Review of Sergeants 3

Although John Sturges directed it and star Frank Sinatra produced it, this rewrite of "Gunga Din" lands with a deadening thud. Calvary officers are assigned to investigate an abandoned western town and run afoul of war-hungry Indian tribe. Other episodes include Sammy Davis, Jr. as a bugler (and apparent stable-boy!) who wants to enlist; a white mule with stomach problems who gets a magic tonic; Joey Bishop as an uptight Sergeant-Major who gets pranked by Sinatra and Dean Martin; and lovers Peter Lawford and Ruta Lee, whose wedding is interrupted by his buddies. Initially, the curious mixture of action, western dramatics, and Rat Pack frivolity is odd yet engaging. Too soon, however, the ingredients congeal, and every scene in the film's second-half is a wasted opportunity. The sets, editing, and continuity are terrible, the camera-work (especially in a scene with Dino and Sammy on a shaky rope bridge) is excruciating, and most of the acting is completely rote. *1/2 from ****