Perhaps the film would have been more exciting and suspenseful if "The Unseen" had remained just that. Still, that may have required a greater level of directorial imaginativeness than Charles Marquis Warren was capable of, so we will have to accept the film as it is and not as it might have been.
As it is, "Desert Hell" is a fair enough action yarn for supporting slots. By RegalScope standards, the budget is sizable. Location photography helps, there are a fair number of players and extras, and there's quite a bit of action.
The characters are not particularly memorable but they are competently enacted. Richard Denning gives the best performance with a French accent yet that cannot be faulted. Brian Keith is his usual surly self, but Johnny Desmond makes some impression as his rival. Despite her prominence in the cast list, Barbara Hale figures in only two scenes at the beginning of the film, and she is by no means flatteringly photographed or costumed.
Charlie Warren keeps the film moving at an adequate pace, though there are a couple of slow dialogue scenes which make some attempt at character motivation. But these attempts are so perfunctory, the development of character antagonisms and relationships makes little impact. One cannot help feeling they were written merely to spin out the film's running time rather than for any legitimate dramatic purpose.
As it is, "Desert Hell" is a fair enough action yarn for supporting slots. By RegalScope standards, the budget is sizable. Location photography helps, there are a fair number of players and extras, and there's quite a bit of action.
The characters are not particularly memorable but they are competently enacted. Richard Denning gives the best performance with a French accent yet that cannot be faulted. Brian Keith is his usual surly self, but Johnny Desmond makes some impression as his rival. Despite her prominence in the cast list, Barbara Hale figures in only two scenes at the beginning of the film, and she is by no means flatteringly photographed or costumed.
Charlie Warren keeps the film moving at an adequate pace, though there are a couple of slow dialogue scenes which make some attempt at character motivation. But these attempts are so perfunctory, the development of character antagonisms and relationships makes little impact. One cannot help feeling they were written merely to spin out the film's running time rather than for any legitimate dramatic purpose.
