All the Young Men

American soldiers walk into an ambush in the Korean War. Their leader is killed. Before he dies, he passes command to the next highest rank, Sergeant Towler (Sidney Poitier). Towler is reluctant to lead the other nine and there is a good reason. Many are racists who resist being led by a black man.

The subject matter is intriguing and holds some power in its relevance. The execution is old-fashion which leaves the movie with a stale taste in the modern sense. It feels dated. The cinematography is dated. The melodramatic acting is dated. It even has whites playing Asians with the obligatory eye makeup. They're not even big roles either so I doubt that they couldn't find some extras to do the work. This is one movie where it's both woke and unwoke at the same time. The action is strictly cowboys and indians where the indians get slaughtered. There are lots of explosions but it's still very static. The acting is melodramatic but sometimes the story calls for melodramatic acting. This is a movie of great ambitions but the filmmaking struggles to reach those heights.