George Carlin told perhaps the greatest joke on football ever told in his 10/11/1975 SNL monologue, where he contrasted the pastoral nature of baseball with the warlike sport of football. To quote one segment among many, “In football the object is for the quarterback, also known as the field general, to be on target with his aerial assault, riddling the defense by hitting his receivers with deadly accuracy in spite of the blitz, even if he has to use shotgun… with short bullet passes and long bombs, he marches his troops into enemy territory, balancing this aerial assault with a sustained ground attack that punches holes in the forward wall of the enemy’s defensive line.”
Football is war, a fact echoed in Peter Berg’s The Mosquito Bowl, telling the real-life story of the brief military football game held in the heart of WWII Japan. It’s a harrowing and often successful outing whose impact is muted thanks to a few odd choices.
The Mosquito Bowl tells the story of four talented 20-something football players who each become drafted into the Marines to fight in the Pacific Front in World War II: John McLaughry (Nicholas Galitzine), Bob Baumann (Bill Skarsgard), Tony Butkovich (Ray Nicholson), and Dave Schreiner (Tom Francis). The four have often played each other, not always on the same team, but those initial tensions eventually give away when faced with a militant enemy. They make their way from one island to another with one real respite in the danger: throwing a football game on Christmas Eve between two units.
An Immersive War Epic
The film is an immersive tale that puts audiences close to the thick of the action. We storm the beachheads with these young men, explosions and gore and chaos in as an immersive an approach to warfare as any since perhaps Saving Private Ryan. It’s a beautifully shot with a layered and well constructed sound design, pulling the viewer in with skill, and the effects of bullets and explosions are stomach-churningly realistic, and sold further thanks to committed performances from its cast.
It makes for effective filmmaking, and creates a powerful sense of danger. Some of this tension is somewhat undone by a few odd narrative choices. For example, one of the eccentricities of the script is its opening scene of John entering a football field in somber fashion. If a seasoned audience member has seen any prior films before, it somewhat spoils audience expectations for the rest of the film.
The Mosquito Bowl is effectively an ensemble piece, frequently flowing between main characters and highlighting their relationships. Ray Nicholson is a walking, talking charm factory as football star Tony Butkovich, a great player who tries hard to be a decent man and friend. He has great screen chemistry with Bill Skarsgard, who also brings a lot of life (and occasional insanity when he’s speechifying about the ‘white buzz’) to the tale. Tom Francis’ Schreiner takes a bit to show his personality, but he’s excellent when his principles get put to the test by fellow Marines around the football game. Finally, Nicholas Galitzine is a fine actor with complexity, but his John McLaughry isn’t written with enough personality to stand out.
Conceptual and Narrative Issues Muddle the Experience
While the technical aspects are excellent and the performances are strong overall, the overall worldview is a bit out of touch in a modern light. There are no Japanese characters in The Mosquito Bowl. There are antagonistic extras, treated almost as inhuman threats in their capacity for self-sacrifice. Then there are sniveling cowards who are afraid to die. There are also civilians who aren’t civilians. There seems to be nothing in between. Yes, the Pacific front was dangerous and deadly, and the Japanese soldiers were formidable. Yes, it was hostile territory, where many soldiers lost their lives, and I’m sure these soldiers’ real-life twenty-something counterparts probably experienced war zones this way, but demonizing enemies in this manner echoes the jingoism of yore… it’s 2026, we know better.
The football game in question is an engaging respite from the horrors of war for the audience, just like it is for the characters. It’s shot with energy and joy, a testament to the youthful love of the game. The set-up for something so unusual is well translated to the screen, and it brings out the best in the pent-up characters. The pivot into their future journey into Okinawa is awkwardly paced, but the football scene itself is a joy to watch.
Altogether, there’s a lot that works in The Mosquito Bowl. The central performances are overall solid. The football captures the love and action of the game. The combat scenes are harrowing and extraordinarily immersive. That said, it’s a movie that seems to belong in an earlier era in terms of its portrayal of Japanese soldiers and civilians. Some of the main characters, particularly John but occasionally Dave, aren’t consistently given illuminating moments or interesting things to do. Some of the resolution of its tension is inexplicably spoiled early on, which is an odd choice that doesn’t serve its effective filmmaking. It’s a very good and engaging film overall, but there are serious issues nonetheless.
The Mosquito Coast was screened at AFI Fest. It releases in theaters on October 30th.
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