Very well executed

SERIOUSLY. This is what the crap Hollywood still puts out?

I wanted to like it more than I actually did... But much of the humor totally escaped me and I walked out only mildly impressed.

Great story, amazing characters, superb action, enthralling cinematography. Yes, this is something I am glad I spent money on.

Docudrama about Admiral William F. Halsey; specifically his experiences during World War II. It's directed and narrated by Robert Montgomery. James Cagney stars and does an excellent job with a quieter, more subtle type of performance than the ones he was known for. Negatives include a slow pace, lack of action, no subtitles when needed, an overuse of devices like narration and background chorus, and Dennis Weaver going full hick accent with his country boy role. Positives include the aforementioned Cagney turn and a sincerity that I can't help but respect. You can tell they (Montgomery, Cagney, et al.) really wanted to make a great film about a man they admired. It's not a movie that I will ever watch again, but I can certainly see the appeal for many others.

I don't know if I'll ever get back to it for a second watch, but I grasped what I could in this profile of Fleet Adm. William F. Halsey Jr., played by James Cagney as he was preparing to retire himself. It's ironic that the opening scene has Halsey preparing to retreat to his cabin to change into civilian clothes. Soft spoken and attentive, he is beloved and gives talks to his men-in groups, one on one and treating everyone of them like they matter. This is Cagney at his most subtle, and at times, I wanted to reach through the screen to grab a hug: from the fictional version of the character, from the actor, and from the spirits of both men who gave so much of themselves. Since the real Halsey had died the previous year, there was a legend surrounding his life, so it makes sense that they cut out anything that would make him seem anything less than a perfect leader of the U.S. military. One special moment comes in my memory of James Cagney when he was alive: being introduced for a profile in "A Night of 100 Stars". Cagney seemed to be in tears as he accepted this honor, not saying a word, but realizing the impact he made on the world of film. That honor is felt here for Halsey, whether getting bad news about his own son, submitting to shots reluctantly as part of a promise to his departing aide (Dennis Weaver), and sharing the harsh realities of war with an underling he hoped to raise in rank who blamed himself for the loss of nine planes. Cagney takes those nine planes on, adds on ships, submarines and land troops onto his own list of regretful losses. The story surrounds his command of Guadalcanal, so there's plenty of detail to be dramatized and documented in two hours. Through the narration of director Robert Montgomery, dozens of other officials, both enemy and ally, are introduced. But as taxing as it is to remember them all, when the camera is on Cagney, there's an invisible halo shining on him with the haunting music that practically proclaims Halsey's sainthood, which from what I've read was a total contrast to how he is portrayed here. Cagney just makes all this hero worship tolerable, and I felt myself falling into the pattern of feeling like I was among the truly divine men I knew really nothing of. Maybe one day, we'll get the truth, but for how, this sanitized portrayal will have to do.

. . . shows that 75% of Japanese racists believe that Americans are "lazy" (even though international statistics prove that U.S. workers labor more hours annually than their Asian counterparts). THE GALLANT HOURS serves to drive home this point about Japan's self-delusions in a key historical context. While Japanese military "genius" Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto worked short hours, frittering away his "spare" time on frivolous hobbies such as chess and floral photography, he met his doom at the hands of Workaholic U.S. Fleet Admiral William F. Halsey, Jr., who graduated in the bottom third of his 1904 Naval Academy class as Yamamoto was the toast of the town in his own 1904 military cohort. But, as Thomas Edison always said, hard work beats brains every time. While Yamamoto was smelling the flowers, Halsey was busy managing the tiniest details of War (such as breaking the Japanese military code) with his hands-on supervision during grueling 16-hour days. As shown here, Yamamoto knew that his year-old code needed urgent updating, but he was too busy with board games and flowers to even delegate the task. His lackadaisical approach to World War enabled Halsey to easily pick him off as he island-hopped on a transparent schedule, turning the tide of the whole WWII Kerfluffle against the inflated-ego bearing Japanese.

I just love this movie. I am a huge fan of Adm. Halsey. Am also a Navy vet. I wish they would put it out on DVD. Since it is out of print it is very hard to find a copy, there are some used ones thru Amazon.com, but am a little leery of buying one thru this method. Cagney does a terrific job as Halsey, the resemblance is uncanny. I think John Wayne's portrayal of Adm. Torrey in "In Harms Way" is somewhat based on Adm. Halsey, at least that is how it makes me feel. Any fan of WWII movies, particularly Pacific naval ones, would love this movie. I noticed one of the posters stated he had served with Halsey, I truly envy you! Guess it would've been hard since I wasn't born yet!