Back Door to Hell

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walter m In "Back Door to Hell," Craig(Jimmie Rodgers), Burnett(Jack Nicholson) and Jersey(John Hackett) are on a secret mission to Japanese occupied Philippines during World War II. They are assigned to scout out a possible invasion zone and to meet up with Miguel. Except they meet up with Paco(Conrad Maga) instead who tells them Miguel is dead and by his hand. Oh and the Japanese know the Americans are there and have taken the village's children hostage. With some uneven acting, "Back Door to Hell" might also be a little rough around the edges at times due to its very low budget. But it's still suspenseful in spots with a neat use of locations. Much more importantly is that it allows for a Filipino point of view, implying 50 years of difficult relations between the United States and the Philippines.(In point of fact, Paco is by far the most interesting character here.) In general, we get some early and valuable insight into guerilla warfare, along with a required reading list for guerilla leaders. Rated 3.5/5 Stars •  Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 03/31/23 Full Review Audience Member ok WWII actioner post WWII Rated 2.5/5 Stars •  Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars 01/21/23 Full Review Audience Member Una de las primeras peliculas de Jack Nicholson! Rated 1.5/5 Stars •  Rated 1.5 out of 5 stars 02/03/23 Full Review Audience Member He says he knows nothing; and if he did, he would tell you nothing. A World War II mission to take down a Japanese communication center goes belly up from the beginning. The American soldiers are left no choice but to trust a Filipino Gorilla Army to shot their way across the country and hopefully take down the communications tower. "Are you suggesting that we hold her for a hostage?" "No. I will just cut her tongue out." "That sounds reasonable." Monte Hellman, director of Two-Lane Blacktop, The Shooting, Iguana, Ride in the Whirlwind, Road to Nowhere, and Cockfighter, delivers Back Door to Hell. The storyline for this picture is just okay and a bit frustrating at times. The action scenes are pretty good and the acting is above average. The cast includes Jack Nicholson, Jimmie Rodgers, John Hackett, and Conrad Maga. "Are we their friends or are we their prisoners?" "Does it matter?" I DVR'd this picture off Encore because it starred the legendary Jack Nicholson. The story for this picture was kind of bland but the characters were okay. This was definitely a subpar picture starring the legendary Nicholson that is only worth seeing if you are a fan of his work. "You and your men, come with us." Grade: C Rated 2.5/5 Stars •  Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars 01/19/23 Full Review Audience Member "Back Door to Hell" qualifies as a traditional World War II thriller. In 1944, a sensitive U.S. Army lieutenant and two soldiers slip into Luzon in the Philippines by sea on a secret mission for General MacArthur. Allied headquarters wants all the information that they can get out of the Japanese. Accompanying Lieutenant Craig (Jimmy Rogers of "The Little Shepherd of Kingdom Come") is Burnett (Jack Nicholson of "Batman") and cynical Sergeant Jersey (John Hackett of "The Two Jakes") and the most precious piece of equipment that they are carrying is their radio. Before they rendezvous with Philippine resistance fighters, they encounter some relaxing Japanese soldiers in a village. They kill one but another gets away because Lieutenant Craig hesitates when he has a chance to kill the soldier. Later, Craig discovers the resistance leader with whom they were supposed to rendezvous, Miguel, has been tortured and killed by the new resistance leader Paco (Conrad Maga) who doesn't like the Americans. When U.S. troops left the Philippines during the first Japanese invasion, Paco lost his wife and child, and he hasn't recovered from the loss. He dictates what the Americans must do as long as he remains in charge. No sooner have they settled in with the resistance than they learn that the Japanese know about them. Remember, one Japanese soldier got away. The Japanese notify the resistance that they start executing one child per hour until the Americans are delivered to them. Paco and the Americans stage a raid, kill most of the Japanese after them, capture the leader, and lead the children to safety. Paco and the Americans run into a bandit Ramundo (Johnny Monteiro of "Lost Battalion") who has a lot of information about Japanese troop movements. He demands their radio and Craig is willing to give the radio to Ramundo as soon as they contact MacArthur. Ramundo does not get the radio quickly enough so he shoots holes in it and flees. Meanwhile, our heroes have found that Ramundo is a credible source of information, but they have no way now of transmitting the information. Craig suggests that Paco lead them to a nearby Japanese radio outpost and Burnett send a message on the enemy radio. During the transmission, Burnett catches a hail of bullets and dies. Craig and Jersey make it out alive, but Paco dies, too. "Ride in the Whirlwind" director Monte Hellman maintains the action in this modest 70 minute epic and nobody gets a break in the screenplay by Richard A. Guttman and John Hackett. Indeed, some of the dialogue is philosophical. This low-budget World War II thriller, like many of them co-produced by an American and a Filipino company is nothing substantial but Hellman manages to inject a modicum of suspense. One-time only actor Conrad Maga is good as the resistance leader who has no love lost for Americans. Officers are respected for their rank and nobody tries to kill the lieutenant here or take over command from him. The Japanese are depicted as a ruthless enemy, prepared to kill children to accomplish their goal, but Hellman and company do not make their appear sympathetic. Rated 2/5 Stars •  Rated 2 out of 5 stars 01/17/23 Full Review Audience Member Smart and thoughtful existential fable in the guise of a war film. It's one of Monte Hellman's earliest films and already indicates his sophisticated visual style. It's a fine example of what you can do on tiny budget with a smart script and excellent camera placement. Rated 4/5 Stars •  Rated 4 out of 5 stars 01/26/23 Full Review Read all reviews

Back Door to Hell

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