Most moviegoers have preconceived notions of what makes a World War II film. More often than not, they'd envision a cinematic epic or a tense thriller like Saving Private Ryan or The Guns of Navarone, respectively. Other times, they'd think of a generational period drama not unlike Flags of Our Fathers, Schindler's List, or more recently, Oppenheimer. Generally speaking, audiences and critics expect World War II films to be big. This is what made Hell in the Pacific stand out in one of the most crowded film genres around.

Unlike its more famous wartime contemporaries, John Boorman's World War II film was small in just about every regard. At most, it only had three vast but empty locations. More importantly, it only starred two actors: Lee Marvin and Toshiro Mifune. What's more, the two were stuck on the same island for most of the film. Not only were Marvin and Mifune perfectly cast,...