In December 1941, after bombing Pearl Harbor, the Japanese Navy attacks an American Marine Base in the Wake Island in the Pacific. A small troop fights to defend the island aware that it is impossible to keep the position."Wake Island" is a dated movie of war propaganda with a corny story of heroism and patriotism. It is easy to understand the need of using the cinema industry to elevate the morale of the population, but presently "Wake Island" is a forgettable war movie. My vote is six.Title (Brazil): "Nossos Mortos Serão Vingados" ("Our Dead Will Be Revenged")

Calling this movie a propaganda film is no insult--it was released very shortly after the actual fall of Wake Islan and was an effective way to put a face on these doomed defenders and energize the people at home in the war effort. Since it was completed so quickly, the exact details of the final doomed days of the soldiers was a bit murky so the studio filled in the gaps with fictionalized accounts of this struggle.The film begins just before December 7, 1941 and the island is in the process of being turned into a military base. Civilian engineers and soldiers cover the barren island and they are unaware that they were directly in harm's way. Soon, the troops on the island would face invasion and annihilation.As I said, the individual accounts of heroism were fictionalized through the creation of some characters such as those played by William Bendix and Robert Preston (who seem like an old married couple with their banter) as well Albert Dekker (who, as usual, plays a loudmouth patriot), Brian Donlevy and Macdonald Carey. The acting was very effective even though by today's standards some of the stories seem a bit clichéd--they were perfect for the time.While far from one of the very best war films made during WWII, it was better than average and is well worth a look. Excellent quality and a rousing script make for a very good film.A final note because I am an aviation nut. I hated one part of the film--the aerial scenes were often bad, as monoplanes (with a single wing) often magically became biplanes in mid-air (with two wings). While I could forgive them making Japanese planes that looked nothing like the real thing, having them change so radically in mid-flight was unforgivable. Did they think the audiences wouldn't notice?

Whatever its flaws--stereotypes among soldiers, wartime propaganda using the Wake Island battle as symbolic of America's fight for freedom, weak comic relief--WAKE ISLAND is the kind of story Americans needed to hear during the height of WWII. It begins just before the Pearl Harbor attack when the men were losing their morale to fight against the Japs, then changes once American ships and servicemen are attacked in sneaky fashion at Pearl, to become a story of fighting men who want to avenge what F.D.R. called "a day of infamy".Forcefully directed by John Farrow, it's a gritty, realistic war drama given occasional relief by ROBERT PRESTON and WILLIAM BENDIX as a pair of squabbling soldiers arguing over re-enlistment. BRIAN DONLEVY plays Maj. Caton with steely-eyed determination and a large male cast of upcoming actors and future stars fills the supporting cast: ALBERT DEKKER, MADONALD CAREY, ROD CAMERON, WALTER ABEL, DANE CLARK, PHILIP TERRY and FRANK FAYLEN.Similar in content to BATAAN, which also told of American losses against overwhelming odds and had a downbeat ending, the true story of Wake Island is even more downbeat than the film hints. Brutal stories of torture at the hands of Japanese military awaited many who survived the assault on the small island in the Pacific. But that's something you can learn about at The History Channel. Summing up: A reminder of what sort of films Americans were looking at during the height of WWII--you have to view it in that context.

OK I'm still going to give Wake Island a 7 of 10 which is it's average here on IMDb, but.... I just read what actually happened after the Marine garrison surrendered. Jay Hawk's review seems to have been as jaded as I am now watching this great propaganda war movie, reading about the 98 that were executed is a real downer. I also saw in the midst of the air battle scenes out of nowhere there are at least two clips of a 20's era biplane trailing smoke. What was up with that? Maybe a seaplane? but its got wheels so that won't fly. For a movie that looks like its trying to be somewhat realistic they sure did goof on that (but that may have been a Paramount thing like they always did in 3 stooges flicks, just throw together any stock airplane footage even if it's different planes!). Dunlevy I think is great, but he is pretty wooden I guess looking back on it as I've read about him in reviews of a lot of other movies. Also, these guys are just way too happy to be getting shelled, and pretty much surrounded right after Pearl Harbor and invasion of the Phillipnes, basically you are totally screwed and these guys aren't showing it. I guess thats why "Bataan" even though purely fiction is a superior film because they show a lot of stress under combat were as here we have Bendix and Preston smiling to their deaths. OK I'm changing my rating to a 5 because this is an entertaining flick the first 3 times I've seen it, it's just too happy for my tastes and Dunlevy is a stick (and I thought I liked that dude, lol). One things for sure, in real life, the defenders got screwed. They should have been evacuated by subs. Their tale in captivity is as sad as those that were captured on the Doolittle Raid, go look those brave guys tales up, I dare you.