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The Pacific (2010)
Hell was an
ocean away.
Directors: Tim Van Patten, Jeremy Podeswa, Graham Yost,
Carl Franklin, Tony To, rated TV-MA for
grisly war violence, language, brief nudity
  Starring:
James Badge Dale, Joseph Mazzello, Jon Seda, Jon Berethal, Rami
Malek, Ashton Holmes, Josh Helman, Martin McCann, Kkeith Nobbs,
Toby Leondard Moore, Jacob Pitts, William Sadler
DML Rating:
★★★★★★★★★☆
- near perfect
"Well, the Marine
Corp. taught me how to kill Japs. And I got really good at it." -
Cpl. Eugene Sledge, when
asked by a job interviewer what skills he had learned in the
Marines
Why watch this? Axs".
Plot Summary:
This 10-part miniseries follows the intense, interconnected
experiences of three U.S. Marines across the brutal Pacific
Theater of Operations during World War II. Based on true
stories, the narrative tracks their journeys from the initial
battles on Guadalcanal through key, violent campaigns on islands
like Peleliu and Okinawa. It highlights the intense physical and
psychological toll of combat and survival, exploring the
profound impact of war on these men's lives.
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Dad's Preview:
The excellent miniseries
Band of Brothers
(2001), focused on the heroics of the men who fought for
Easy Company in the ETO (European Theater of Operations). This
historical drama is as different from BoB as the two
actual war fronts - Different terrain, different weather,
different enemy. I had two uncles, both U.S. Marines, who went
to the Pacific. One didn't come home alive. The other fought at
Peleliu and Okinawa (covered here in 4 harrowing episodes).
Uncle Paul never talked about the war. The only knock I can find
on this miniseries is the inclusion of episode 3, called
"Melbourne" - it feels out of place. The rest commendably paints
a hyper-realistic look at how horrible it was to wage war in the
rainy tropics, against an entrenched enemy, whose divine mandate
was to kill Americans and die for their God Emperor Hirohito.
It's truly painful to witness soldiers transform from innocent
boys into hardened killers... but that was required to survive.
It is a miracle that any of the young men, who stayed alive in
those conditions, could come back and reassimilate into normal
society. But many did and we called them our Greatest
Generation. All who were touched by the war in the Pacific
unquestionably earned the title of "hero". |
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Steven Spielberg,
Tom Hanks, Gary Goetzman,
HBO Entertainment, DreamWorks Television,
Playtone; HBO
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