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Hell in the Pacific

Play trailer Poster for Hell in the Pacific G 1969 1h 43m Drama Play Trailer Watchlist
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67% Tomatometer 18 Reviews 83% Popcornmeter 2,500+ Ratings
During World War II, Japanese naval officer Captain Tsuruhiko Kuroda (Toshirô Mifune) is stranded on a remote island in the Pacific Ocean. He soon discovers a loudmouthed American pilot (Lee Marvin) who has crashed his plane. Unable to communicate verbally, the two enemies initially taunt each other and refuse to cooperate. But when they begin to face starvation, dehydration and exhaustion, they are forced to put aside their differences and rely on one another for survival.

Critics Reviews

View All (18) Critics Reviews
David Wilson Sight & Sound The symbolism is at once too vague and too facile to provide any indication of just what the message is supposed to be. Still, the basic idea is intriguing, even if its logic won't bear much examination. Apr 1, 2020 Full Review Geoff Andrew Time Out Intriguing but finally dissatisfying. Feb 9, 2006 Full Review A.H. Weiler New York Times Hell in the Pacific grapples with the arresting relationships of character, communication and survival, but succeeds only fitfully in dramatically projecting these elemental qualities. Rated: 2.5/5 May 9, 2005 Full Review Paul Schrader Los Angeles Free Press Hell in the Pacific, for all its good intentions, is boring. Jan 25, 2020 Full Review Ed Travis Cinapse Hell In The Pacific is a true underseen classic featuring brave work from all the major craftsmen involved and offering much food for thought even today. Nov 6, 2018 Full Review Fernando F. Croce CinePassion The distillate of Boorman's metaphysical-elemental conflicts Jul 4, 2014 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

View All (157) audience reviews
DanTheMan 2 Humans are social creatures, they crave contact with one another to remain sane and this is where John Boorman's Hell in the Pacific shines brightest. Grappling with the arresting relationships of character, communication and survival, it focuses on the bond that can form between enemies in the most horrifying conditions; overcoming prejudices and moving past the fears of what you do not know and using what you do know and the basic need to survive to pull through and band together. The minimal dialogue and powerhouse performances from its two cast members help to sell an authentic portrayal of the frustration of restricted communication, Toshirō Mifune is also deliberately unsubtitled to better portray this (although if you know any semblance of Japanese, the mystery can be lost). Combining these with its setting, Boorman's directorial flair and an underrated score by Lalo Schifrin that mixes classical elements with jazz, Hell in the Pacific is a slow, methodical and intelligent piece of hard-hitting cinema, that will leave you just as frustrated as its characters. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 08/13/23 Full Review Pierre L what bullshit war! なんてでたらめな戦争だ! что за дерьмовая война! quelle connerie la guerre ! Rated 4 out of 5 stars 02/06/23 Full Review Audience Member Quite a good film starring 2 of cinema's greats, America's Lee Marvin and Japan's Toshiro Mifune. Set in WW2 where 2 rival soliders have washed ashore on an island, at first tormenting each other and then learing to work together despite the language barrier. More of a visual film due to not much dialogue and no subtiles (Which the director did intentially) but still worth a watch. Felt like a feature long Twilight Zone episode I will say. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 01/12/23 Full Review delysid d Lee Marvin is an F-ing Bad Ass! Rated 5 out of 5 stars 03/14/19 Full Review Audience Member Great movie my favorite Rated 5 out of 5 stars 12/29/20 Full Review paul d A clever, original film that kept me interested every minute of the way to the unresolved and at first unfulfilling end. But upon reflection, maybe it was a good ending after all. Mifune and Marvin were great. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 03/31/23 Full Review Read all reviews
Hell in the Pacific

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Movie Info

Synopsis During World War II, Japanese naval officer Captain Tsuruhiko Kuroda (Toshirô Mifune) is stranded on a remote island in the Pacific Ocean. He soon discovers a loudmouthed American pilot (Lee Marvin) who has crashed his plane. Unable to communicate verbally, the two enemies initially taunt each other and refuse to cooperate. But when they begin to face starvation, dehydration and exhaustion, they are forced to put aside their differences and rely on one another for survival.
Director
John Boorman
Producer
Reuben Bercovitch
Screenwriter
Eric Bercovici, Alexander Jacobs
Production Co
Selmur Productions
Rating
G
Genre
Drama
Original Language
English
Release Date (DVD)
May 25, 2004
Runtime
1h 43m