Amazon.com: Fans of Armageddon might see one or two resemblances between that 1998 box office hit and Hellfighters, a 1968 action film by Andrew V. McLaglen, one of John Wayne's favorite directors in his late career. (Their joint ventures included Chisum, Cahill: United States Marshal, and McLintock!) Wayne plays an oil well firefighter in the mold of Red Adair, turning up anywhere in the world where a geyser of fire is shooting up from a once-profitable gusher. His right-hand man (Jim Hutton) has questionable judgment about safety matters and is a scoundrel with the ladies--and neither fact is lost on Wayne when Hutton's character marries his long-lost daughter (Katharine Ross, a mere year after The Graduate). The film is an early entry in the disaster-meets-soap-opera genre that flourished in the '70s with such titles as The Towering Infernoand The Poseidon Adventure. McClaglen gets a lot of crackle out of his action scenes (many of the firefighting sequences are still startling in their intensity) and turns twin love stories (Hutton and Ross, Wayne and Vera Miles) into frothy studies of adult manners, with equal hints of Howard Hawks and Sidney Sheldon. The cast and sundry thrills make this film highly enjoyable, and easily forgivable for indulging in such inanities as a subplot concerning--hold on--Venezuelan terrorists! The Duke lives! --Tom Keogh
Customer Reviews
Average Rating:
Rating: - John Wayne
I enjoyed seeing John Wayne in something other than a western. I purchased this for my mother, who likes the DUKE.
Rating: - JOHN WAYNE FAN
I HAVE BEEN A JOHN WAYNE FAN FOR MANY YEARS. I GREW UP WATCHING HIS MOVIES WITH MY dAD. THIS IS ANOTHER ONE OF HIS GREAT MOVIES. NOT TO BE MISSED.
Rating: - Best non-western John Wayne movie
My husband and love this movie. It's action packed, romantic in the old fashioned way where everybody ends up happy. There is enough gloom and doom today, I want romance and happy endings.
Rating: - Even with the deck stacked against it HELLFIGHTERS succeeds...barely.
John Wayne films can be divided into three categories: those before STAGECOACH, his critical hits (THE SEARCHERS, RIO BRAVO, etc.) and his more formulaic efforts that usually left critics and audiences cold (JET PILOT, BLOOD ALLEY and the like).
HELLFIGHTERS is one of the more successful of that third category thanks to the interesting subject (fighting oil well fires) and John Wayne himself, but no thanks to the horrible overacting of Jim; the by-the-numbers direction by Andrew V. McLaglen (who James Coburn once called a "hack") and the inept script by Clair Huffaker (who's biggest ... Read More
Rating: - Hellfighters
Classic John Wayne. Very enjoyable film. Jim Hutton is great as well as Katharine Ross. Enjoyed being able to pick out the "regular or frequent players" in this film from Wayne's other films of this period. Wayne's common theme of using the same names throughout his films also comes into play. The action scenarios are taken from actual well fire experiences. In later years, I confirmed this with Red Adair, whom Wayne patterned the Chance Buchman character after. Red explained he had a great time as technical advisor on the film and remained a lifelong friend of Wayne's until his passing. Incidently, ... Read More
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