They Were Expendable (1945)

118 min · War Film, action film, drama film, war film

Popularity4.5/5

12-month trendExpand

12-month trend

Monthly article views

Sep6.6kOct3.8kNov8.5kDec4.3kJan3.8kFeb5.5kMar4.4kApr5.0kMay13kJun4.4kJul4.1kAug4.7k

2025-09 to 2026-08

Directors

John Ford

Cast

Robert Montgomery, John Wayne, Donna Reed, Jack Holt, Ward Bond, Marshall Thompson, Paul Langton, Leon Ames, Cameron Mitchell, Donald Curtis

The story

thumb|left|PT boats at speed In December 1941, Lieutenant John "Brick" Brickley commands a squadron of unproven U.S. Navy PT boats based at Cavite in the Philippines. He puts on a demonstration of their maneuverability and seakeeping capabilities for the senior area commander, Admiral Blackwell, who remains unimpressed by their diminutive size and lightweight construction.

Catalogue themes and tags

Japanese Army, Navy, Pacific War, Torpedo Boat, World War 2, Black-and-white, Action/Adventure, Drama, War film, Action, Combat Films

Genres

War Film, action film, drama film, war film

Find trailer on YouTube ↗ Plot source & revision Wikipedia Wikidata Open Media Database Permalink

Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.

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