Island of Doomed Men

Island of Doomed Men (1940)

*** (out of 4)

Nice little "B" picture from Columbia has a secret agent (Robert Wilcox) convicted of a crime he didn't commit but it's all good because he gets sent to an island, which he was about to investigate. On the island he and other men are forced into hard labor by the wicked owner (Peter Lorre) but soon the agent and the owner's wife (Rochelle Hudson) have their own plans for escape. If you're a fan of "B" movies or Lorre then you're going to find a whole lot to enjoy in this fast paced thriller that is pretty much fun from start to finish. What works best here is of course the performance of Lorre who you just can't help but love to hate. He brings so much evilness to his character that there really isn't an actor in history who could do it better. That mono voice, the wicked eyes and the coolness of the evil has never been topped and it's a lot of fun to watch here. The island setting will remind one of THE MOST DANGEROUS GAME and the prison stuff is certainly ripe for something we'd have seen the decade earlier in various Warner films. Wilcox makes for a good, strong supporting player and we also have Don Beddoe and George E. Stone delivering good performances. Barton is best known for his future Abbott and Costello films but he does some nice work here and keeps the film moving at a very good pace. There are many good scenes here but one of the best has to be the scene where we learn Lorre's character is terrified of a little monkey owned by the cook.

1940's "Island of Doomed Men" was among the 11 Columbia titles included in the SON OF SHOCK television package in the late 1950s, one of three to star Peter Lorre, followed by "The Face Behind the Mask" and "The Boogie Man Will Get You." The ill-fated actor Robert Wilcox ("The Man They Could Not Hang") is cast as Mark Sheldon, undercover agent from the Department of Justice, who certainly picks a roundabout way to conduct his investigation; convicted of a murder he didn't commit, orchestrated by the very man he's investigating, Lorre's Stephen Danel, winding up exactly where he intended to be all along after several uncertain months of good behavior. Dead Man's Isle is the place where Danel employs parolees as slave labor to mine diamonds when not being flogged for disobedience, with only three armed guards (Charles Middleton, Don Beddoe and Bruce Bennett) and an electrified fence to protect his home ("to keep out the animals and snakes!"). Also held captive is Danel's beautiful wife Lorraine (Rochelle Hudson), habitually clinging to Sheldon despite her husband's protests and seeking aid from houseboy Ziggy (George E. Stone), whose pet monkey throws a fit at the sight of the boss ("keep that monkey away from me!"). The script's characters are fairly one-dimensional, much like Warners' 1939 Karloff vehicle "Devil's Island," but Lorre's quiet, soft-spoken presence is more unnerving than any bombastic, overdone performance, making those moments when he does lose his cool quite chilling (what was it about that monkey anyway?). Every time he needs a light someone is there to fearfully do it with shaking hands, and the reactions of others matter more since Hollywood didn't dare show any depravity. The supporting cast is surprisingly strong but it's Lorre's show all the way, actually one of the few vehicles in which he's top billed as the main heavy (he and Rochelle Hudson had previously co-starred in "Mr. Moto Takes a Chance"). Despite its SHOCK! pedigree, "Island of Doomed Men" aired just once on Pittsburgh's Chiller Theater on Oct 1 1966.

Okay so this is NOT "Island of Lost Souls" or "The Big House" but I do think that fans of Peter Lorre would enjoy it. No need to hash out the plot here, and yes of course this is nothing more than a 1940s B-Movie. Nonetheless, if you grew up decades ago and have fond memories of staying up late and watching the old horror movies and science fiction monster movies on TV over the weekends, then watching this movie might be an enjoyable way to spend a late Friday or Saturday night, even though it's more of a "semi-noir" movie instead of a horror film.

Island of Doomed Men is directed by Charles Barton, written by Robert D. Andrews and features cinematography by Benjamin Kline. It stars Peter Lorre, Rochelle Hudson and Robert Wilcox.

Federal agent Mark Sheldon (Wilcox), by a strange quirk of fate, is framed for murder and sentenced to serve time on the Pacific Island penal colony he was to investigate anyway! Once there he finds harsh conditions and the camp run by a sadistic task master named Stephen Danel (Lorre). Catching the eye and befriending Danel's beautiful wife, Lorraine (Hudson), herself a prisoner of Danel's tyrannical behaviour, Sheldon knows he must act quick if he is to survive the Island of Doomed Men!

Neither good nor bad, Barton's film is standard fare that features strong themes fighting to impact during the relatively short running time (just under 70 minutes). Much of it is a sweaty prison drama driven by Lorre doing another one of his insane antagonist portrayals. Within the narrative is sadism, spouse and animal abuse, bondage and corruption of power, but these are just shards of potency in an otherwise very talky piece. Performances around Lorre are adequate and Barton and Kline have a decent eye for mood via the black and white photography.

Not very memorable and not nearly as throat grabbing as thematics suggest it could have been, but enjoyable while it's on and certainly one for Lorre completists. 6/10

Given his reputation as the archetypal crazed villain, in his long film career Peter Lorre played relatively few such characters, but his Stephen Danel in "Island of Doomed Men" is powerful enough to imprint such an image in generations of movie-watchers. With typical grace and intelligence, Lorre crafts this pulp heavy into an intricate portrayal of the quintessential fascist bully, winning through intimidation, gratified at bending others to his will yet genuinely puzzled and hurt by his inability to earn the love of his cherished captive-wife. As with so many other films he appeared in, the mercurial actor brings something real and human to this typically false and silly Hollywood pantomime.