The Lost Patrol

Released Feb 16, 1934

1h 14m

War

List

100%

6 Reviews

Tomatometer

64%

250+ Ratings

Audience Score

A British patrol is crossing the deserts of Mesopotamia during World War I when the commanding officer is suddenly struck down by an unseen sniper. Their sergeant (Victor McLaglen) suddenly finds himself in charge of the surviving members of his regiment, with no idea where they are or what their mission is. Barricaded at a desert oasis and surrounded by enemy snipers, with no way of summoning reinforcements, the sergeant is forced to call for volunteers for a suicide mission.

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kevin w

"Yes, but what will you do when you're all alone, and there is no help coming?" Sort of an Alamo tale only pared down to a few archetypal characters, and sort of a boyhood backyard adventure play. Where it happens isn't even important, and only necessary for color. A platoon is cut off and surrounded with no way of escape and so it's "fight to the last man" against an unseen enemy who can kill from a distance. Along the way, we get bits of personality traits thrown like crumbs at us so that we get a feel for the polyglot of identities, pick and choose your favorites. This version, and there are many, is okay, and exceptional for it's use of Yuma, AZ locations.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

03/30/23

Full Review

Audience Member

The best thrilling movie ever made!

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

02/26/23

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s r

A patrol stranded in the desert that drives them to all sorts of unusual behavior.

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

03/31/23

Full Review

Audience Member

Interesting - primarily for historical reasons. The story is extremely simple/2-dimensional and the film feels small, despite huge talents behind it. The acting is good. It is neat seeing these old desert pictures.

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

01/23/23

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Audience Member

Though at times as dry as it's setting, the film is punctuated by moments of sentiment and tragedy.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

02/07/23

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Audience Member

I believe in being drunk enough to be brave and brave enough to be drunk A dozen British soldiers are traveling across the desert during World War 1 when they get pinned down by an Arabian assassin. The longer the troops are trapped in the desert, the more desperate they get... making the job of the assassin easier. How can the British overcome their unseen adversary? "Do you remember the time I drank 57 bottles of beer on a bet?" "57?" "Well, I may have miscounted by a few; I just remember it was 10 below my record." John Ford, director of Grapes of Wrath, Stagecoach, The Man who Shot Liberty Valance, The Searchers, Rio Grande, Pinky, Fort Apache, and The Fugitive, delivers The Lost Patrol. The storyline for this picture is okay but the acting is very good. The script was alright but nothing amazing. The cast includes Boris Karloff, Victor McLaglen, Reginald Denny, Billy Bevan, and Alan Hale. "Why don't you make your peace with god?" "Because I don't want to." I came across The Lost Patrol on Turner Classic Movies (TCM) and decided to DVR it since it starred one of my favorites, Boris Karloff. Karloff is more of a supporting character in this film, and his lines are delivered better than they are written, and his abstract character is very interesting, but the overall movie is just okay. I found it entertaining but not great. "Where are we going to bury him?" Doesn't make much difference, does it?" Grade: B

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

01/19/23

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John Ford

Director

Victor McLaglen

The Sergeant

Boris Karloff

Sanders

Wallace Ford

Morelli

Reginald Denny

Brown

J.M. Kerrigan

Quincannon

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Michael E. Grost

Classic Film and Television

Visionary look at a group of doomed soldiers, grippingly told and styled, with an experimental feel.

Aug 22, 2014

Full Review

Jeffrey M. Anderson

Combustible Celluloid

Ford and his longtime screenwriter Dudley Nichols center on character interaction and keep the action mainly off-camera for a startlingly tense film.

Mar 28, 2013

Full Review

Michael W. Phillips, Jr.

Goatdog's Movies

A mostly successful experiment in minimalism that allows Ford to work with his traditional themes.

Rated: 4/5

May 4, 2011

Full Review

Fernando F. Croce

CinePassion

John Ford's horror hallucination, which begins with Kipling but is positioned towards Borges (and the search for Weapons of Mass Destruction)

Sep 25, 2009

Full Review

Dennis Schwartz

Dennis Schwartz Movie Reviews

Seems archaic, as it has not dated that well.

Rated: B

Jan 7, 2007

Full Review

Emanuel Levy

EmanuelLevy.Com

Rated: 4/5

Jul 2, 2005

Full Review

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Synopsis

A British patrol is crossing the deserts of Mesopotamia during World War I when the commanding officer is suddenly struck down by an unseen sniper. Their sergeant (Victor McLaglen) suddenly finds himself in charge of the surviving members of his regiment, with no idea where they are or what their mission is. Barricaded at a desert oasis and surrounded by enemy snipers, with no way of summoning reinforcements, the sergeant is forced to call for volunteers for a suicide mission.

Director: John Ford
Producer: Merian C. Cooper
Screenwriter: Dudley Nichols, Garrett Fort
Distributor: RKO Radio Pictures
Production Co: RKO Radio Pictures Inc.
Genre: War
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Feb 16, 1934, Original
Release Date (Streaming): Nov 21, 2016
Runtime: 1h 14m

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