Back Door to Hell
Back Door to Hell

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- 52/100 based on 893 votes

In December, 1944, three US soldiers sneak ashore on Luzon to gather intelligence about Japanese troops in advance of the American armada. The three are to reconnoiter and report via their shortwave radio. Lieutenant Craig may not have the stomach for killing; Jersey is a cynical sergeant; Bartlett is the radio man who also speaks Japanese. They're soon in touch with guerrillas, led by Paco, a tough, skeptical school teacher. The Japanese learn the Americans are in the area a... (Full plot summary below)

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Actors in Back Door to Hell:

Jimmie Rodgers
Jack Nicholson
John Hackett
Annabelle Huggins
Johnny Monteiro
Conrad Maga

Full Plot Details

In December, 1944, three US soldiers sneak ashore on Luzon to gather intelligence about Japanese troops in advance of the American armada. The three are to reconnoiter and report via their shortwave radio. Lieutenant Craig may not have the stomach for killing; Jersey is a cynical sergeant; Bartlett is the radio man who also speaks Japanese. They're soon in touch with guerrillas, led by Paco, a tough, skeptical school teacher. The Japanese learn the Americans are in the area and take school children hostage until the Filipinos find, arrest, and turn over the GIs. Can this tiny squad make allies, save the children, get and transmit the information, and live to tell the tale?

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Movie Reviews

Ozus' World Movie Reviews - 9/10 by Dennis SchwartzThe film's main strength is the lively banter among the American soldiers.
User Review - 8/10 by Zoran SSmart and thoughtful existential fable in the guise of a war film. It's one of Monte Hellman's earliest films and already indicates his sophisticated visual style. It's a fine example of what you can do on tiny budget with a smart script and excellent camera placement.
User Review - 8/10 by Finn MOnly watched it once so far on dvd. But I will get better insight into war survival that pertains to my games by watching it. Jack did great but I am sad by part of the ending. Otherwise it's a Black and White classic to me!
User Review - 6/10 by Jesper JI guess Nicholson had his style from the very beginning. This is one of the oldest movies I have seen with him.
User Review - 6/10 by Bill MA grim little movie with an ending that obviously no studio head signed off on.
User Review - 6/10 by Lauri MWorth seeing for young Jack Nicholson, otherwise a rather ordinary war movie.
User Review - 4/10 by Walter MEarly Monte Hellman WWII flick with Jack Nicholson and co doing reconnaissance. Not too much action but Phillippines locations help and the Filipinos are shown as able fighters rather than simply waiting for Americans to tell them what to do.
User Review - 4/10 by Van R"Back Door to Hell" qualifies as a traditional World War II thriller. In 1944, a sensitive U.S. Army lieutenant and two soldiers slip into Luzon in the Philippines by sea on a secret mission for General MacArthur. Allied headquarters wants all the information that they can get out of the Japanese. Accompanying Lieutenant Craig (Jimmy Rogers of "The Little Shepherd of Kingdom Come") is Burnett (Jack Nicholson of "Batman") and cynical Sergeant Jersey (John Hackett of "The Two Jakes") and the most precious piece of equipment that they are carrying is their radio. Before they rendezvous with Philippine resistance fighters, they encounter some relaxing Japanese soldiers in a village. They kill one but another gets away because Lieutenant Craig hesitates when he has a chance to kill the soldier. Later, Craig discovers the resistance leader with whom they were supposed to rendezvous, Miguel, has been tortured and killed by the new resistance leader Paco (Conrad Maga) who doesn't like the Americans. When U.S. troops left the Philippines during the first Japanese invasion, Paco lost his wife and child, and he hasn't recovered from the loss. He dictates what the Americans must do as long as he remains in charge. No sooner have they settled in with the resistance than they learn that the Japanese know about them. Remember, one Japanese soldier got away. The Japanese notify the resistance that they start executing one child per hour until the Americans are delivered to them. Paco and the Americans stage a raid, kill most of the Japanese after them, capture the leader, and lead the children to safety. Paco and the Americans run into a bandit Ramundo (Johnny Monteiro of "Lost Battalion") who has a lot of information about Japanese troop movements. He demands their radio and Craig is willing to give the radio to Ramundo as soon as they contact MacArthur. Ramundo does not get the radio quickly enough so he shoots holes in it and flees. Meanwhile, our heroes have found that Ramundo is a credible source of information, but they have no way now of transmitting the information. Craig suggests that Paco lead them to a nearby Japanese radio outpost and Burnett send a message on the enemy radio. During the transmission, Burnett catches a hail of bullets and dies. Craig and Jersey make it out alive, but Paco dies, too. "Ride in the Whirlwind" director Monte Hellman maintains the action in this modest 70 minute epic and nobody gets a break in the screenplay by Richard A. Guttman and John Hackett. Indeed, some of the dialogue is philosophical. This low-budget World War II thriller, like many of them co-produced by an American and a Filipino company is nothing substantial but Hellman manages to inject a modicum of suspense. One-time only actor Conrad Maga is good as the resistance leader who has no love lost for Americans. Officers are respected for their rank and nobody tries to kill the lieutenant here or take over command from him. The Japanese are depicted as a ruthless enemy, prepared to kill children to accomplish their goal, but Hellman and company do not make their appear sympathetic.
User Review - 4/10 by Max MEarly film from director Monte Hellman (Cockfighter, Two-Lane Blacktop and producer of Reservoir Dogs) about a trio of American soldiers (Jimmie Rogers, John Hackett and Jack Nicholson) sent to the Philippines during WWII to attack a Japanese base, with the aid of the Philippino resistance, in order to prepare for an American invasion. Interesting story peppered with some decent anti-war ruminations, that is ultimately hampered by the lack of a decent running time (the film is a scant 1 hour and 9 minutes). The audience has barely enough time to really get to know any of the characters and the action scenes are rather poorly staged. Hellman is normally a very strong director but he is a bit too cerebral for what should have been a straight-up WWII action picture. His subdued style was much better suited for his later pictures such as the offbeat westerns The Shooting and Ride the Whirlwind, both of which also starred Nicholson (who also wrote the later) and the brilliant films Cockfighter and Two-Lane Blacktop. Coming out of the Roger Corman school of filmmaking (his first film was the Corman-produced, The Beast From Haunted Cave), Hellman knew how to maximize a location. Shooting on location in the Philippines he managed to make two movies for the price of one - this one and Flight to Fury, about a search for a lost treasure which also starred and was co-written by Jack Nicholson (the two would make five pictures total together) - for producer Fred Roos, who would go on to produce The Godfather films for another Corman alumn, writer/director Francis Ford Coppola.

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