Hell in the Pacific
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Movie Reviews of Hell in the Pacific
Movie Review: Survival Nightmare
Summary: 3 Stars
Similiarities to the Enemy Mine movie could be made here. Perhaps the Enemy Mine writer got the idea from this story. Two men stranded on a Island rather than a planet in this case. As WWII rages a Japanese and American soldier are stranded on the same small island. They try to kill each other at first. As time goes by they realize their very survival depends on a truce. Eventually they work together and build a raft. After days on the Pacific Ocean they find another larger group of islands. The uneasy truce becomes shaky again when they find remnants of Japanese and American occupation of the main island. Up to this point an excellent movie. In fact I was say close to flawless movie since the acting, sets, scenery, music, directing and all the rest are incredible. SPOILER ALERT: Now the reason I didn't give it four or five stars is because they kill them off with a single stray artillery shell in the original ending. You will be enthralled with the wonderful acting and really care for these two characters. Then to suddenly watch their lifes snuffed out just so some writer or director could make their point that war is bad didn't impress me. If someone didn't think we get that point long before the ending of this movie, they don't give much credit to the audience. Why they didn't use the alternate ending with the soldiers walking off their separate ways is beyond me. Be sure to look at the alternate ending and see if you agree this should have been the original ending. Still well worth owning.Movie Review: Hell in the Pacific
Summary: 3 Stars
HELL IN THE PACIFIC is a curiosity. Telling the story of two pilots, one Japanese (Toshiro Mifune) and one American (Lee Marvin), stranded on a small, deserted tropical island during World War II it's at once fascinating and somewhat flat. Mifune and Marvin are two of my favorite actors. Their plight on the island, coveting or guarding precious limited resources against the `enemy', more or less drives home the point that war is a futile exercise. Of course the question arises as to whether we can conquer our distrust before we conquer, or are conquered by, our enemy. HELL IN THE PACIFIC is thought-provoking and beautifully photographed by master cinematographer Conrad Hall.
After a while, though, with all the attacks and counter-attacks, I got the feeling that I was in the middle of a Road Runner cartoon with no exit. This feeling was exacerbated by such scenes as Marvin trying to teach captive Mifune (the balance of power changes a number of times) to fetch a stick like a dog. It was an ill-conceived scene, brutishly funny if the intent was humor, but added onto the ridiculous ending HELL IN THE PACIFIC seems to have expended its creative energy well before the final credits run. By the way, I strongly recommend watching the `Alternate Ending' in the Special Features after watching the movie. It's the right ending for the movie, and it's a mystery why it's the `alternate' one.
Movie Review: better title would be 'heck in the pacific'
Summary: 3 Stars
Heck in the Pacific (it wasnt Hell). a reasonably goodish movie despite very little dialoge. The abrupt ending was a disapointment , very little thought gone into it. the DVD had an alternate ending but very litlle thought gone into it also. i enjoy japanese movies however the average person would find it boring except for a few placesMovie Review: Incomplete, murky, May-04 version from MGM
Summary: 3 Stars
MGM cut the heart out of this excellent intense movie, when it excised the scenes of "training" Lee Marvin by Toshiro Mifune in the art of sword/staff fighting, and the scenes of hand to hand combat in/around the abandoned freighter. Further, the video quality is so dark one can sometimes barely follow the action.Movie Review: Too Conservative
Summary: 1 Stars
As a talented actor, Toshiro Mifune portrays his roles more definitively as a Japanes Samurai or SHOGUN, not a stranded soldier on an island.
In comparison to his other films, I found Hell in the Pacific to be quite boring. I can cleary understand the dialogue between Lee Marvin and Mifune yet the film could have pumped up a notch with at least a shred of Budo action from Mifune. Its evident from their first encounter on the beach that Mifune's raw talent could have produced a dramtic fight scene but they are left standing there, fiercely gazing at one another with no climax.
Chanbara films of today are far more entertaining and not conservative like Hell in the Pacific. I recommend "Seven Samurai".