Review – The Sand Pebbles

Steve McQueen stars as a plays-by-his-own-rules engineer on the San Pueblo, an American gunboat stuck in Chinese waters during the unrest of the mid-1920s. Any picture that tips the scales at well over three hours is going to have a dull spot or two, but in general this is an even mix of military machismo, political history, awkward race relations and occasional romance. If you’ve got the patience to sit through it, overall the experience is rewarding. Mildly amusing