Expresso da Aventura

Of course the script is highly improbable and the acting is rather overwrought, but this was a serial, which thankfully has been condensed into about 80 minutes. In those eighty minutes are some truly remarkable shots of steam trains, train yards, a roundhouse, train stations, the cabs of locomotives and the interiors of passenger cars. The producers obviously sought to save money on set construction by using actual locations, and their economy is our gain. For good measure, there is also some considerable footage of the airplanes and air fields of the time, including the interior of a passenger airplane. Early John Wayne is always welcome, but this film has some extremely worthwhile footage and locations. And look for a scene about 25 minutes into the film, where an uncredited Yakima Canutt is duplicated in a special effects shot.

I watched the eighty minute condensed version of this show and actually enjoyed it quite a bit. Unfortunately, the DVD i bought wasn't made from a great print(i would certainly buy a better one if could). Anyhow, it was a very fun trip back in time to the days when John Wayne was a young pup and Hollywood was becoming, well, Hollywood.

As you might expect the condensed version was very fast moving and there were lots of stunts, some really scary, like when Wayne or a double jumps from a moving car onto a moving train. Yikes!!! You had to be crazy to be a stuntman back in those days.

The story isn't really that much by todays standards but it makes for a pretty good little action film. The girl is cute and yeah I'm sure she and Duke probably saw some action between takes. Ha, why not? I'm sure that the entire serial would prob get boring so don't waste your time with that, the short version works really well. Hopefully you can get a better transfer though. Overall, this is a nice time capsule that takes you back to a earlier and more innocent America and Hollywood. If nothing else you might enjoy the vintage trains, planes, and automobiles. The DVD i bought included this movie and three more and i paid fifty cents for it at kroger. This movie was the second best behind Paradise Canyon which was a great movie and was made from a great print.

"The Hurricane Express" is a very low budget movie serial from tiny Mascot Studios. And, because of this, there isn't a whole lot to distinguish it other than one big thing--it stars a very young John Wayne. If it weren't for this, I doubt if many people would ever want to see the film. It just isn't very good.

The film begins by introducing Larry (John Wayne) and his father. Larry is a pilot and his dad has been an engineer for the railroad for many years. However, soon the father is killed--the result of someone sabotaging the rails. Who would do this and why would they do it? Larry was determined to figure this out for himself--and thus goes the rest of this 12-part serial. At the end of each part, there is, of course, some cliffhanger that makes it APPEAR that he is killed--but naturally, Larry has found some ridiculous way to somehow survive. It turns out that the sabotage is NOT the work of some nut, but a guy called 'The Wrecker'--but who the wrecker is you need to wait until part 12 to learn. In the meantime, he and his gang try again and again to sabotage the rails.

When you watch the film you'll probably notice a few things. First, the film is very quiet. The usual incidental music is gone--partly because early sound films sometimes missed this and partly because the production was so cheap that they couldn't afford it. Also, the condition of the print is not particularly great--but much of this is because of the degradation of the film and has nothing to do with the original quality of the serial. As for the writing, it's pretty poor--with lots of action but not a whole lot in depth or believability. It's quite a step below the quality of a serial from a decade later. Not terrible...just not all that good.

The full length version runs about 227 minutes. "Gone With the Wind",long known for its length, has a run time of about 222 minutes. To experience the full historic flavor of an old time serial, I suggest trying the full length version, but try it as it was originally viewed. (An episode at a time!) Lots of thrills, chills, and spills, and a mystery that can't be solved until the very last episode in which the murderer turns out to be XXXXX. Bit of trivia: The plane used in the movie is a Ford Tri-Motor. (Old Henry built about 200 of them, largely at the instigation of his son Edsel.)In some scenes, its identification has been painted over. In other scenes it can be read. The plane is model 5-AT-49 registration number NC-8411, built in 1929 and destroyed in a crash in the mountains of Columbia in 1939. The "TAT" (Transcontinental Air Transport) logo is visible on the plane. (The fore-runner of Howard Hughes' TWA.)All interior scenes were shot in a prop department mock up with increased height and width. Of especial note is the single throttle. The Ford Tri-Motor had three! Dean Jacksonville, FL (Where Shirley Gray died in obscurity.)

In a random moment to homage a few actor's who attended the 'Save the Rose Theatre' spectacular street event in1989, I watched a classic from the '40's featuring Roy Roger's, upon same compilation DVD, there's an R. Scott feature but also the trimmed serial of Hurricane Express.

If there's a mystery worth pursuing purely for cultural nostalgia it has to be how the many earliest B & W serial westerns, turned a completely average actor, into the phenomenon that was 'John Wayne'. Something that even the many tribute documentarys have barely scratched the surface.

This serial has strong historical aspects in many of its vehicular scenes that rivals the 'Keystone Cops' or 'Charlie Chaplin' features, its weakness is from the mutilation that condensed editting of 12 episodes does to create a re-releasable movie.

Production values of the original are clearly shown to emphasise the stock single placement of camera with minimal focus or extra lighting. Giving the film, more a variety of grey hues to give sense of depth, completely inadequate to enable more emotive range for the cast.

Fortunately, what remains of its convoluted plot is more that enough to pursue 'Action', and this has more old-style brawls and chase scenes than you'll find in any modern feature.

In relative comparison, the closest series in modern terms of storyline and effects to this would be 'Mission Impossible' in either '60's or Cruise control era's.

As for resolving the two mysteries?

Well there's the Mascott, itself in one scene only, sadly the Wayne factor appear to have been removed in the trimming, as dramatically even the heroine gets enough involvement to be strongly regarded a bonus for actress Shirley Grey, who survived the switch to colour features extending career in acting by 30+ roles.