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Directed by Ken Annakin, Very Important Person leans on a strong ensemble — James Robertson Justice, Leslie Phillips, Stanley Baxter — to carry a story that balances spectacle with character.
The film landed with audiences for its craft and performances, and remains one of the most talked-about war titles of 1961.
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Sergeant Grimshawe wants to retire in the flush of success by winning the Star Squad prize with his very last platoon of newly called-up National Servicemen. But a motley bunch they turn out to be, and it's up to Grimshawe to put the no-hopers through their paces.
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