James Cagney in "The Gallant Hours"

Cagney as Halsey

Here's a film for Memorial Day: "The Gallant Hours," starring James Cagney.

In it, Cagney plays World War II Admiral William “Bull” Halsey, who was put in charge of operations in the South Pacific when U.S. troops were fighting to hold off the Japanese sweep through the region.

For a war story, this 1960 movie has almost no action in it. All the action, drama and tension takes place in the admiral’s office on board his flagship. And, like the films “Command Decision," and “Twelve O’clock High,” the drama is the burden of command – the responsibility of one person to send others into confrontations where he knows they will be out numbered.

Cagney gives a great, highly restrained performance as Halsey. He even looks like Halsey. Cagney co-produced the picture with actor Robert Montgomery, who directed.

Admiral Halsey

“The Gallant Hours” is a strange movie and it takes a while to get used to its style. The picture moves at a deliberate pace, and it has a good deal of narration in it, delivered by Montgomery. At times, it feels like a documentary as he fills in the background of various characters and incidents. It also has just about the strangest musical track of any film, provided by a men’s chorus singing a cappella.

But it is one of the best depictions of command, of how to take on an impossible assignment, assess it, weigh the risks, and take action.

Cagney is in nearly every scene and he is supported by an excellent cast that includes Dennis Weaver.