MacArthur

Gregory Peck toplines this gung ho bio-pic of General Douglas ("I shall return") MacArthur, one of the most illustrious--albeit turbulent--military figures in U.S. history. Told in flashbacks during the general's 1962 farewell address to the West Point grads, and utilizing plenty of budget-friendly stock footage, MacArthur follows big Mac's rise to fame during WWII, his efforts to reorganize post-war Japan, and his painful dismissal during the Korean War. Peck, not surprisingly, delivers a rock solid performance, but, unlike George C. Scott in Patton, never gets below the skin of this enormously complex character, and as a result the film has a History Channel mustiness to it. Midway through things brighten a bit, with Ed Flander's droll turn as give-em (usually MacArthur)-hell Harry Truman, but, plainly speaking, it's too little too late. An optional purchase, solely for its historical interest. (S. C. Sickles)