Ghost of the China Sea

The story idea for "Ghost of the China Sea" is very good and it intrigued me. Sadly, however, some of the writing was disappointing--with some very cliched characters as well as their dialog.

The film begins just after the Japanese invaded the Philippines during World War II. The American and Filipino forces are in retreat and the movie is about a rag-tag group of civilians and a navy seaman as they try to avoid the Japanese and make it to safety.

The best thing about this film is the leader of the group, played by David Brian. His character is tough, cynical and a bit blood-thirsty....as he smiles as his men machine gun a group of Japanese prisoners! But the rest of the characters are pretty terrible. There's the female who is only there to look nice and to be a love interest for the hero and the preacher--both of which say the dumbest things and COULD have been interesting characters. Overall, a mixed bag that doesn't amount to a rousing film nor one I can wholeheartedly endorse.

By the way, early in the film the group is being held prisoner by a lone Japanese private. The man who plays the private is Kam Fong--the guy who played Chin Ho Kelly on "Hawaii Five-O" for about a decade.

Set in World War 2 Philippines, a diverse group of people try to escape the Japanese invasion by sea in a patchwork small ship. I saw the movie on youtube and it was a very good print. The cinematography was the best part of the film, it is a well shot film with beautiful black and white scenery. The plot moves quickly and follows a logical if cliched progression. However, the characters are little more than stereotypes and some of the dialogue is very corny. It is a very average action war film, it is enjoyable escapism if you do not expect too much.

This is a pretty routine war movie, the sort that doesn't take any risks, giving us the stereotypical ugly American hero that you can't possibly like, and surrounding him with better characters.

Like many such movies, it is the "supporting characters" that are needed to carry the film. There are a fairly decent amount of them, and they're mostly credible characters once you get past the Hollywood hero and heroine.

It isn't a great war movie, but it is very watchable. Even when there isn't action, the direction gives us the illusion of action, thus it seems to be very action packed. A sign of good directing.