This could have made a great pilot for a TV series: The premise has maverick loafer Mark Conrad, played by Curt Jurgens, winding up on a Ferry from Hong Kong to Macau. Officials at either port won't let him on land so he has to remain a passenger on the Ferry.
Now for the antagonist Orson Welles as Captain Hart, an uptight, prissy jerk that runs the boat with a iron fist. Both Conrad and Hart couldn't be more different and much of the film has them at odds, both at sea and on land. But let's not forget the love interest – Sylvia Sims as Liz, a beautiful (too young for Jurgens) missionary with a bevy of orphans, can't help but love the grungy loner who has a heart of gold like any scruffy anti hero.
Jurgens makes for a decent lead while Orson Welles provides an annoying British accent, sounding like an imitation of an uptight character meant to be hated by the audience and the people around him. Although there are moments when he becomes a real human being, mostly as he's pushed by Conrad, who eventually takes command when pirates hijack after a formidable storm.
The Asian locations are beautiful and the direction by Lewis Gilbert (THE SPY WHO LOVED ME) flows. And despite a somewhat clunky script, not sure whether to be a comedy, romance, or adventure, by the end you'll want to spend more time on that boat, a cozy enough place to be stuck without a paddle.
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Now for the antagonist Orson Welles as Captain Hart, an uptight, prissy jerk that runs the boat with a iron fist. Both Conrad and Hart couldn't be more different and much of the film has them at odds, both at sea and on land. But let's not forget the love interest – Sylvia Sims as Liz, a beautiful (too young for Jurgens) missionary with a bevy of orphans, can't help but love the grungy loner who has a heart of gold like any scruffy anti hero.
Jurgens makes for a decent lead while Orson Welles provides an annoying British accent, sounding like an imitation of an uptight character meant to be hated by the audience and the people around him. Although there are moments when he becomes a real human being, mostly as he's pushed by Conrad, who eventually takes command when pirates hijack after a formidable storm.
The Asian locations are beautiful and the direction by Lewis Gilbert (THE SPY WHO LOVED ME) flows. And despite a somewhat clunky script, not sure whether to be a comedy, romance, or adventure, by the end you'll want to spend more time on that boat, a cozy enough place to be stuck without a paddle.
For More Reviews: www.cultfilmfreaks.com