Frank Sinatra made an awful lot of World War II pictures, though he never looked terribly convincing dressed in battle uniform (especially the helmet, which covers most of him). Here, he's a no-nonsense Lieutenant with the U.S. Army stationed in France, fighting the Germans as well as Corporal Tony Curtis, an educated, self-assured trust fund kid on the run from his life of privilege. They spar a bit before becoming buddies, but when Curtis quickly and skillfully steals Sinatra's girl away...well, war is hell. The girl is played by Natalie Wood--she's French by way of West Virginia and Philadelphia!--and there's some hesitant talk early on of her being from a white mother and a black father (it gives Frank momentary pause, but Tony thinks of her ancestry as a novelty). The European locations are well-chosen, though director Delmer Daves' staging is sometimes poor (Frank is struck by Natalie the first time he sees her--which is to say, the back of her head!). The battle scenes are also disappointing, hurt mostly by choppy editing, and when Sinatra and Curtis take on a treacherous plan of attack near the end, we're not sure why these two were picked (other than the fact they're the stars). Not a very good movie, but not a boring one either. Wood's accent is for the birds, but Curtis fills the bill nicely and Sinatra does a solid dramatic turn. His narration is overused, and he has more chemistry with the woman playing Wood's mother than Nat herself; but, for a wartime soaper, a fairly interesting occasion. **1/2 from ****

Saw 'Kings Go Forth' as part of my Tony Curtis completest quest after being recommended many of his films here in the recommended for you section. It was not something that was intended initially but actually it has proven to be a generally worthwhile experience, even with a couple of missteps.

While there were and are better actors about and he didn't always look comfortable in his early films, Curtis was always immensely likeable and had a charming charisma with many good and more performances under his belt. The cover and premise (haven't admittedly read the source material) were great and further talent like Natalie Wood and Frank Sinatra were ingredients enough to want to see 'Kings Go Forth'.

For me, 'Kings Go Forth' is uneven but quite decent, although remembered fondly by other reviewers here it is generally better than given credit for.

Its weak link is the far too melodramatic and soapy ending, while the script is not without its contrivances, over-explanatory moments and parts that are interesting for its time but don't necessarily hold up.

While there is some hard-hitting action the war scenes are too few and they are out of kilter with the racial melodrama.

However, 'Kings Go Forth' is carried by its sterling cast with Frank Sinatra giving one of his best film performances and Tony Curtis bringing charm and intensity to one of his better dramatic roles. Lorea Dana is superb as the mother and Karl Swenson is a suitably authoritative Colonel. Natalie Wood's French accent and being black may be a stretch, but it does not stop her being fetching and touching. The romantic chemistry resonates emotionally and rings true. The direction is more than competent and paced well, even if not the most inspired.

Visually, 'Kings Go Forth' is nicely shot and atmospheric. Elmer Bernstein's score is sensual and rousing, and hearing the beautiful "Monique" was a sheer delight. Other parts of the script are thoughtful and sincere. The racial melodrama aspect of the story avoids being heavy-handed just about, for such a heavy and difficult subject, and is genuinely moving, despite falling into soap opera towards the end. The film didn't feel dull to me.

Overall, decent. 7/10 Bethany Cox

Am I the only one who sees Natalie Wood as an all-American girl? It's ironic, since she was born Natalia Zakharenko, but I never understood why Hollywood cast her in "mixed" roles. Not to dis West Side Story, but I didn't believe for one second she was Puerto Rican. In Kings Go Forth, Natalie plays a French girl who "passes for white". Yes, I could have phrased it differently, but I was just trying to prepare you for the kind of language that's used in the film; there are some very politically incorrect lines of dialogue used by all three leads.

Anyway, if you can get over the fact that Natalie Wood is supposed to be half-black, feel free to read more of the plot. A soldier on leave, Frank Sinatra meets and falls in love with Natalie, unaware of her parentage. They enjoy a very respectful, chaste courtship, and he's even met her mother—but then Natalie tells him her deep, dark secret. Frank isn't happy about it, and says he needs some time to think.

Enter Tony Curtis, Frankie's pal and fellow soldier on leave. He's a notorious womanizer and also an all-around jerk, so when he starts showing interest in Natalie, the audience knows what mistake it will be if she returns his affections. With all the ridiculously dated parts to the story, I'll bring up an unrelated problem I have with the movie: In this love triangle, it's blatantly written out that Tony is the charming, attractive one and Frankie is not. Then why cast Frank Sinatra, the king of cool? If Frank Sinatra was interested in me, I wouldn't look twice at Tony Curtis.

If you really like any of the three leads, you might want to check this out, because despite the horrifically dated script and Natalie Wood's terrible French accent, the acting is pretty good. But if this is the kind of story you'll find offensive, you might want to rent The Sweet Smell of Success or Some Came Running instead.