Poseidon-3 Review of Back Door to Hell

Back Door to Hell (1964)

Early Jack in a concise, rather realistic war flick.

[17 March 2006]

There's a certain grim, stark quality to this low-budget war film that makes it seem almost documentaty-like at times. Rodgers, Nicholson and Hackett play three U.S. soldiers during WWII who've just landed in The Philippines with orders to take down a Japanese communications site. They must rely on Maga, a tough, Filipino guerrilla who is only slightly more fond of the Americans than he is of his Japanese oppressors. He distrusts practically everyone and with good reason, considering the state of his homeland. Huggins appears as his female sidekick. The ragtag band makes its way across some rugged terrain, eventually sacrificing several of their members in order to carry out the mission. Filmed almost simultaneously with the director's "Flight to Fury", this is a fairly simple and straightforward film, but one containing a fair amount of grit. Rodgers, a pretty famous 1950's singer, is attractive enough and amiable, but lacks charisma and vocal strength. His flat delivery, while not as good as a skilled actor would provide, does help make the film seem more realistic. He comes off as an average Joe. Nicholson doesn't begin to hint at the fact that he would one day become a renowned A-list film star, but he does imbue his character with a quirky charm. Hackett does a decent job as the third, and most seasoned, member of the triad. Maga gives a fairly arresting performance, his character blurring the lines of what was acceptable methodology for the treatment of captured enemies. Torture isn't beyond his scope. Huggins (in her only screen credit) gives her character a weary, resigned quality that is mostly free from any standard Hollywood-style trappings. (She does, at one point, appear in a floral dress and a little makeup, but generally she's authentic.) There's a bit of suspense concerning the fate of some very cute Filipino children. This sequence ranks as one of the best in the film along with a treacherous river crossing. It's by no means an epic war film. It's a more intimate story, accented by the presence of a young Nicholson (who, by the way, looked after Hackett later on in life, making him his stand-in for several movies.)