The Long and the Short and the Tall

Rain lashes the jungle as seven British soldiers hide in a hut at an abandoned tin mine, trying to keep morale alive under pressure. Bullying from Corporal Johnstone and Bamforth's constant mockery fray nerves and fuel disputes. With no radio contact and the enemy likely near, they wait for orders that may never come.

While Sergeant Mitchem and Corporal Johnstone reconnoiter, Lance-Corporal Macleish provokedly beats Bamforth. The outburst exposes the fragile morale and the danger of a quarrelsome unit under pressure. The jungle outside the tin mine hut bears witness to the growing crack in their cohesion.

A Japanese scout appears and is captured by the group. Johnstone orders Taff to stab him, but Taff cannot kill in cold blood. Mitchem returns and insists they take the prisoner back for interrogation.

Mitchem places Bamforth in charge of the prisoner, who Bamforth names Tojo. Tojo proves to be just another soldier, bonding over photos of his family. Johnstone enrages, attempting to destroy the family pictures, and Bamforth’s frustration boils over as he beats Johnstone.

Mitchem sends Macleish and Smudge to reconnoiter and they spot a small patrol sent to locate Tojo. Macleish shoots and kills one attacker, while the other escapes, forcing the pair to hurry back and warn their own group. Their actions risk exposing the unit’s position.

The taunting Japanese broadcast pushes the group to flee toward their base. A flash flood blocks the path, forcing them to hole up in the mine canyons while Bamforth keeps watch over their improvised camp. Tension tightens as time runs out.

Johnstone points out that the cigarettes Mac and Tojo share are British, accusing Tojo of stealing from a dead soldier. The moment exposes the strength of loyalties and fuels resentment toward Tojo. Bamforth admits he gave the cigarettes and the group solemnly tries to reclaim Tojo’s possessions.

As the flood recedes, Mitchem asks Whittaker to push one last radio call to base. The group considers abandoning mules, blowing up equipment, and killing Tojo, but Bamforth protests. The radio returns only a Japanese message, and Whittaker, panicked, shoots Tojo in an attempt to prevent capture.

The radio crackles with a Japanese-accented English announcing that the patrol is surrounded and must surrender, sharpening the sense of doom. Whittaker’s earlier shot has further marked the group as a target, ensuring the Japanese are closing in.

Mitchem and Bamforth form a rear guard to cover the others, who escape under Johnstone’s leadership. The pair hold off the main Japanese force, buying time for the fleeing group as casualties mount.

A Japanese sniper dispatches Taff and Mac, and Smudge is killed during the fighting. Whittaker is cut off and the remaining attackers press closer, signaling the collapse of the remnants of the unit. The retreat becomes a fight for survival.

Mitchem is shot by a sniper and dies in the last stand. Johnstone urges surrender, but Bamforth fires the explosives to destroy their position. The blast kills many attackers and triggers a rockfall that claims Bamforth; Johnstone surrenders in the chaos.

Whittaker is found cowering under a bush by Japanese soldiers and is captured. He is shouted at and mocked just as Tojo was earlier, marking the brutal end of the unit’s desperate stand.