The Marines Who Never Returned

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• 1963
• 1 hr 28 mins
• Drama, Action & Adventure

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During the Korean War, a company of South Korean Marines is portrayed as a closely-knit unit that experiences life's small pleasures and great sorrows like a family. The film follows their life and death path, from their initial beach-landings to their fierce street-fighting to retake towns, to their off-duty lighter moments through to their final major battle. While clearing the first town and industrial zone, the company rescues an orphan girl from the enemy's clutches. This child becomes the company's good-luck mascot but more importantly she represents the hope and the catalyst that keeps the Marines together. In the girl's eyes, each Marine in the adoptive company is an 'uncle' and she blesses each of the Marines with an endearing nickname. The little orphan girl becomes a witness of each Marine's sorrows and happy moments. On their days off-duty, the men visit the only attraction in town, the Lucky Club, usually off-limits to Korean soldiers until the Marines 'persuade' the club owners, in a funny manner, to allow them in. They even manage to misappropriate the X-mas gifts intended for the club's Madam by the visiting U.S. Marines and use the gifts for their company's X-mas party. However, with their advance north into North-Korean territory, comes a retaliatory Chinese counter-offensive. The numbers of the Red Chinese are so great that it triggers a front-wide withdrawal of South-Korean and U.N. units. In order to achieve an organized withdrawal and minimize losses, their company is selected to stay behind, in prepared defensive positions, and hold-off the onslaught of the Red Chinese forces. Their company's mascot, the adopted little girl is sent behind the lines into safety. Crying at seeing her 'uncles' going to war she wonders if she will ever see them alive again.