Battle of Blood Island (1960)

Director: Joel Rapp

Writers: Joel Rapp, Philip Roth

Composer: Fred Katz

Starring:  Richard Devon, Ron Gans

More info: IMDb

Tagline: 10,000 men attack--only two got through!

Plot:  Two American GIs are the only survivors of a unit wiped out in a battle with Japanese troops on an isolated island. The two, who don't like each other, find try to put aside their differences in order to evade the Japanese and survive.

My rating: 6/10

Will I watch it again?  No.

LOW BUDGET SPOILERS AHEAD....YARRRRRRR!!!

Drinking game: take a drink every time Ken (Gans) says "Moe".  It's uncanny how many dozens of time he says it in about an hour.  It's as bad as Alec Baldwin saying "Charles" in THE EDGE (1997).  I expected a boring low budget Roger Corman picture like SKI TROOP ATTACK (1960) but it was a lot better and easily more interesting.  The 'battle' isn't physical but mental.  It's a psychological war drama.  There are some really cool ideas floated in this picture like the homoerotic relationship that is hinted between these two guys.  It's definitely there.  Then there's the cool scene where the Japanese soldiers kill themselves because they just found out they lost the war.  The two Americans only speculate because they don't know this and the enemy's radio was destroyed.  Then you've got the cool as shit part when American ships show up in the distance and soon after there are goats on the island.  It turn out that island, though deserted, had been designated an atomic bomb testing site.  The movie ends with the pair being rescued but how amazing would it be if they weren't and they ended up being at ground zero getting blown to bits?  THAT would've been some ballsy filmmaking!  Despite that, it's still a pretty good low budget flick.  Corman knew how to get the most out of his nickels and he sure got it with this one.