An American romantic adventure; A story set in the East Indies in 1875 and onwards, about an ongoing bitter rivalry between two men of the sea: the owner of the Dutch shipping company Batjak Limited, and the Captain of one of its ships.
Based on the best selling novel in its day, this is a film which is creditable for its dynamic performance from John Wayne as the hard-drinking, unbalanced ship captain driven by love and hatred. Gail Russell plays her part delicately as the love interest, soft but provocative. Luther Adler gives a strong performance as the foil, elaborate and tricky. The production values are satisfactory with crisp photography of locations and underwater diving, but some scenes have lo-fi special effects. The picaresque story, while heart-rending and haunting, rambles along its long narrative time and may hinder a viewer's full immersion in the interest and suspense.
Review of Wake of the Red Witch
