Most people know about the imprisonment of many Japanese Americans in camps during World War II, however, relatively few know the history of involvement by Japanese Americans in World War II. The 442nd Regimental Combat Team was sanctioned by Franklin Delano Roosevelt and consisted of Japanese American volunteers. These faithful Americans came to the military for many different reasons, and this film does a wonderful job of illustrating the diversity within the team as well as their courageous dedication to service despite the adverse conditions they and their families faced in an America at war with their ancestral homeland.

This adversity is personified in the character of Lieutenant Grayson (Van Johnson) - a tall, blond, Texan with a bad attitude about working with what he calls "Japs". Though Grayson's story arc is not really very surprising, it is thoroughly believable. The excellent Oscar-nominated Robert Porash script, solid editing and directing, and Johnson's nice performance make his portrayal of the archetypal understated Texan quite excellent. I can say this because I am a Texas-ex - though you never really get the place out of your heart.

For once, the minority is less stereotyped than the Northern European-American males! The Japanese-American actors are all excellent, and are the real stars of this film.

I agree with the vast majority of reviews published here on IMDb about this significant and entertaining film. Go For Broke is a war film which very nicely explores human behavior, American social reality and ethics but also commemorates and celebrates the triumph of humanity in adverse situations.

Recommended!

Robert Pirosh wrote his own picture and did a wonderful job of directing it, and 'Go for Broke!', his tribute to Japanese-American volunteers fighting in World War II, is deftly executed with a nice blend of pulse-quickening action and more thought-provoking interludes where white Lieutenant Grayson (Van Johnson), originally prejudiced against the people he is assigned to command, gradually learns to come to terms with the fact that bravery and patriotism are irrelevant to your race or the color of your skin.

That could all be a little too rhetorical for its own good, but Pirosh never over-stresses his point, and his picture is never holier-than-thou. "You see, Sir, I'm from Texas", Grayson says to his superior, but Pirosh lets it go at that and doesn't lash out against Southern bigotry. I really liked the gentle irony of Pirosh' contrasting the idyllic, outdated guidebooks to Italy and France that Grayson reads with the prosaic reality of war-torn countries.

Go for Broke! Was such a delightful movie, had it been released during a different year, it definitely would have picked up some Hot Toasty Rag awards. As it was, 1951 was a very contentious year (A Place in the Sun, Death of a Salesman, Ace in the Hole, and A Christmas Carol, to name a few), and unfortunately Go for Broke! Didn't win a single award. Nominated for Best Picture, Director, and Dramatic Screenplay, this forgotten gem should be seen by everyone who loves war movies.

It was different than any war movie I've even seen: it used the real soldiers who fought in the featured battles. This movie probably didn't go over well at the time because American audiences weren't ready to celebrate Japanese-Americans (whose families we put in internment camps). Though not widely publicized, there was an entire division comprised of those citizens who wished to fight for their country. With exception of the commanding officer, played by Van Johnson, the other actors in the film were survivors of the 442nd Regimental Combat Team. Isn't that remarkably moving?

In addition to working with non-actors, writer and director Robert Pirosh had to battle the stigma of making heroes out of a group of people audiences wanted to hate. He had to take a war comedy (which is an extremely tricky subgenre to master) and make it exciting and emotional. I can't recommend this movie highly enough. It's fantastic on all fronts, from the story to the script to the acting to the battle scenes. It's hard to believe these men who are at such ease in front of the camera are actually soldiers. And my hat goes off to Van Johnson, a huge box office draw who risked his career by making this movie. He knew he'd be the only name attached to it, and he knew audiences would resist the message of the movie; and he agreed to make it anyway.