American Experience: Battle of Chosin - Movie Review

As a young Marine, I was indoctrinated into the rich history of the United States Marine Corps. Historic battles and the symbolism of our uniforms were "practical knowledge" imparted to young recruits from the outset of training. For all of the heroic tales that were passed down to our young minds, none captivated my imagination as much as the Battle of the Chosin Reservoir. The Marines fighting withdrawal against six Chinese Regiments was historic. I came across a PBS documentary streaming on Amazon Prime and decided to watch it. If you are a military history buff, you can skip my review and head down below to the actual movie. I will give my solid recommendation up front. The film is titled American Experience: Battle of Chosin.

Following World War II, the Korean Peninsula was divided after Russia basically invaded the north. The UN mandated free elections be held, but the Russians balked. The US went ahead with free elections in the south creating a de facto dictatorship in the north. Shortly after the south held elections, Kim Il-Sung, backed by Stalin and the Chinese, invaded the south. The UN intervened sending General McArthur to end the conflict. The US easily defeated the North Korean armies. McArthur decided this was a good time to evict the Russians and end Kim Il-Sung's dictatorship in the north and devised a plan to push the North Koreans all the way to the river that divides China from the Korean peninsula. Mao could not defeat the US on the battlefield. However, he countered the rapid US push north, hitting US forces with waves of Chinese assaults. The US didn't realize the size of the counter-offensive until it was too late.

The epic battle documented in American Experience: Battle of Chosin begins at the Chosin Reservoir in North Korea. US troops had begun moving into pincer elements along the winding mountain roads heading north. The Chinese crept across the mountains between the roads, catching the American troops off guard. When the battle was engaged, it came as a complete surprise. The US was not expecting China to join the fray. Particularly, they were not expecting six divisions of Chinese soldiers to push south and engage. The sheer numbers of Chinese combatants made the situation appear hopeless.

American Experience: Battle of Chosin is a narrated documentary told first-person by many of the survivors of that historic battle. The humanity of their experience, the depth of their suffering and the indelible impact of that war surfaces as these men relive those events for us. It is often emotional for them to talk about. Many of them never expected to survive. The narratives are supported by live footage taken during the war. The footage, along with carefully crafted sound effects, help bring the battle to life. The sheer hopelessness and fatigue of the operation to fight their way south is evident. The film carefully captures and documents the raw courage of those men even as the newspapers back home had written them off.

If you are a military history buff, this is a solid documentary on the Battle of the Chosin Reservoir. I was disappointed not to hear Chesty Puller's name invoked, as he as a Marine Corps hero. We hear more about McArthur (and some honest opinions about his overconfidence) than the Marine Corps leadership. The film offers us a strong connection to the war through the personal anecdotes of the survivors. I was surprised that they had as much war footage of the events as they had, which really added context to the film. Although the footage is black and white, it is easy to feel the chill blowing through the mountains as you watch the grainy, steel footage. This film gets a solid recommendation. 7.5/10.

Trailer:

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