A small unit of British soldiers in 1942 Burma performing experiments in "sonic warfare" to distract the invading Japanese Army and are cut off from their base in this 1961 British war drama. Based on a stage play by Willis Hall, this is a far cry from the rousing patriotic action films and propaganda pieces of the war years. Commanding officer Sergeant Mitchem (Richard Todd) is trying to redeem a past disgrace, his second in command (Richard Harris) is insubordinate and bullies the men under him, and the company malcontent Private Bamford (Laurence Harvey with an overworked cockney accent) keeps taunting everyone to stir up trouble. But when a patrol finds a Japanese platoon closing in on their position and the two officers debate about executing a captive Japanese soldier (Kenji Takaki) to speed their retreat, Bamford becomes the unexpected voice of morality as he defends the code of war. The direction by Leslie Norman, a journeyman who soon moved to television, is perfectly adequate. The film was shot entirely in the studio, which makes it more of a chamber piece than a realistic war drama and gives it a claustrophobic quality even in the jungle scenes. The camera stays close in on the men, whether they are at ease in the small hut, surrounded by foliage on patrol, or trapped in a tight valley waiting for the water level of the nearby stream to drop as they flee the approaching enemy. It also reminds the viewer of its stage origins, already evident in the long dialogue scenes that take on the tensions of class and regional differences of the men. Harvey is miscast as a working-class cockney troublemaker (the part was played on stage by Peter O'Toole) and his showy performance is at odds with the more realistic styles of the rest of the cast. It's also an early screen role for rising stars Harris and David McCallum, who plays the nervous radio operator. The title is taken from the World War I song "Bless 'Em All," a decidedly British reference that was discarded for the film's release in the U.S. and Canada, where it was renamed Jungle Fighters. Optional purchase. (S. Axmaker)