Charles B. Griffith's success with Roger Corman did not go unnoticed by Columbia, who, being home of Sam Katzman, appreciated a decent cheapie. They hired Griffith to write, produce and direct two films - he stuffed up the first, and was booted as director on this one, the second, for Fred Sears, a Katzman regular who died soon afterwards.
Sears' direction isn't much - I guess he got the job done. The film is not typically Griffith fare - it's about a rag tag group escaping the Japanese in 1941 Luzon. There's getting in jeeps and running through forests and being captured and escape and getting on a boat. The main plot is going on the boat but that doesn't happen for 22 minutes.
I'm not sure how much Griffith contributed because he shares writing credits with David Brian the star. He's a heavy set white haired guy who I vaguely recognised - he plays a gruff type who has a romance with a girl too young and too hot for him. It's annoying. There's too many old people in this movie including an old bald priest. There is Jonathan Haze is a decent sized role - he's good. I used to laugh when I read Haze wondering why he couldn't have been Nicholson but watching him here I thought "yeah I can see why he thought that".
There's no humour, no wildness. It's too much a star vehicle for Brian. They keep hopping off and on the boat.
I did like the scenes shot on the boat - it moves along. Nice photography. Not terribly involving. Bland. Corman direction would have given it more pace, a younger cast.
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