The Sand Pebbles

It might be a poor man's Lawrence of Arabia but this poor man sure has something many rich people should be envious of. Cast, acting and characters are very strong. I often feel that in war epics of that era there are too little attention on characters, but in this case characters doesn't get lost in epic proportions of the movie. Story is not flawless, but there are some great drama, some laughs, and a moral background for all of it.

Nobody could make a sprawling epic like Robert Wise. This really effective balances the specific character arc of McQueen's character from someone who very narrowly cares about having a ship's engine to manage to someone who learns to care about the bigger picture and want more out of life with a bunch of smaller subplots and an overarching plot that questions the US's military intervention in Asia (right during the peak escalation of the Vietnam war).

Star filled cast. A bit long but good just the same. Worth a look.

This is an interesting film that is a little bit dated at times. Steve McQueen gives an excellent performance and there are some other interesting characters in the film. The movie runs a little long but there are numerous enjoyable parts. Overall I would recommend this movie.

Sand Pepples is an awesome McQueen classic. Everyone who expect some kind of an action film might be disappointed. The movie deals with the imperialistic problematic in ancient china. Very good movie in deed.

Would have been brilliant with some tighter editing.

McQueen is terrific as usual... Great story, actually one of my favorite McQueen movies.

McQueen and Crenna are great. I wish it was about an hour shorter than it was, and that it had a little bit more of a unified direction or point, but it had some neat stories within it.

One of my favorite Steve McQueen films. It is as beautiful as it is moving.

Feels epic yet intimate. Compelling portrait of U.S. military types getting into more than they really understand in Asia. Steve McQueen is right on in this role