In BACK TO BATAAN, John Wayne plays Colonel Joe Madden, a rough tough officer serving under General MacArthur during the Second World War. When American forces are forced to pull out of Bataan, Madden volunteers to stay behind and organize the Filipino residents into a top flight guerilla force that will keep the Japanese on edge until MacArthur's promised return. There's some romance amid the suspense and sweaty action as an attractive Manila resistance liason (Fely Franquelli) falls for Wayne's second-in-command, Captain Andres Bonifacio (Anthony Quinn), an earnest fighter trying to live up to his folk hero father's reputation. Madden, however, is to busy for women, preferring to spend his time communicating by radio to his valiant men as they count the boats and plant the mines.

The Duke is nicely understated in this atypical role, a nice counterbalance to costar Quinn's typically impassioned performance. War film buffs should enjoy the film's appealing blend of action, nail-biting suspense, and jingoistic patriotism. Director Edward Dmytryk would later go on to direct THE CAINE MUTINY and THE YOUNG LIONS.

Forging the path for General MacArthur's promised return, American soldiers and Filipino guerrillas, under the leadership of Colonel Joe Madden (John Wayne), bravely band together to fight the violent Japanese occupation of the Philippines.

Although he starred in more than 65 films, actor Lawrence Tierney is perhaps best known for his role as crime boss Joe Cabot in Quentin Tarantino's RESERVOIR DOGS.

DVD Features:

Keep Case
Full Frame - 1.37
Audio:
Dolby Digital 1.0 - English
Subtitles - English, French, Spanish

John Wayne: Oscar winning actor, TRUE GRIT, SANDS OF IWO JIMA
Anthony Quinn: Mexican actor, ZORBA THE GREEK
Beulah Bondi: American Character Actress
Richard Loo: Character Actor
Fely Franquelli: Actress - Back To Bataan
Leonard Strong: American Character Actor
Philip Ahn: American Character Actor
Lawrence Tierney: American Actor
Paul Fix: Marshall Micah Torrance of TV's "The Rifleman"

Edward Dmytryk: Director

Theron Warth: Editor/Producer

Roy Webb: American Composer/D. 1982

Darrell Silvera: Set Dresser/Decorator

Marston Fay: Editor - Back To Bataan