M-G-M. Director Robert Pirosh; Producer Dore Schary; Screenplay Robert Pirosh; Camera Paul C. Vogel; Editor James E. Newcom; Music Alberto Colombo; Art Director Cedric Gibbons, Eddie Imazu
Van Johnson
Lane Nakano
George Miki
Akira Fukunaga
Ken K. Okamoto
Warner Anderson
The case of the Japanese-Americans who fought with honor in Italy and France during the Second World War is objectively treated in Go For Broke!
Title, derived from a colloquialism meaning 'shoot the works', was used as the battle cry of the Nisei members of the 442nd Regimental Combat Team who were out to prove that color or racial origin has nothing to do with good Americanism. The social angle is never overplayed and is effectively socked with a humorous touch.
Robert Pirosh keeps his script and direction on an intimate level, projecting the story through Van Johnson, as a typical native American who draws back from the thought of being assigned as a brand new lieutenant to head a group of 'Buddha-Heads', as the Nisei are known. Yarn works in quite a number of chuckles in showing training of the squad, and carries this light touch through the shipment overseas to Italy, the battle action there and on into France.
Johnson does an excellent job of his assignment, and the heroes of the 442nd Regiment Combat Team who co-star with him add to the naturalism of the production.
(B&W) Available on VHS. Extract of a review from 1951. Running time: 90 MIN.
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