Fresh
Direction by Carol Reed is competent, and undoubtedly accounts for the underlying genuineness of the picture as a semi-documentary.
Variety Staff, Variety
Free account saves your watchlist and ratings.
The Way Ahead
Overview
A mismatched collection of conscripted civilians find training tough under Lieutenant Jim Perry and Sergeant Ned Fletcher when they are called up to replace an infantry battalion that had suffered casualties at Dunkirk.
Director and cast
- Carol Reed Director
- David Niven as Lieutenant Jim Perry
- Stanley Holloway as Pvt. Ted Brewer
- James Donald as Pvt. Evans Lloyd
- John Laurie as Pvt. Luke
- Leslie Dwyer as Pvt. Sid Beck
- Hugh Burden as Pvt. Bill Parsons
- Raymond Huntley as Pvt. Herbert Davenport
- Jimmy Hanley as Pvt. Geoffrey Stainer
- William Hartnell as Sgt. Ned Fletcher
- Reginald Tate as The Training Company Commanding Officer
Critics on Rotten Tomatoes
Top critics, in their words
100%
Tomatometer
Fresh
A warm and touching tribute to the British Army infantryman.
Bosley Crowther, New York Times
Fresh
Despite a framework which stresses regimental traditions and military valour, the film's celebration of the ordinary man as soldier leaves a residue of radicalism.
Time Out
More films
Waiting for Anya (2020)
Drama · War · N/A
During the harrows of WWII, Jo, a young shepherd along with the help of the widow Horcada, helps to smuggle Jewish children across the border from southern France into Spain.
- Runtime
- 1h 49m
- Cast
- Noah Schnapp, Thomas Kretschmann, Frederick Schmidt
IMDb
6.0
Rotten Tomatoes
41%
Metacritic
38
The Last Rifleman (2023)
Drama · History · War · PG-13
A WWII veteran escapes his care home in Northern Ireland and embarks on an arduous but inspirational journey to France to attend the 75th anniversary of the D-Day landings, finding the courage to face the ghosts of his past.
- Runtime
- 1h 40m
- Director
- Terry Loane
- Cast
- Pierce Brosnan, Clémence Poésy, John Amos
IMDb
6.8
Rotten Tomatoes
71%
The Court-Martial of Billy Mitchell (1955)
Drama · War · APPROVED
A dramatization of the American general and his court martial for publically complaining about High Command's dismissal and neglect of the aerial fighting forces.
- Runtime
- 1h 40m
- Director
- Otto Preminger
- Cast
- Gary Cooper, Charles Bickford, Ralph Bellamy
IMDb
7.0
Rotten Tomatoes
100%
Battleground (1949)
Action · Drama · War · Approved
Members of the U.S. Army's 101st Airborne Division are fighting for their country amidst the rugged terrain of Bastogne, Belgium, in December 1944. Holley and his American compatriots have already seen one of their own, Roderigues, perish under enemy fire. The men try to rebuff another series of Nazi attacks, but what they really need ...
- Runtime
- 1h 58m
- Director
- William A. Wellman
- Cast
- Van Johnson, John Hodiak, Ricardo Montalban
IMDb
7.4
Rotten Tomatoes
78%
The Guns of Navarone (1961)
Adventure · Drama · War · Approved
A team of allied saboteurs are assigned an impossible mission: infiltrate an impregnable Nazi-held island and destroy the two enormous long-range field guns that prevent the rescue of 2,000 trapped British soldiers.
- Runtime
- 2h 40m
- Director
- J. Lee Thompson
- Cast
- Gregory Peck, David Niven, Anthony Quinn
IMDb
7.5
Rotten Tomatoes
92%
Metacritic
72
The Silence of the Lambs (1991)
Crime · Drama · Thriller · R
Clarice Starling is a top student at the FBI's training academy. Jack Crawford wants Clarice to interview Dr. Hannibal Lecter, a brilliant psychiatrist who is also a violent psychopath, serving life behind bars for various acts of murder and cannibalism. Crawford believes that Lecter may have insight into a case and that Starling, as...
- Runtime
- 1h 59m
- Director
- Jonathan Demme
- Cast
- Jodie Foster, Anthony Hopkins, Scott Glenn
IMDb
8.6
Rotten Tomatoes
95%
Metacritic
86
Philadelphia (1993)
Drama · PG-13
Two lawyers join forces to sue a prestigious law firm for AIDS discrimination. As their unlikely friendship develops, their courage overcomes the prejudice and corruption of their powerful adversaries.
- Runtime
- 2h 6m
- Director
- Jonathan Demme
- Cast
- Tom Hanks, Denzel Washington, Jason Robards
IMDb
7.7
Rotten Tomatoes
81%
Metacritic
66
The Manchurian Candidate (2004)
Mystery · Thriller · R
Years after his squad was ambushed during the Gulf War, Major Ben Marco finds himself having terrible nightmares. He begins to doubt that his fellow squad-mate Sergeant Raymond Shaw, now a vice-presidential candidate, is the hero he remembers him being. As Marco's doubts deepen, Shaw's political power grows, and, when Marco finds a mys...
- Runtime
- 2h 10m
- Director
- Jonathan Demme
- Cast
- Denzel Washington, Meryl Streep, Liev Schreiber
IMDb
6.6
Rotten Tomatoes
79%
Metacritic
76
Stop Making Sense (1984)
Documentary · Music · PG
A concert film documenting Talking Heads at the height of their popularity, on tour for their 1983 album "Speaking in Tongues." The band takes the stage one by one and is joined by a cadre of guest musicians for a career-spanning and cinematic performance that features creative choreography and visuals.
- Runtime
- 1h 28m
- Director
- Jonathan Demme
- Cast
- David Byrne, Chris Frantz, Jerry Harrison
IMDb
8.7
Rotten Tomatoes
100%
Metacritic
94
Something Wild (1986)
Comedy · Crime · Romance · R
A free-spirited woman "kidnaps" a yuppie for a weekend of adventure. But the fun quickly takes a dangerous turn when her ex-con husband shows up.
- Runtime
- 1h 54m
- Director
- Jonathan Demme
- Cast
- Jeff Daniels, Melanie Griffith, Ray Liotta
IMDb
6.9
Rotten Tomatoes
92%
Metacritic
73
Comments
Talk about the film with other members