The Desert Rats (1953)

You can all but feel the rocks pounding down as each Nazi shell hits., 19 June 2006

The Desert Rats is a very enjoyable WWII film dealing with a portion of the war that may seem alien to those in America. Americans are accused, and sometimes rightly so, of thinking WWII began and ended with America's involvement. But it didn't. The Desert Rats is the story of the Allies last stand in Northern Africa at Tobruk. Rommel and the Nazis would have clear sailing to the important Suez if Tobruk fell. It's up to Capt. MacRoberts (Richard Burton) and his band of green Aussie replacements to stop the advance of Hitler's army.

When you read comments about war movies, you always read complaints about historical accuracy. Is The Desert Rats true to history? I'm not a student of history, so I wouldn't know. Furthermore, I don't really care. To me, it's about the entertainment I get from a film and I've always found The Desert Rats entertaining. The authentic looking sets, the tremendous ground shaking explosions, the plot that focuses on a small band of men, and the action sequences are all highlights of the movie for me. Robert Wise's direction and Lucien Ballard's cinematography put the viewer in the middle of the action. You can all but feel the rocks pounding down as each Nazi shell hits. It's very well done.

My only complaint about The Desert Rats is in the overall construction. I realize that it's a result of attempting to be historically accurate, but history doesn't always put events in the most exciting sequences. The film opens with its best moments. The battle scene between the dug-in Aussie's and Rommel's tanks is as exciting and well filmed as I've seen in a war movie. Unfortunately, the movie (as dictated by history) cannot keep up this pace. The ending, as the now battle-hardened Aussie hold a hill waiting for replacements, is anticlimactic.

7/10