Hell's Horizon (1955) User Reviews

Generic

[boblipton · 4/10 · 6 March 2020]

A. flight crew goes on an unescorted bombing run on the bridges over the Yalu River during the Korean War.

It's an interesting cast, with John Ireland, William Schallert, Hugh Beaumont, and Bill Williams in the crew. One of the problems with it is that it fits neatly into the World War Two Flyer Squadrom genre of the period. Change a few lines of dialogue, and convert Marla English from an Okinawan to a Scottish lassie, and you have a decent movie of the previous war. Since most of it is shot on a stage decorated like a bomber's cockpit, it's clearly a very cheap feature, with little to recommend it.

Bomb!

[rmax304823 · 5/10 · 18 January 2017]

The cheap movies of the 30s and 40s often had some zip to them, especially those with stories built around airplanes or racing cars. Here's an exchange from one of them. Sidekick mechanic to chuckling test pilot: "What's a matter, did I say something funny?" Pilot: "Not for years." This one is about airplanes too but it moves with the speed of one of those pale yellow garden slugs.

A B-29 is sent on a solo mission to bomb a bridge across the Yalu River in North Korea. They fight boredom, anti-aircraft fire, and Mig-15s -- "a whole SQUADRON of them!" Actually they're not Migs. Most of them appear to be American F-86s, but there are occasional glimpses of Japanese Zeroes and one or two Me-109s. The gunners on the B-29 shoot down a horde of the speedy fighters but not without taking a few casualties. And, boy, they barely make it back to their base, where they crash land and burst into flame in a clip left over from World War II.

I missed the first forty minutes and I'm glad. It eliminates the unidimensional character sketches, the poker games, the complaints, Chet Baker's lugubrious trumpet, and the love affair between a crewman who risks his career to say good-bye to the Korean girl, Marla English in a stunning outfit and carefully groomed Western hair, before leaving on the mission from which he may not return.

Everything seems to be in slow motion. "Pilot to navigator. You ready, Murph?"

.......................................n

"Ready, Captain."

I don't know what the actors were thinking of when the cameras were rolling. Maybe their paychecks, or in the case of poor Chet Baker, something else. John Ireland is the resolute officer who is determined to bomb that damned bridge no matter what. He is sunk in his seat, expressionless, throughout the mission, just issuing the occasional order in a slightly bored and irritated tone. I think he tries to smile in the last scene -- something to do with a lucky charm. As his co-pilot, Bill Williams matches him, verve for verve.

Nice mock up of a B-29 interior, if a little more spacious than the real thing.

Hell's Horizon

[CinemaSerf · 5/10 · 14 November 2022]

This time it is the poster that is a bit misleading - it suggests a sultriness that is completely lacking from this documentary style tale of an American bombing crew during the Korean War. John Ireland leads the cast as the rather obnoxious "Capt. Merrill" tasked with a mission to destroy a crucial bridge over a river. The film depicts their efforts and their more perilous and suspenseful return journey with fuel gushing from an hole in the wing. Marla English ("Sami") provides what little glamour this dryly produced wartime drama allows, and though it does feature some interesting actuality footage, this film is all a bit on the flat side with little to distinguish it.

As Korean as Taco Bell!

[planktonrules · 2/10 · 19 January 2019]

I am not the most politically correct person out there, but sometimes you certainly can understand folks being upset at a film. Take "Hell's Horizon", a movie set in the Korean War. The female lead (Marla English) is supposed to be Korean....but she seems about as Korean as a Taco Bell! She's obviously a Caucasian and they made no attempt to get her to look or sound Asian. The same can be said about some of the other 'Koreans'...folks who, in some cases, have painted kin and black wigs! The result of which is just stupid....as well as offensive...but mostly stupid.

So is the movie worth seeing despite all this foolishness? Not especially. The first portion of the film is particularly hard to get past....as the 'soldiers' seemed about as professional as the Three Stooges and it was hard to believe these were America's finest! Terrible writing is the problem with all this. And, sadly, the stupid dialog simply continues until this dopey film reaches the end. The folks who fought in this war deserved better than this drivel.

Better than expected Korean War Film

[gordonl56 · 7/10 · 29 April 2016]

HELL'S HORIZON 1955

This one is a Korean War film put out by the B-unit at Columbia Pictures. It stars John Ireland, Hugh Beaumont, Marla English, Bill Williams, Larry Pennell, Jerry Paris, William Schallert and jazz icon, Chet Baker.

The story is about the crew of a B-29 bomber based on the island of Okinawa. They have been sitting for weeks with nothing to do as a series of storms rages over the island. They lay about their tent playing cards, reading letters from home while the one crewman (Chet Baker) wails sorrowful on his trumpet.

Breaking up the boredom is the weekly rounds of the half-caste laundry woman, the drop dead lovely, Marla English. The one crewman, Larry Pennell has the hots for the girl. He wants to make an honest woman out of her. English though has heard this all before from other pilots and crewmen, including Pennell's Captain, John Ireland.

The tedious routine is broken when word comes from command that the bomber has been assigned a mission. The single B-29 is to be sent north to bomb a certain bridge over the Yalu River between North Korea and Red China. The higher ups figure the bad weather will keep the Red Mig-15's on the ground. The plane has been assigned a special radar bombardier, William Schallert.

The ship takes off and wings its way towards the target. They have orders to return if the weather breaks. Just before the B-29 arrives over the target, the weather does clear, giving the anti-aircraft guns a chance at the B-29. Pilot Ireland decides to continue the mission even though the sky is clearing.

The new radar bombardier, Schallert has never been under fire before and freezes. This forces the regular man to bomb using the bomb-sight. The man is right on the button and the target is destroyed. Ireland heaves the beast around and heads back to base.

