The Fighting Men is a 1977 Canadian survivaltelevision film directed by Donald Shebib, produced by John Trent, and written by Tony Sheer, later released in theatres[3] (retitled Men of Steel).[4][5]
CBC-TV's film drama Fighting Men is a sensational action-adventure story starring Robert Lalonde and Allan Royal. Two servicemen one Anglo and one French Canadian-are thrown together against their will. A plane crash in the frozen north sets the scene for their dramatic battle for mutual survival. Produced by John Trent and directed by Don Shebib, screenplay written by Tony Sheer.
Synopsis
Wayne Archer (Allan Royal) and Jean-Claude Archambeault (Robert Lalonde) are two military officers from Canada's Two Solitudes, an Anglophone and a Francophone. They have been assigned to a remote northern posting for three months. The men already dislike each other, having argued one night over whether to watch Kojack or the elections in Quebec.
The plane taking the two officers to the north flies into a storm and crashes. Archer and Archambeault appear to be the only surivors and now find themselves stranded in the frozen wilderness. Archer saves Archambeault from certain death by dragging him out of the aircraft at the cost of severe burns to his hands, while Archambeault for his part has a broken leg. Between that and Archer's burned hands, neither one could cope on his own, so they must leave aside their differences, their bitter prejudices, if they are to survive.
The Fighting Men was made to be shown as part of a weekly programme of Canadian and international films which aired on Saturday Night Movies, on a budget of $400,000.[2] Tony Sheer's story was titled Men of Steel.[7]Principal photography took place in Toronto and in the Vivian Forest from 14 February to 11 March 1977.[8]
Release and reception
The Fighting Men was first broadcast on 24 September 1977 on CBC Television. A slightly longer version (78 minutes)[2] was released in theatres under the title Men of Steel in 1988.[7][9]
Frank Daiey said that while The Fighting Men was "a good shot", it was not good enough, commending Shebib's direction, particularly the realistic set up of the military base. While he found Allan Royal's acting superficial, Robert Lalonde was far more believable, despite the fact that Archambeault comes across as "quite dumb" during the encounter with wolves, and leaving the transmitter on through the storm: "this guy was supposed to be a radioman... Errors like this undermine the credibility of a melodrama."[6] Daiey finds more holes in the plot, as well as unbelievable and sentimental moments "phoney" enough to make an audience wince: "this kind of dramatic manipulation, not related to what is actually going on reveals a satisfaction with what is hoped will be dramatic plotting and instead of thinking more and coming up with incidents that actually convince us."[6]
George Pratley describes the film as a well-made, "familiar service story made fresh and interesting by taking place in the Canadian armed forces."[11]
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