WWII in HD: Bloody Resolve (2009)
**** (out of 4)
Third film in the series once again comes to us in striking color, which makes some of the horrific scenes even more graphic. This film tells the battles of a couple places but the main focus is on Tarawa, a small island where around 5,000 Japanese troops are held up. This battled ended up costing around 1,500 U.S. troops and this didn't sit too well when it reached American shores. Writer Richard Tregaskis is back on the front lines but this time he is critically wounded. Towards the end of this episode forces are coming together to take back Italy. Once again this episode really hits home and this series is starting to be one of the greatest ever produced for television. The way the stories are told and the way the battles are explained are masterfully being done and even if you're heard the stories before, their telling here is going to grab you by the throat and not let you breathe for a split second. The action here is certainly heart pounding and a lot of this has to do with some of the spectacular shots, which were apparently shot by Hollywood cameramen. Some of the images are truly haunting including a few shots of rotting corpses floating in the waters off the island as well as other scenes where bodies are burned to a crisp after being struck by a bomb. Some of the footage here is incredibly graphic but, as we're told, many soldiers fighting wanted people in the U.S. to see this footage so that they would see how war really was. The film also briefly talks about the decision to release some of this bloody footage in the short WITH THE MARINES AT TARAWA, which ended up winning an Oscar after the President allowed it to be shown uncut.