“The Mosquito Bowl” and the human cost of war

October 25, 2026 / 10:10 AM EDT / CBS News

Okinawa proved to be the last and costliest battle of World War II in the Pacific – and it's a name director Peter Berg wants us all to remember. His new movie, "The Mosquito Bowl," captures that battle. "It is a film that I hope asks us all to look at what we ask of our young men and women," he said.

"The Mosquito Bowl" is based on the book by Buzz Bissinger, who also wrote "Friday Night Lights," which became Berg's breakout movie. But don't let the title fool you – it's not a movie about a football game. "No, it's not; it's a movie about the cost of war, the human cost of war," said Berg.

The human cost of war as told through the true story of four All-American football players who volunteered for the Marines after Pearl Harbor, and reported to boot camp at Parris Island, South Carolina, which is where we interviewed Berg. "They came down here and they joined the Marine Corps, thinking, Hey, we'll go win this thing. We'll go whup some butt and win this thing, like we win our football games,"…

Original source: https://www.cbsnews.com/entertainment/