Saturday, January 21, 2012

The Lost Patrol

During the Mesopotamian campaign during World War I, a desert regiment's commanding officer has been shot. Having not relayed or recorded his recent orders, the troop knows not where they are to rendezvous. So now led by a brave sergeant, the troop decides to rest at an abandon fort where they await reinforcements and battle the menacing and relentless Arabs who strike in the blinding desert night. "The Lost Patrol" is a high concept and highly entertaining suspense film from legendary director John Ford. Based on Philip MacDonald's book Patrol, Ford's film employs an "And Then There Were None" which is carried out with much suspense to great effect. Ford stalwart Victor McLaglen provides a commanding performance as does much of the supporting cast, most notably being Boris Karloff as a religious zealot who quickly loses his mind. "The Lost Patrol" is an early success for John Ford who would continually revisit similar themes of courage and cowardice in his many subsequent masterpieces.