The Sand Pebbles (1966)

Engineer Jake Holman arrives aboard the gunboat USS San Pablo, assigned to patrol a tributary of the Yangtze in the middle of exploited and revolution-torn 1926 China. His iconoclasm and cynical nature soon clash with the 'rice-bowl' system which runs the ship and the uneasy symbiosis between Chinese and foreigner on the river. Hostility towards the gunboat's presence reaches a climax when the boat must crash through a river-boom and rescue missionaries upriver at China Light Mission.

Genres: Drama, War

What to watch after The Sand Pebbles

• The Flight of the Phoenix (1965)
• A Bridge Too Far (1977) — Richard Attenborough worked on both
• Run Silent Run Deep (1958) — Robert Wise directed both
• King Rat (1965)
• Hell Is for Heroes (1962) — Steve McQueen appears in both
• Nevada Smith (1966) — Steve McQueen appears in both