sfdphd This film shows the masculine drive to compete and persevere in proving one's alpha status to the point of absurdity. They are willing to torture each other to boost their own egos. As a woman watching this film, the whole first part was a shining example of the worst of the male gender. Two women would more likely immediately recognize that since there's no one else there, they would benefit from collaborating and sharing resources. I'd like to see a female version of this film. There is no way that two females would keep up the hostility for as long as these two guys did. I suspect two women would either make friends quickly or if one of them remained hostile for awhile, the other would make a real effort to win her over and convince her to become friends as soon as possible. On the other hand, the best of mankind was also on display, in that they did eventually figure out how to work together despite the lack of communication. But again, I couldn't help imagining that two women would have quickly realized that they needed to teach each other to speak a bit of each other's language, and at the very least, said "my name is .........." which these guys apparently never got around to... This is a classic film which I recommend but could be put in a time capsule to show some of the reasons why the human species becomes extinct, which it probably will, given the inability of men to make peace and keep the peace....

MartinHafer When "Hell in the Pacific" debuted, it lost a buttload of money. And, after having just watched it, I can understand exactly why. It's slow beyond belief...and a great cure to insomnia!There really is no context for the film--you just have a Japanese soldier (Toshiro Mifune) and an American (Lee Marvin) stranded on an island during WWII. You later gather that Marvin's character must have been a pilot who was shot down...you know almost nothing about Mifune's. And, for much of the film, they torment and try to kill each other. Later, they call a truce and build a raft and leave. My wife kept saying "I hope they drown" during the raft sequence and I can't fault her. The film ran at a snail's pace and it mostly consisted of the two idiots yelling at each other in their native languages (oddly, they never figured to try to teach the other their language) and this made for a film that practically yelled "Turn me off" because it was so slow and unsatisfying.

Cristi_Ciopron This war Robinsonade is a quirky poem and a psychological essay, not of an unusual or twisted psychology, on the contrary, a raw one, the two actors were carefully chosen as types of ordinary guys, Mifune and Marvin, both awesome, with Mifune being the superior actor; it reminded me of Russian war movies, the Expressionism exchanged for '60s _avant-gardism and fanciness, where the playfulness, coldness and irony enhance the beauty and the absurd, the two styles resemble in some heartfelt sympathy, yet Boorman reveals a hopelessness and sense of dread and of the absurd. Think of it as of a poem, also because of its masterful unity.Two soldiers torture each other, then cook, then set up a raft and, toilers of the sea, leave the island, towards a larger world unable, unprepared to contain their comradeship, which was uncertain and shaky to begin with, and, born on a wild shore, breaks in the ruins of societal life. They rediscover comfort in a ruined military base on another island: cigars, a magazine, sake. But they drink too much. The drink, the magazine are enough to dispel their newfound, unlikely and strategic unity. They rejoice in the things they find, but foolishly, vainly.The '60s were eager for this naked psychology.They don't know each other's name. Sometimes, their relationship has the abrupt and dizzy quality, with sudden changes and outbursts, found in the '60s and '70s cinema inspired by the stage. Which on stage can look convincing and maybe lifelike, but in a movie looks abrupt, silly and almost contrived.The island, their 1st island, which they leave, is in itself Paradise, and the director is very aware of this pristine beauty.

capone666 Hell in the PacificThe worst part about conducting a war on a South Pacific beach is trying not to step on any of the sunbathers.Fortunately, the warring factions in this drama are the only people on the island.Amid the dogfights of WWII, an American pilot (Lee Marvin) is shot down over the Pacific.Deserted on an islet, the pilot discovers he's not alone - a Japanese Navy Officer (Toshiro Mifune) is also marooned there.Instinctively, the two immediately try to kill one another with their limited weaponry.Overtime, however, the pair must learn to cooperate in order to survive.But is there enough room on the atoll for the Japanese castaway's honour and the Yankee castaway's bullheadedness?With only two stars, minimal dialogue and an exotic setting, Hell in the Pacific breaks war down to its basics, and dissects.Furthermore, this island coupling led to the creation of Japanese-American fusion cuisine.Green Lightvidiotreviews.blogspot.com