smith said, where obviously Kevin Smith hasn't made a good film for a long while, but he says he's allowed to make whatever he wants because he's never lost any more money. So I think that's an important thing to bear in mind, that directors get to make what they want as long as they can prove they are worth investing, if they can make money and make money.

Yeah, exactly. And apparently Aldridge said he wanted to anyone but Cliff Robertson to play the lead role. And but he was overruled by ABC. I'll be honest, it blew me away and no, not at all.

And Aldridge and I read an interview or skimmed an interview, and he seemed to say that basically like the cliff, Robertson didn't play the character how he wanted at all. I didn't really pick up the specifics of what he did wrong, but I think that kind of comes across like he's not great in it. I wouldn't say and I would say the other. Actors are better. I think it would actually be better if one of them maybe like because he's a very stereotypical hard nosed protagonist, you know, I think it was someone a bit wider.

It would maybe be more effective when it worked.

But that idea that, yes, maybe a even if it was just like one of the people in the background in this film, one of them. Yeah. Forgot then maybe it would be more like an.

Um, oh, fucking hell. What's that film? Oh, this is the Vietnam, the Cuba Vietnam film. Oh, jacket. Yeah, like from my jacket, the main guy in that is kind of weird, isn't he? You got the glasses and he works in an office in Vietnam, if I remember correctly. No, he's a Marine. No, he's a Marine, but he's he's kind of witty. And I think he works in an office in the in Vietnam in some way.

And then he kind of gets pushed into war. But he also joins the Marines. I need to watch that film again. Clearly.

Um, when did I come out for you? Definitely in the. No, definitely no.

I'm just I'm planning 1987, so while I'm planning the years ahead and.

Yeah. So, yeah, Oldrich did not like Robinson. He didn't get on. But, um, apparently Auldridge revealed a plaque in his honor, his studio's. So maybe they got on more than the media suggests.

Also Cliff Robinson won an Oscar during this filming period for this film.

I see no need for this film. And but he wasn't allowed to go and pick it up. What was the film that he wins? In the film, Charlie. Mm hmm. Do you know that one? I don't know neither. But he won. He won an Academy Award for Best Actor and and that's 1968.

Anyway, I read that he won an Academy Award and others didn't let him go home. But again, again, there is a lot of ambiguity about whose fault that she was like. I think a lot of the drama around making this film seems to be. People keep flipping and turning before they're saying so you're not really sure what's accurate or not, which I think is quite happens quite a lot with drama and film sets, because there's certainly a lot there's obviously a lot of tension in the moment.

And also there's probably a lot of publicists and stuff involved that are aiming to. Give across certain personas and tell people what to see. Well, I particularly at this point in time, obviously, you're not giving up persona as much like you're only performing as your eyes. Yes, I see when you're specifically being interviewed. So it's a lot easier. Sort of. That's true.

Reinvent yourself. I don't I don't think Oldrich is, like, tweeting about. Yeah.

I've always wanted to take you on some tweets even like so, you know, naming their names. But someone A-L Asterix asterisked. S.H. has been pretty shit director.

Yeah, exactly. Exactly. Reply's locked.

Yeah. And so well the cast write the the fucking filthy horrible Scottish guy. Yeah. And he was actually English, the guy who played in. That is just so, of course, you always have someone from our culture represent us. No wonder.

Yeah, and he's a comedic actor, obviously, based on his.

Well, I mean, he is being an asshole. That's all we are to them.

Just a joke is just a joke. Yeah. But obviously he's like, you know, he's got the facial features of a comedic actor. And he seemed to be in a lot of films that are like carry on style stuff.

Oh, my fucking God, that's where I come from. Or was it was he. And carry on. I'm sure he was in the car or he might been. I don't know. I don't think I'm damn certain I'm going to look it up now. We're going to look up my phone.

So I don't. But I thought you were such a I forgot you were such a fan of carry on.

And that's what we're told. Yeah.

But yeah, if you if you look at his film, it was filmography, I would say 90 percent of them. The posters feature like a girl in a bikini or a swimsuit with like a great title or like or or a caricature of him drawn like pulling a funny face.

And like he was he was in Krooks Krooks in Cloisters, which has Barbara Windsor in it in a bath is the poster. And obviously I just got like a giant cartoon caricature head and was just having fun with his Come come play with me.

And which has the poster is like a nurse in long.

Oh no I got confused someone else using come play with me.

Oh he was in it. He was in a film called Rentech from 1972. So maybe we'll watch that one in two years time. That looks like a good one. But yeah he was so basically he was in a lot of these like carry on style films with women. Oh, we could talk about the representation of women in this film, um, there as prostitutes there, all prostitutes in the first five minutes and it's the only woman in it.

Oh yeah. Oh yeah. Well they're all prostitutes is like the weird, you know, the American soldiers come in and everyone who's being invaded is super hot for them.

