Blood Alley

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Blu B Almost everything about this is just ok. The music is decent but its overused and over the top a lot of times. It feels like once Wayne breaks out stuff just sort of happens and it starts to meander quite a bit at times especially when they are in the village. Once on the ship things get better but there really isn't much in the way of character devlopment and it feels like also stuff just happens while on the escape journey. The biggest flaw is the cinematography is just ok. Nothing really pops in this or is particulary well shot and the lack of color or elegant set design makes it very ho hum when the acting isn't anything special as well. Which leads to the next issue, Wayne is just ok in this and feels borderline miscast. He feels so out of place although he does get better as things progress. Finally the humor falls flat all the time. The "Baby" stuff feels pointless as well. Bacall is solid and the best thing in this. This needed to be shot in black and white, more elegant set design, recast Wayne, trade the humor for more tension and thrills (which this does have but not enough),and give a stronger supporting cast overall. Everyone else just sort of blends in and is super forgetful. I can't really recommend this to anyone besides hardcore Bacall fans. Everyone else should skip it. Rated 3/5 Stars •  Rated 3 out of 5 stars 10/11/23 Full Review Matthew D John Wayne, standing up for the Chinese people while mocking them openly ("Me thinky you talky too muchy") and trying to force children to eat rice that turns out to be poison (granted, he didn't believe that is was poison yet, but he didn't seem willing to listen to the concern). Anti-communist propaganda movies are generally the Duke's weakest, as they focus more on hammering the message into your head more than actually making a good movie. Rated 1.5/5 Stars •  Rated 1.5 out of 5 stars 07/20/22 Full Review Audience Member John Wayne to the rescue! Here he plays a rough and rowdy sea captain who embarks on a daring journey to load up a ferry and rescue a group of Chinese from the evils off communism. The adventure is pretty routine, even for Wayne. It is shot quite nicely from the great director William Wellman. I would have thought that Wayne and Lauren Bacall would have been a better pairing. There is little spark between the two. Made in the middle of the McCarthy red hunt, the film proves to be annoying propaganda with Wayne as the savior. Rated 2.5/5 Stars •  Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars 02/09/23 Full Review Audience Member I loved this movie John Wayne and Lauren Bacal play off each other very well. Well worth the watch but please don't watch if you are easily offended. This movie was made for a time and place, and it is an enjoyable watch. Rated 5/5 Stars •  Rated 5 out of 5 stars 02/09/23 Full Review Audience Member Unusual John Wayne vehicle, with Lauren Bacall her usual stunning self. Not quite the later brilliance of their last joint venture 'The Shootist' but interesting none the less. Rated 3.5/5 Stars •  Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 02/15/23 Full Review Audience Member Fascinating anti-commie tract about a sea-going escape from Red China to Hong Kong. Fascinating doesn't mean good, of course - it's pretty slow going at times, and the racist stereotypes are hilariously cringeworthy. But it's a warped slice of a history we don't get many films about, and the blatant politicising is awesomely unsubtle. And...it's the Duke, you know...and a man's gotta do what a man's gotta do... Rated 3.5/5 Stars •  Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 01/23/23 Full Review Read all reviews

Blood Alley

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