Rent The Sand Pebbles (1966)

Excellent Action Adventure - The Sand Pebbles review by GI

This is epic American adventure cinema made at the time Hollywood was still trying to compete for audiences with the popularity of television. Set in China in 1926 just as the poverty stricken Chinese are rising up against corruption and foreign control into civil war and revolution. Petty officer and engineer Jake Holman (Steve McQueen in his only Oscar nominated role) arrives to join the USS San Pablo, a gunboat assigned to patrol the Yangtze River and protect any American civilians. Jake's inherent racism against the Chinese causes conflicts with the native coolies aboard the ship and when the San Pablo is sent upriver to rescue some trapped missionaries they become embroiled in skirmishes with the Chinese army and local militias. This was a huge prestige picture and it's superbly produced and directed by veteran Robert Wise, who could turn his filmmaking skills to any genre. The opening shot alone sets the film up as epic in proportion and an expensive picture. It was a resounding success and went on to gain eight Oscar nominations and gained a Golden Globe for Richard Attenborough who plays Jake's fellow sailor Frenchy, who gets into a doomed relationship with a Chinese prostitute. The film builds up to a great climax and along the way deals with increasing tensions amongst the crew as they become besieged. Richard Crenna, a veteran American actor, is also excellent as the Captain desperately trying to hold his command together. But this is McQueen's film, he's excellent here and plays the conflicted Holman with a real sense of misguided honour (despite his racism he befriends one of the Chinese workers, a decision that causes a lot of trouble and effectively drives the plot). A marvellous film of the type not made today, a serious adventure drama in a historical and controversial setting looking at the role of, in this case, the USA in the affairs of other nations. It downplays heroism in order to get its message across and Holman is a fine example of the American cinematic anti-hero that McQueen played so well in many other films. A film worthy of a modern audience.