Now that's kind of like the French two, isn't it. That's what they say. OK, yeah, oh, and he wrote Ronan Fraser, the the the the the filthy joke that's played by a guy from Manchester. It was also he's also he's also in a bunch of war films. And I assume he plays similar characters in this and he's in a few films there before, films and comedy films.

And so it looks like he's pretty a pretty clear character that he plays a lot.

And yeah, he's he's he's from I just want a line. He's from the monster.

He's in the rise and rise of Michael Rimmer, which is a film captain who is also an. All right, Kate, I lost my sanity so we might actually go on the Kosoff and yeah, so our health was in the cast.

I think we've talked to everyone else. Yeah. Of the main ones. Yeah, I don't know if I got much more to say about this film. So what did you think of overall? Oh, yeah. So a rating system. Yeah. So Lewison rating system is what avoid at all costs. The second the second rating is if it's on, give it a watch. Yeah. The rating is if you have it available free on like Netflix or Amazon or in this case YouTube and watch it go your way and watch it.

Number four is number four is spend money on the film and number five is like by the collectivisation box. Yeah.

Spend everything you have on it just yourself over.

So this one I would put somewhere between if it's all and give it watch and if it's free you give it a watch.

And depending on how you feel about like war films, I would personally write this one as I don't watch it.

Just really I don't think there are so many World War I don't know if you can watch if it's on.

No, not even that. There's just there are so many World War Two films. Right. Do all cover similar films much better. You can even get World War two films with Michael Caine. And if that is your very specific desire.

Yeah. Can you get World War two films of Henry Fonda and erm Jamie and small small guest star cameo roles if you are for whatever reason.

Ah Michael Caine or Henry Fonda, Completionist Banyard. And I'll watch this film, but it will not be a highlight of that journey that you have chosen to protect yourself. You know, maybe I'll downgrade my ranking if it's on, give it a wash. I don't think I should be going between rankings. So if someone if someone asked you if someone says you were watching too late, the hero or if it's on TV and you're sitting doing fuck all, I would give it watch.

You would put it.

I would just watch any other World War to you.

You would say, I actually don't watch it. So someone someone came to you and said, you want to watch this for me, too?

No, no. I like the great escape on Netflix. Right. You're right. Why not enjoy yourself? Well, fair enough. And oh, something else. I've just noticed that the soundtrack was very like classic war film stuff, right?

It does that film which old classic films do where they have one theme tune and then the entire soundtrack is just like slight variations on the same versions of that.

But just to be clear, I love it's fantastic. I like it.

So it's always it's always very predictable, like when it's going to come up and. Yeah, it's going to come up. It's good.

I feel like movie soundtracks that really stand out that much these days like mine is that there's that whole video on it that blew up on YouTube like, oh, why you why you don't remember Marvel.

I saw the last painting with you. Is it only. Of course everyone does remember Marvel now. Right. Well, let's look. And it became a meme didn't it.

Like to do do do do do.

Well, I think I'm pretty sure like people, Disney sold out criticism and like in response to it very aggressively pushing.

They did, because I guess when I watch that video, I was like, yes, I don't remember it. And then now I feel like I very much do. Like it's up there with other film songs in my mind.

I remember it's very much like something where they saw you getting a lot more aggressive about saying it's the 15th time now.

Yeah, for sure. Especially in end and infant. Yeah. Which I guess makes sense because those films where if it's like if it's like The Avengers, five minutes for all the heroes and those were really the films that had those moments in it.

They also did feel like they were kind of aggressively pushing it and talking about everything. Human painting. Do you remember when I put his views across my own to you and you called me in it?

Yes, I was. Time that was funny.

Well, believe it or not, listen, there was a time when Duncan didn't know anything about films. I would pass off, obviously, one of the zone entertainment paintings.

Great, though. That's true. One day. Well, when they were in power, one they will rival, then why did they stop the. I can't remember. Did he say or did he just stop?

They thought they had actual jobs and they were songs. So what's the word? There's a few good things. There's like do you watch fuh fuh fuh fuh fuh fuh videos.

No. If you want the couple recommendations for me, I like the Royal Ocean from society to the very similar schtick, which is often quite good.

I like movies with Mikey if you want like a more personal take on these things.

Oh you know. Oh so I say what you're going to see.

I was going to say like Lindsay, Alice and the rest of them as well as history was called history buffs.

So it was called the auctioning of those. No, I've only watched a couple. They're pretty good.

They they're like historical and like analysis of films are cool and they're very they've got very good, like mix of the history and like film fury and like a bit of banter as well. And they did one in Zulu, which is pretty good. It's good because they review the film and also with historical accuracy. And so it's it's like a good mix because, you know, if you if you just watch historical legacy things, you would get quite annoying because a lot of the nit picking that happens in that kind of department, it's just really annoying.

