Review of The Fighting Seabees

An American war film; A story about a rebellious head of a civilian construction company in the South Pacific who defies military orders to train his men for combat which leads to tragic circumstances and a new military intiative for fight-back. This is a patriotic fictional story about the creation of the United States Naval Construction Battalions, better known as the Navy Seabees. It has a theme about heroic sacrifice and expiation of past mistakes. Nevertheless, there is some implausability for those aware of historical accuracy to the period. Character-development is lean and the romantic subplot is a deviation from the main story thrust, but there is good chemistry between a forceful John Wayne and a vivacious Susan Hayward. The Academy Award nominated film score lends an atmosphere of foreboding but it also falters to sappy in the scenes of romance.