Hell in the Pacific (1968)

• Year: 1968
• Released: 18 Dec 1968
• Country: United States
• Adwords: 1 win & 2 nominations
• IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0063056/
• Rotten Tomatoes: https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/hell_in_the_pacific
• Available in: 720p, 1080p,
• Language: English, Japanese
• MPA Rating: G
• Genre: Adventure, War
• Runtime: 103 min
• Writer: Alexander Jacobs, Eric Bercovici, Reuben Bercovitch
• Director: John Boorman
• Cast: Lee Marvin, Toshirô Mifune
• Keywords: world war ii, pilot, airplane crash, u.s. air force, two-hander,

7.3/10

Hell in the Pacific Storyline

During World War II, a shot-down American pilot and a marooned Japanese navy captain find themselves stranded on the same small uninhabited island in the Pacific Ocean. Following war logic, each time the crafty Japanese devises something useful, he guards it to deny its use to the Yank, who then steals it, its proceeds or the idea and/or ruins it. Yet each gets his chance to kill and/or capture the other, but neither pushes this to the end. After a while of this pointless pestering, they end up joining forces to build and man a raft…

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Hell in the Pacific Movie Reviews

Dull beyond belief….but a nice film if you have insomnia!

When “Hell in the Pacific” debuted, it lost a buttload of money. And, after having just watched it, I can understand exactly why. It’s slow beyond belief…and a great cure to insomnia!

There really is no context for the film–you just have a Japanese soldier (Toshiro Mifune) and an American (Lee Marvin) stranded on an island during WWII. You later gather that Marvin’s character must have been a pilot who was shot down…you know almost nothing about Mifune’s. And, for much of the film, they torment and try to kill each other. Later, they call a truce and build a raft and leave.

My wife kept saying “I hope they drown” during the raft sequence and I can’t fault her. The film ran at a snail’s pace and it mostly consisted of the two idiots yelling at each other in their native languages (oddly, they never figured to try to teach the other their language) and this made for a film that practically yelled “Turn me off” because it was so slow and unsatisfying.

Tropical Paradise?

Watching Hell in the Pacific may force some people to give up certain notions about going away to a tropic isle to get away from it all. Even if Lee Marvin and Toshiro Mifune were the best of friends, cast away as they are on that tropical Pacific island, it’s anything, but paradise.

But they’ve got World War II going against them also. A Japanese captain and an American flier stranded on a small island and having to survive. It’s an interesting premise, that would have been better served in a half hour television drama. NOT Gilligan’s Island though.

The film was shot on the actual locations in the Pacific where both American and Japanese lost a lot of members of one generation fighting for these coral reef lined shores. And Lee Marvin of course was one of thousands who survived on the American side.

Even for two players as capable as Lee Marvin and Toshiro Mifune can’t keep the interest from flagging in spots.

Clever anti-war movie

After having spent a couple of weeks solely watching recent movies, I was in the mood to go back and watch something a little older, a little more classic with good, old-fashioned production values. I chose HELL IN THE PACIFIC, and I was blown away. I’d read up on this film before I sat down to watch it, so I knew what to expect, but I had no idea that I would be kept watching, spellbound throughout what is a slow paced film with little to no ‘action’ so to speak of.

Desert island films have always intrigued me, ever since I watched MYSTERIOUS ISLAND as a kid. The most recent one of note was Tom Hanks’ CASTAWAY, but even that isn’t a patch on this movie, which is so far my favourite desert island movie. The premise is simple but instantly appealing: two arch enemies are trapped together and forced to get along. The plot has subsequently been used in the likes of sci-fi yarn ENEMY MINE, as well as all those films where people are handcuffed together, but it was done first, and best, here.

John Boorman was a perfect choice for director. This is a guy who’s at home in the wilderness or jungle, whether he’s making DELIVERANCE or THE EMERALD JUNGLE. He brings the isolation and the beauty of this tropical island to life in scenes matched only by the haunting backdrop of the film’s climax. HELL IN THE PACIFIC is a two-hander, with two actors who can never actually understand each other thanks to their language barrier. This was a genius stroke, as it adds to the realism and the intrigue no end. Both actors give great roles. Lee Marvin is Lee Marvin – tough, weathered, cheeky, and likable. Toshiro Mifune has the edge, stealing scenes as the gruff, dependable Japanese soldier. I absolutely loved his character. Watching these two guys interact is my idea of screen entertainment, and the film never disappoints.

The tension builds up as the climax approaches, and although I was hoping for a happy ending, knowing this was an anti-war film I didn’t set my expectations too high. The ending is abrupt and unsatisfactory – apparently the result of studio interference – but it doesn’t spoil the great little film that has preceded it.