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Les îles de l'enfer

Original title: Hell's Island
  • 1955
  • Approved
  • 1h 24m
IMDb RATING
5.9/10
442
YOUR RATING
Mary Murphy in Les îles de l'enfer (1955)
Film NoirAdventureDrama

Down-on-his-luck Mike Cormack is hired to fly to a Caribbean island to retrieve a missing ruby. On the island, possibly involved with the ruby's disappearance, is his ex-girlfriend.Down-on-his-luck Mike Cormack is hired to fly to a Caribbean island to retrieve a missing ruby. On the island, possibly involved with the ruby's disappearance, is his ex-girlfriend.Down-on-his-luck Mike Cormack is hired to fly to a Caribbean island to retrieve a missing ruby. On the island, possibly involved with the ruby's disappearance, is his ex-girlfriend.

  • Director
    • Phil Karlson
  • Writers
    • Maxwell Shane
    • Jack Leonard
    • Martin Goldsmith
  • Stars
    • John Payne
    • Mary Murphy
    • Francis L. Sullivan
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • IMDb RATING
    5.9/10
    442
    YOUR RATING
    • Director
      • Phil Karlson
    • Writers
      • Maxwell Shane
      • Jack Leonard
      • Martin Goldsmith
    • Stars
      • John Payne
      • Mary Murphy
      • Francis L. Sullivan
    • 13User reviews
    • 5Critic reviews
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • Photos22

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    Top cast48

    Edit
    John Payne
    John Payne
    • Mike Cormack
    Mary Murphy
    Mary Murphy
    • Janet Martin
    Francis L. Sullivan
    Francis L. Sullivan
    • Barzland
    Eduardo Noriega
    Eduardo Noriega
    • Inspector Peña
    Arnold Moss
    Arnold Moss
    • Paul Armand
    Walter Reed
    Walter Reed
    • Lawrence
    Sándor Szabó
    Sándor Szabó
    • Johann Torbig
    • (as Sandor Szabo)
    Pepe Hern
    • Lalo
    Robert Cabal
    Robert Cabal
    • Miguel - Houseboy
    Paul Picerni
    Paul Picerni
    • Eduardo Martin
    Mario Siletti
    Mario Siletti
    • Surgeon
    Matty Fain
    Matty Fain
    • Pit Boss
    Ralph Dumke
    Ralph Dumke
    • Casino Drunk
    Lillian Molieri
    Lillian Molieri
    • Girl at Juke Box
    Gil Barreto
      Victor Bartell
        Tom Bernard
        Tom Bernard
          Eumenio Blanco
          Eumenio Blanco
          • Fight Spectator
          • (uncredited)
          • Director
            • Phil Karlson
          • Writers
            • Maxwell Shane
            • Jack Leonard
            • Martin Goldsmith
          • All cast & crew
          • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

          User reviews13

          5.9442
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          Featured reviews

          8clanciai

          What will not ladies do for jewels?

          This is a surprisingly good movie for being a B feature with no stars and no special names of attraction to it. Above all, it's a well composed and intriguing story. It's a tropical noir in flamboyant colour and with Francis L. Sullivan as the most interesting character, here in a wheel-chair, leading the hunt for a missing invaluable ruby lost in an air crash on this unidentifiable Caribbean island full of mysteries.

          The leading lady, a former mistress of John Payne's, is the spider in the web of the mysteries with a husband locked up for life and imprisoned on another island outside as responsible for the death of the one casualy of the air crash, who had the ruby. Well, let's not proceed any further here, since the story as such with all its intrigues and tunnels, twists and turns cannot be told better than by the film.

