First saw this movie in a top run theater in downtown Seattle in 1966 and, although long enough to warrant two (2!) intermissions, it was well worth the over three hour length. Have never seen a more gripping end to any movie in my life. Curious about a couple of awards... there is no mention of either Richard Crenna or Richard Attenborough, didn't they win Oscars for their performances, or were at least nominated? Seems to me they did... do not remember Mako even being nominated, although he certainly well deserved a nomination. Have this movie on DVD now & watched it just the other night, still good although not as good as in wide screen theater, especially the scenes of the gunboat on the river and the unforgettable final shootout at the mission (fort?). The movie actually covers a period in American military history that certain people would like to forget, that of imperialistic power plays brought about by a philosophy of "keeping up with the British, French & Spanish in the far east", a lot of the older Chinese still remember this period with great disdain. Steve McQueen's best & greatest role, without a doubt... Richard Crenna, Richard Attenborough and Candace Bergen were also fantastic and the story line was both believable and attention riveting. Movies with engine room scenes like this one along with "The Enemy Below", "Das Boot", "Tora Tora Tora", even "Titanic" have a certain fascination with an audience that allows them sometimes to be longer than usual. In conclusion I believe this movie should rate higher than the 7.5 given it by IMDb,
Review of The Sand Pebbles
