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      Darby's Rangers

      Released Feb 12, 1958 2h 2m War List
      Reviews 42% 100+ Ratings Audience Score Stationed in Scotland, Maj. William Darby (James Garner) and the men under his command are trained by British commandos, becoming the U.S. Army's 1st Ranger Battalion. Their drilling period is rigorous, but the men find time to romance local women before being deployed to fight the Nazis. U.S. forces battle from French North Africa to Italy, but when a surprise attack decimates the 1st and 3rd Battalions at the Battle of Cisterna, Darby and the 4th Battalion must come to their aid. Read More Read Less Watch on Fandango at Home Premiered Jun 22 Buy Now

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      Audience Reviews

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      Audience Member As a Frank Gifford fan in the early 60's, I've always wanted to see the movie he was an extra in. I had to wait 58 years to do so. It's one of the worst war movies ever made, at least by today's standards. The script is bad, the acting worse, and even the narration contradicts itself. The "true" story of Darby and his Rangers, it takes a lot of liberties with the truth, par for the course. But it's less a story about WWII and more of a story about invented personal lives of a few of the soldiers. It works on neither level and tries your patience, especially if you're looking for WWII action. The sets are obviously Hollywood and even the German tanks look fake. In his first major film role, James Gardner is very stiff. It aslo stars Jack Warden, Edd Byrnes, Stuart Whitman and other recognizables. I gave it as many as a star and a half because I didn't turn it off, but I would never watch it again. But I did get to see Frank Gifford's scene where he rolled across the road in front of a German tank. Rated 1.5 out of 5 stars 01/13/23 Full Review Audience Member Recycling the well worn "Sands of Iwo Jima" formula of a disparate group of new recruits getting trained at boot camp, coming together as a team, and then taking to the battlefield, "Darby's Rangers" offers nothing new, but is entertaining for fans of these type of WWII films. It's a durable formula that's can work well (i.e. Clint Eastwood's "Heartbreak Ridge") or can be so bad that it becomes a parody of itself (i.e. John Wayne's "The Green Berets"). With a veteran film director at the helm, William Wellman, and a strong cast (James Garner, Jack Warden, Peter Brown, Stuart Whitman, Murray Hamilton, and David Janssen) you have the makings for solid entertainment, which is exactly what "Darby's Ranger" delivers with Garner leading his squad into North Africa and Italy for exciting WWII action. The downside to the film is that the portions of the story focused on Garner's command level politics and the infantrymen's liberty romances are less than interesting. Rated 3 out of 5 stars 01/31/23 Full Review Audience Member Interesting film, but sooner would I watch a fifty shades meets call of duty mash up then watch this again. Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars 01/26/23 Full Review Audience Member This is a Great War movie, if you like war movies this movie needs to be added to your collection. James Gardner did an outstanding job portraying Colonel Darby. It shows what the soldiers had to go through to become a ranger, and all the different types of training and skills to be a Ranger. Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 02/13/23 Full Review s r An army film that couldn't decide if it was a comedy or a drama. Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars 03/31/23 Full Review Audience Member What should be a war movie broken up by brief romantic interludes; is a movie whose romantic scenes are broken up by combat scenes. When it is a war movie it isn't bad. But the romance is in full 1950's style. Methodical and boring. There are much better WW2 movies that were made during this time period. Rated 2 out of 5 stars 02/03/23 Full Review Read all reviews Post a rating

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      Critics Reviews

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      Christopher Lloyd Sarasota Herald-Tribune Never have I seen a military drama so done in by sex. It's not enough to say that romance is a recurring distraction in this film; it would be more accurate to describe the battle scenes as interrupting all the mush. Rated: 2/5 Jun 20, 2011 Full Review Read all reviews

      Movie Info

      Synopsis Stationed in Scotland, Maj. William Darby (James Garner) and the men under his command are trained by British commandos, becoming the U.S. Army's 1st Ranger Battalion. Their drilling period is rigorous, but the men find time to romance local women before being deployed to fight the Nazis. U.S. forces battle from French North Africa to Italy, but when a surprise attack decimates the 1st and 3rd Battalions at the Battle of Cisterna, Darby and the 4th Battalion must come to their aid.
      Director
      William A. Wellman
      Production Co
      Warner Brothers/Seven Arts
      Genre
      War
      Original Language
      English
      Release Date (Theaters)
      Feb 12, 1958, Limited
      Release Date (Streaming)
      Jun 22, 2009
      Runtime
      2h 2m
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