          The very adequate music adds to the magic of the tropical island and the dame of mysteries and intrigue, and there will be some more casualties before the skies eventually will clear and show what really happened, Francis L. Sullivan making the most striking exit in his wheel-chair.
          6MartinTeller

          Hell's Island (1955)

          A guy gets hired to find someone's ruby and some stuff happens. Sorry to be so vague, but it's a nondescript kind of movie. Very familiar scenario with the usual shadowy characters, convoluted backstory, femme fatale, double-crosses, witnesses suddenly getting killed, and so forth. It's executed well enough but has little spark. Earlier Phil Karlson directed John Payne in 99 RIVER STREET and KANSAS CITY CONFIDENTIAL, both much more exciting and memorable films. Not that Payne is bad here, nor is the direction, it's just a meh movie. It is a joy to see Francis L. Sullivan... although he doesn't much screen time, he does have a hell of an exit scene. As for the visual style, it's a VistaVision Technicolor production... unfortunately my copy was fullscreen, faded and damaged, so I can't really comment. Worthwhile if you really need a noir fix, but pretty bland.
          7daoldiges

          This Island is Actually Kind of Fun

          Perhaps it aided in my final enjoyment of Hell's Island in that I had very low expectations going into it. Payne, Murphy, and Sullivan are all very good in their respective roles and delivered from start to finish. Not all, but several of the minor/supporting performances/characters also provided ongoing interest as well. While many reviewers described the story as familiar, for me it didn't come across that way. Perhaps it was a combination of the setting and direction, along with a few moments of solid dialogue, but I found Hell's Island quite enjoyable from beginning to end. Great, no, but enjoyable yes. Check it out and see for yourself.
          5planktonrules

          Enjoyable enough but very, very familiar.

          This is a decent film noir production. It stars John Payne in the latter portion of his career--when he was no longer a pretty-boy or light-weight singer. He was good as an angry noir hero and I certainly thought that he was up to the task. However, the plot is another story. While it's not bad, it's VERY, VERY familiar--like the writer was simply regurgitating portions of other movies he'd recently seen. In MANY ways, it's a reworking of "The Maltese Falcon" that is set in Mexico--and even has a similar sort of dame and a fat guy doing a Sidney Greenstreet imitation! It is also like several other B-movies I've seen over the years. Nothing particularly original about this one. It's got a few weaknesses (the woman is so OBVIOUSLY evil yet our hero doesn't recognize this for the longest time--even though he's a well-educated guy!) and about all you'd expect from a film of this sort--double-crosses, murders and the like. A decent time-passer but no more.
          6ripplinbuckethead

          Solid Karlson/Payne effort...plus the amazing Mary Murphy*

          We begin with a scene under the opening credits where a man (John Payne) is being held at gunpoint by a man in a wheelchair and his cronies. What's going on? Turns out the one being held up is a former D.A. assistant, now a bouncer, hired to retrieve a missing ruby on a Caribbean island, where he knows his ex-girlfriend (Mary Murphy) is. When he gets there and sees her in a market, she runs away. He finds out that there is intrigue aplenty and his ex is possibly in it up to her neck. Can he trust her?

          This was a decent one, the third of three teamings of John Payne with director Phil Karlson. (first was Kansas City Confidential, second was 99 River Street) It uses a lot of familiar elements from other noirs and does so mostly successfully. I found the story kinda bogged down here and there, but is generally solid. Some good action and surprises.

          The other two movies I mentioned are better, especially the mighty K.C.C., but this is still worth a look, especially if you enjoy Payne as a tough guy.

          As an aside, Mary Murphy sure can walk away!



          *the lovely actress, not the incredibly annoying screeching woman on those dance shows!

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          Storyline

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          Did you know

          Edit
          • Trivia
            Final film of Francis L. Sullivan (Barzland).
          • Goofs
            All entries contain spoilers
          • Quotes

            Mike Cormack: I've been beaten, badgered, hit over the head, and mixed up in three killings, and believe me, I'm going to find out why.

          • Connections
            Referenced in À travers les ténèbres (1959)
          • Soundtracks
            Written on the Wind
            Music Victor Young

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          FAQ13

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          Details

          Edit
          • Release date
            • June 27, 1955 (United States)
          • Country of origin
            • United States
          • Languages
            • English
            • Spanish
          • Also known as
            • Hell's Island
          • Filming locations
            • Paramount Studios - 5555 Melrose Avenue, Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, USA(Studio)
          • Production company
            • Pine-Thomas Productions
          • See more company credits at IMDbPro

          Tech specs

          Edit
          • Runtime
            • 1h 24m(84 min)
          • Aspect ratio
            • 1.85 : 1

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