And it's like a really nice mix. Like they talk about Zulu and how like it's kind of revolutionary because it portrays both sides as like respectable and it's more like soldiers, genuine stuff. It's a really good video. I recommend you watch that one. And that was the very first one. And Manale, one of which is the death of Stalin video. Oh. Which is one of my favorite films and certainly one of the favorite films of recent years.

And that one's also quite good about like how accurate a lot of people really like that film.

I never really understood why I loved it. I absolutely loved it. Um, I don't I don't know.

I think it's I mean, it's clearly a film that either bounces off you or you really love it. Yes, yes. Yes, I would say so. And but yeah, I love her film. That's a great film. And yeah. So I'd recommend history buffs and and fufu videos as well. And I watch sometimes they are a bit more and I would say I've not watched them for a while and they seem to be upload videos. So I don't know if they're going a bit more down, kind of like mass production route.

I think the way they used to be more specific or maybe I'm making that up and I'm getting the computer someone else. But they're quite they're quite interesting as well. And there's a lot of interesting ones for, like specific film series as well as you there on YouTube.

Yeah. Towns that focus on specific ones like Star Wars, Fury and. Do you not like those here? I do not really I don't know, I never watched one of their videos, but without names not inspire confidence.

I think I've watched like one or two. But there's all sorts of things like that which are kind of interesting. But yeah.

And anything else you want to talk about? How are you doing this week?

I'm the sweet. Well, what's been going on with me? I started playing Saji Valley again.

Not very fun.

Nice.

I continue, I've been continuing a marathon of all the Studio Ghibli films, so this week I watch every service and only yesterday's good films to give me my career review and they they would buy them, um, buy them.

Well, you what you even though they're available free.

Well, you know what.

Maybe want to um. I don't know. I don't know. I'm struggling to remember what made it into the podcast last week. And because you had all those issues, hopefully, I mean it'd be nice if it just worked this week. Fine. And I'd be playing house phone a lot. And last week I was kind of still in the early stages of playing it. And now I feel like I'm more into it and playing some mods for that show.

It was very funny and stuck and getting stuck in to. It's quite annoying at times and it's quite hard. I keep messing up, but it is fun and it's really it's one of those games you have to learn and I feel like I am starting to learn it and maybe I'll take a break from it and then start a campaign I can actually like do well and rather than just exist. But yeah, it's pretty good and well so far I've been playing.

I played. We talk about the tank, the tank building seme last week. Even to me, I think it was after we finished, I was actually finished, I played, uh, was called Tank Mechanic Simulator, where you make tanks and like you take up tanks. I know. Played it for like a week, but it was pretty fun at the time. And one of those like simple from the games. I like we like very different kind of games, don't we?

We do. I'm a very I like story based stuff. Yeah. Whereas I like making my own world.

I hate having to craft things. I know the thing with star Gevalia. Right. That's one of the few games of that type. Yeah. That's not. Well, it's about building your own farm, you know, for people like raise money yourself and stuff. The idea is your end goal is to have like a functioning farm. Right?

See, I feel like games like that.

So you like games like that, because some of this is more there was more of a like an exception to the rule for me, like even with this like this anxiety or I'm like, am I doing the right thing? Not like if I put it that way.

That's that's that's the that's the annoying thing for the heart of our own game is obviously World War two is a real thing that happened. And there's like the stuff that you kind of have to do because the A.I. is doing it. And I feel like. But then I feel like that's me. That's me, that's me. Almost like the opposite end of the spectrum where I'm like, I'd rather there is none of that.

And like, I could just do whatever I wanted and know that it was me that was impacting the world and it was doing stuff. Or as you were saying, that you you don't know what you're doing because it not made it clear enough. And, you know.

No, no, it makes it clear enough is just like whenever you have a game that's about working on a long term project. Yeah. And you worry that you make about the starting stuff. Yeah. Like I'm like, OK, I'm putting my chicken coop here because yes. I'm not like but what if a hundred hours from now I'm like taking out my irrigation system and then like oh no. Yeah I hate that after completely rebuild the entire thing.

But I feel, I feel like that's kind of so but. So are you saying that would be better if you were kind of told where to put the chicken coop?

No, I don't think so. I'm just saying I think it's right. It's a good way to have the experience is just a case of that's an issue, part of the experience that isn't for me. Yeah. Or at least part of it that prevents me from maybe getting if I was a person who didn't worry about that, I would enjoy it more.

Yeah, that's fair. Is that there's a game in multiplayer. Yeah. I did a multiplayer update. We could, we could, we could play together.

Uh yeah. I have to switch version. Oh we couldn't play it. I don't know.

I have the PC version as well. I just, I don't love listening following that. But right now because we can come together we should do that. How much, how much is it.

It's like a tenner on a bet. I could add it to my wish list or get it, get it on some dodgy site.

