Otto Preminger's war epic tackles the Japanese attack of Pearl Harbor and the initial stages of the American fight back. The first half is at its best when the battle is fiercest but lingers too long on personal relationships. The second half is much better, with vintage Hollywood showing how good it was at war films. John Wayne gives one of his best performances as a forceful admiral though Kirk Douglas struggles as his bitter officer buddy who dashes off on a convenient suicide mission after a young girl he has raped has taken her own life. But the action packs a powerful punch and the film's far, far better than the 2001 movie Pearl Harbor.

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