Tuesday, May 10, 2016

Hell in the Pacific (1968)

Director: John Boorman

Writers: Alexander Jacobs, Eric Bercovici, Reuben Bercovitch

Composer: Lalo Schifrin

Starring: Lee Marvin, Toshiro Mifune

More info: IMDb

Tagline: They hunted each other as enemies...they tormented each other as savages...they faced each other as men!

Plot: During World War II, an American pilot and a marooned Japanese navy captain are deserted on a small uninhabited island in the Pacific Ocean. There, they must cease their hostility and cooperate if they want to survive.



My rating: 7/10

Will I watch it again?  No.

Here's one I've been meaning to get around to for more than thirty years.  Was it worth the wait?  Hardly.  It's a good film.  You've got two great actors that totally sell their roles, neither one ever fully understanding the other.  There's some humor that works and they both get one up on the other. That's a fun back and forth.  Their final scene in the abandoned camp is great.  It's sad, too.  By this point you really care about the characters and you don't want things to go South.  But what the hell was that explosion all about?  I've read some online about it and it's total bullshit on the part of the studio.  The MGM DVD has an alternate ending which is far superior than the studio's cock up.  It makes it a better film.  The DVD is presented in non-anamorphic widescreen with no additional extras.  They couldn't even be bothered with including the trailer. 


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