China Venture

Don Siegel directs this movie about a behind-the-lines operation in World War Two China competently but not particularly interestingly, with a air of post-war anomie. An excellent cast, including an improbably present Jocelyn Brando ("Just treat me like a man") is directed for speed. Edmond O'Brien's emoting is so subtle as to be monotonous -- apparently everyone is supposed to be utterly war-weary and only surviving through sheer competence.

This sort of movie was popular in this time, with entries like EIGHT IRON MEN and a couple of movies from Sam Fuller, but Siegel can't seem to do much of interest with it.

Cinematographer Sam Leavitt tries to shoot things interestingly, with tight compositions and a highly mobile camera -- notice the long single take that leads off the flick. The net result is a competent but uninspiring movie that would play as the second movie in a double bill.

A boring film, for one. More dialogue than action, and it all seems very written... and acted.

And why it was even sought out, purchased ala import and viewed in the first place is... that there's a listing of Lee Strasberg, the famous "father of American Method Acting" and Hyman Roth in The Godfather Part 2, as a character in CHINA VENTURE...

But Lee is not in the opening credits, and not in the film... not one bit, not for one second is Lee Strasberg in CHINA VENTURE... at all...

"I didn't ask, click... When someone shot Moe Green... click... in the eye... click... Because it was just.... BIZNESS!"

Stock company of the usual soldier types with a standard extraneous female in tow (and the standard complications that brings). Rarely get the sense that you are in a Philippian jungle - or in any real danger. Siegel at least doesn't let things drag, however, and there are a couple of good action scenes - particularly the ending. Interactions with, and between, the natives are also (a little) more sophisticated than is usually pictured. 5/10.

The interesting thing about this picture is it is based on a true story which at the time was highly classified, so the film could only be made eight years posthumously. A high Japanese officer of the secret service fails to land in the Chinese mountains, the plane crashes, and the officer, an admiral, is badly wounded. The Chinese bring the news about the crash to the Americans, who send a patrol into the jungle to save the admiral's life if possible and bring him down to the coast and to America, since he is likely to be in possession of highly vital information. The patrol sets off headed by Edmond O'Brien, who is always good, and a team of escorting soldiers and doctors with even a nurse. They reach the general after immense ordeals on the way, but there are complications as they are confronted with a Chinese war lord who demands money for the admiral, 60.000 dollars. Well, they did bargain for an arduous affair of uncertain outcome, and they were sure to get it, with naturally casualties on the way. The tension and excitement is all right throughout the movie, Don Siegel succeeds in keeping up the spirits and the action all the way, and also the Chinese actors are quite satisfactory. There is nothing wrong with this film, while its chief asset lies in its documentary value as a decisive instant in the difficult management of the war to bring it to an end. President Truman has the final say.