The weather clearing has allowed the mad as hell Reds to launch some Mig-15 fighters. These are soon swarming all over the bomber shooting said aircraft up. Several of the crew are wounded and Baker is killed. It is only good luck and a handy cloud bank that allows the bomber to escape.

The navigator is now having problems getting a fix on their position. Radar man Schallert comes out of his fright and uses the radar to get them a fix. They are just crossing the coast and are about two hours from the base. Now a new problem pops up. The fight engineer, Hugh Beaumont has failed to spot fuel loss due to a tank being holed during the dance with the Migs. Beaumont has been sitting the whole flight looking at a "Dear John" letter he received just before the flight. They might need to splash down in the sea for lack of fuel.

Pilot Ireland has the crew toss out everything that is not bolted down. Gunsights, nav equipment and even their parachutes are tossed out. Ireland hopes the lost weight will give them more range. Beaumont, before anyone can stop him, also tosses himself out the aircraft.

The B-29, engines on their last gasp, makes the base and crash lands on the field. The crew all escapes the now burning aircraft even bringing along the body of crewman Baker.

When the crew have returned to their barracks, Pennell seeks out Miss English. He tells her that he meant what he said earlier, he wants to marry. They grab each other and kiss.

This one is chock full of combat footage that is for the most part from WW2. Ignoring that, the film itself is rather good for a low budget production. The acting and story are all fine and the look of the film quite decent.

The director here is Tom Gries. Gries, who also wrote the film, would score in the late 60's with the westerns, 100 RIFLES and WILL PENNY. He also helmed several Charles Bronson films, BREAKOUT and BREAKHEART PASS. The cinematographer on the film was Oscar winner, Floyd Crosby.

Every time I see Larry Pennell I can't help but smile. I always recall him from his guest bits on THE BEVERLY HILLBILLIES as Hollywood actor, Dash Riprock!

Not at all bad for a B war movie

[shoobe01-1 · 7/10 · 24 March 2023]

About the best use of stock footage I've seen. Make no mistake, there are ZERO shots of aircraft flying, taking off, even exteriors on the ramp that are shot for this movie, or even models. It's all tent city on a soundstage, interior of a (probably real but scrapped surplus) B29, and stock footage.

But it sorta works. They voice over things like the crew checking out the plane as the stock footage isn't that great resolution, it's mid shots, and one 50s USAF guy in all his gear looks very much like another.

Falls apart a bit in the action scenes where the footage cannot decide what altitude they are at (and it is scripted, sorta matters), the enemy aircraft are several /different/ USAF aircraft, and... oh, they bomb China. That also was briefed, but they forget when picking impact footage.

Well acted, pretty well scripted. Okay photography, and the in-aircraft scenes are awfully well done; the pilot ones are the only with pretty soundstage blocking, others feel very personal. Apparently had a good advisor, everyone does stuff that at least feels very authentic, everything deliberate.

Yes, the Korean love interest is super duper a white chick, and it's not just racist but is distractingly wrong.

Otherwise the worst thing about the film is the editing. It's just indifferent. Many shots too long, some too short and it cuts between unimportant things. The stock footage also falls prey to this; it could have used 90% less of it, and done almost everything from inside the aircraft, not just as a character study but as claustrophobic action. Those were already the best bits.

Worth Watching

[mack-29 · 8/10 · 25 May 2015]

Despite its' low budget, I enjoyed watching this movie. It has a solid cast of familiar faces who went on to star in many TV shows of the 1960s.

It's easy to pick out the many flaws in this movie. It is unfortunate that the only female character wasn't played by an Asian actress.

The exterior shots of the B-29 are all familiar AAF footage which most WWII aircraft fans have seen before. The interior of the B-29 is very realistic. Also the mission briefing is well done.

Above all this is a very entertaining movie, not a realistic portrayal of war.

A Rare Film showing B-29 Aircrews During The Korean War

[bwmoll3 · 8/10 · 11 December 2020]

The B-29 Superfortress bomber was essentially obsolete by the time frame (1953) of this film. It was a propeller-driven strategic bomber designed for World War II, however the jet age of the late 1940s and the jet fighters developed after the war made the plane vulnerable. The losses the USAF suffered in 1950 of B-29s on day bombing missions over North Korea to the Soviet MiG-15 jet fighter flown by the North Korean Air Force (using Soviet pilots) forced the USAF to switch to night bombing missions. After the 1953 Korean armistice, the USAF switched rapidly to jet bombers such as the B-47 and B-52. The older World War II propeller-driven bombers were phased out.

This film is one of a few films that shows a daylight bombing mission over North Korea and the plane is attacked by jet fighters. The ensuing drama of the plane getting back to Kadena Air Base (where the B-29s were stationed, unmentioned in the film) is what makes this a good war film that is worth watching. The other secondary elements of the film are watchable, but not notable.

Mission impossible in North Korea

[clanciai · 9/10 · 9 July 2020]

This is not just a B-feature with second rate actors making the best of a dreary story about bombing in bad weather and meeting with disaster, but actually a very interesting drama with many significant ingredients. Perhaps the most interesting thing about this film is the music, as this film introduced Chet Baker, and he plays the trumpet quite a lot in the beginning. John Ireland makes a good job as the "true grit" captain, and all the other actors are excellent as well. This group of fliers are stationed on Okinawa in 1952 and having a dull time, when they get the assignment of bombing a strategic bridge in North Korea, because this is the Korea war. The mission is carried out with looming complications and some unnecessary risk-taking, and there are casualties. So there is a significant tragic element as well. But it's a first class drama, although generally brushed aside and neglected as second rate, but it will hold a position on par with the two John Wayne aircraft disaster films some years earler, but it's Chet Baker and that trumpeter that you will remember.