Hell in the Pacific (1968) - Boorman's boring two-man turkey

♥

 

Weighty themes are teased on this superiorly crafted poster for John Boorman's Hell in the Pacific

Two men are stranded on a small island in the Pacific; one American and one Japanese. They hate each other like the plague. - But their chances of survival and escape are better if they work together.

 

Hell in the Pacific is written by Eric Bercovici (Shogun (1980, TV movie)) and Alexander Jacobs (Point Blank (1967)), with Shinobu Hashimoto (Hakkodasan (1977)) contributing uncredited work and story contributions by co-writer/producer Reuben Bercovitch (Bonanza (1968, TV-series)), and directed by great English filmmaker John Boorman (Having a Wild Weekend (1965)).

The two seasoned stars Lee Marvin (Pocket Money (1972)) and Toshirô Mifune (Sicilian Connection (1987)) muck around and crackle in each their own tongue, but any semblance of an exciting story is missing, making Hell in the Pacific strand thoroughly as a deadly bore. SPOILER You may wake up in the scene wherein Marvin urinates on Mifune. - Or you may not.

 

Related post:

 

John Boorman: Exorcist II: The Heretic (1977) - Boorman stuns with truly abysmal sequel

 

 

Watch a trailer for the film here

 

Cost: 4.15 mil. $

Box office: 3.23 mil. $

= Huge flop (returned 0.77 times its cost)

[Hell in the Pacific was released 18 December (North America) and runs 103 minutes. Marvin and Mifune had fought on opposite sides during WWII: Marvin as a US Marine, receiving the Purple Heart for his service and getting injured in the Battle of Saipan in 1944; Mifune in the Imperial Japanese Army Air Service. Shooting took place from January 1968 - ? in the Micronesian country of Palau in the Pacific, near the Philippines. The film earned 1.33 mil. $ (41.2 % of the total gross) in North America. Due to its strangely high cost, the film recorded a massive 4.115 mil. $ loss for the short-lived ABC Films. Boorman returned with Leo the Last (1970). Marvin returned in Paint Your Wagon (1969); Mifune in Samurai Banners/Fûrin kazan (1969). Hell in the Pacific is fresh at 67 % with a 6.50/10 critical average at Rotten Tomatoes.]

What do you think of Hell in the Pacific?