AllMovie

A fine, entertaining and unusually set World War II yarn, with at least some small basis in fact, Destination Gobi is a nifty little way to pass a couple of hours. Excitement and chuckles are the order of the day; even though there's a real sense of menace in the characters' situation, Gobi is here to keep audience spirits up and does so admirably. Credit for the film's success should be spread wide. Certainly Everett Freeman deserves credit for crafting a screenplay that is pleasingly structured and tells a good tale, and even more credit for peppering it with plenty of semi-salty language. Freeman exhibits a real flair for rejoinders, especially the kind that enlisted men make under their breath when their superiors can't hear them (or so they hope). Richard Widmark gives a sterling performance as the leader of the pack, a man forced to take control in a situation he doesn't particularly like and who does so admirably. And Robert Wise has directed very skillfully, filling the screen with desert vistas and howling winds, but never letting the characters get lost in all the sand.