It never goes on sale. It's very popular. Popular, right.

Well, yeah. We need more games here. I like playing games people and I don't get the opportunity much. I feel like I play games differently to other people. I kind of sit them for hours and play it. And then when people.

Yeah, and I play it when I'm playing multiplayer game, people are to leave. I kind of but yeah. What do you do, do you do you sit for hours and play stuff. Yeah.

I'm generally more of that type of thing, although it's something I struggle with, stuff like Nintendo as this thing I tend to switch online where you got a lot of retro games. Right. It's not like I often float among those because like they're all too hard to like in year long period of time. So like I played on for like five minutes and then I move on.

Yeah, fair enough. Yeah, I do. I generally do sometimes. But when I really get into a game I like to sit. Yeah. I feel like it's quite hard to play online like that. Like even even even if, I mean it sounds like you're kind of the same. But even if we were to play with each other like we, you know, we're doing our own thing and, you know, someone has to go in and it's kind of like I feel that's a problem with online gaming.

A location is like people have lives outside of it.

And this is a very personal problem. But like the Internet in my house is shit, so I can't play. Yeah. In my bedroom, which means that I can only, like, do it in short bursts.

So I know because then you have to. Yeah. Move on. Yeah. Uh, no we should, we should definitely find a game to play together so. Well we can play safe sex. Right. Because that's. Yeah. That's free.

Currently on a sponsor the epic epic game store and said Meyer himself said Myers our sponsor is he who is playing pirates.

Sandmeyer He may have heard that pirates I've heard this pirates is very good. It is, yeah. Sandmeyer is famous because he made civilization. It's not like Tom Clancy's ghost reform or something like he's famous.

OK, because I was because Tom Clancy is obviously dead and was not I don't think was very involved with the games anyway. Yeah, it was just very weird. Yeah. I find it hard to look out like admire just to be sure that he's still just to make sure you're.

Yeah. He's still alive because it's so weird when a new Tom Clancy game comes out and it's like this guy's been dead for years and was involved with the games anyway.

And yeah, it's kind of admire is still alive and sixty six years old. So you made civilization, which was like one of the first simulations of the game. Right, perniciously. Yeah, well, OK, so, yeah, I mean, it's a subsects is for you, an epic story, so maybe maybe we can play that off each other.

Yeah, and even though it's probably neither of our kind of well, maybe, you know, maybe we'll get maybe maybe we'll break you because you can always surprise you can surprise yourself.

You know, I definitely surprised myself. Some of the games I go into, like, you know, like and sometimes I became really hyped for and then I was like, so disappointed in it. Like, it's like I am, you know, surviving Mars. That the paradox game. Yeah.

This is like, say, Skyline's or Mars. I bought that when it came out and I was like super hyped for it because I always used to like seatbelts and stuff. And I should have known because I played Skyline's a bit and I kind of didn't actually like it that much. I should have known that I've kind of moved on from that genre a little bit and came off like planet Kozu and like themepark games I used to love. And I've kind of not as into the night and but anyway, I got surviving Mars like on release full price, and then I barely played it and that kind of felt like a waste.

And then the other one was something, something clean up like it was some some serial cleaner.

Oh OK. Yeah that was on Twitch Prime recently. Right.

So that was one that I was for some reason I was like really hyped for that when it came out and I got it and then I played it. I feel like the first mission as I understand it, and that's always a bit disappointing. So I feel like you do surprise yourself quite a lot of games.

Yeah. And, you know, perhaps what we're supposed to take away from today, if anything, is that any of us can surprise ourselves even it isn't too late to be the hero, to be the hero. That's good.

That's a good sign because that was my crew.

I think we should I think we should wrap up.

We're pushing we're over two hours now and what podcast? And so we're we're now over the length of the film.

So someone get to just watch the film and have a much better time. But thank you so much for listening to this or what.

OK, did you pick up any quotes so we can use as a title?

Oh yeah. I wrote down a bunch. I'll discuss. Oh yeah, we'll discuss. If you've been listening to this, you'll know what we picked, you know, we picked.

OK, well, it's there is only ones you can pick out that someone could comment if he made it this far.

If you made it this far, then you get to say who phrase it's called personal hygiene. Cool.

So if you've made it to two in a whatever to two minutes, two hours, five minutes in common. Personal hygiene.

Yeah. All right, folks, bye. Thank you for listening. Thank you. I don't know I don't know how much people are going to listen to this, but you know what? It's something to do. And maybe maybe people are interested in this film and they happened to see this. I looked up and there comes up. You know, I think that's one of the great things, is that we're talking about these like really old obscure films.

So maybe we'll come up just to clarify our relationship to you. If you are listening, we do this for ourselves. We don't care about you, but thank you.

Cool. All right, on that lovely note, but by everyone I buy by thanks for listening.