Back Door to Hell

I am not a great fan of Monte Hellman's films, but they were a witness of the seventies period. This small budget war flick is worth seeing for the directing skills, and the early perfomance of Jack Nicholson. For the rest, it's just another war film, taking place in the Philippines during WW2. Predictable, with no real unforgettable scenes, the short length provides more intensity in this plot which is not that surprising. The result is a sharp and tense story, with enough action scenes to entertain. And Monte Hellman, no matter my taste, is an iconic film maker from the seventies, this movie not his most famous though, but still worth viewing.

A trio of American soldiers sneak into the Japanese-held Philippines to scout it out for the forthcoming invasion. However, once they meet up with the local partisans, they come to realize that the war these locals have been waging isn't a 'nice' war but a war without rules and a war without pity. At first, the soldiers balk at this--murdering and torturing prisoners ISN'T what they were trained to do! However, they must forge some alliance with these Filipinos and work behind enemy lines without being detected...and this might just mean adopting the same tactics as their new allies.

While the very low budget in this film is rather apparent (with the use of non-stars, at least at that time, as well as a HUGE chunk of stock footage near the end), it's a good but certainly not great film. I appreciated how the film presented a side of war not seen in WWII films made during the war--that sometimes soldiers need to be vicious and not exactly noble creatures! Plus, it gives you a chance to see Jack Nicholson in the sort of film in which you might never expect him to act. Mildly interesting.

World War II has probably been the most focused-on topic in cinema. Practically every genre has depicted the six-year global conflict. There's no shortage of famous movies about it - I recently saw "A Bridge Too Far" - but there are also the lesser known movies. Monte Hellman's "Back Door to Hell" is an example. It depicts some US troops (one of them played by a young Jack Nicholson) scoping out the Japanese-occupied Philippines to prepare for a US invasion. Joining up with some locals who are waging a guerrilla war against the occupiers, the US troops soon find out that this is no time to play fair.

It's no masterpiece, but still a good focus on how it's hard to be the "good guy" in a desperate situation. I understand that all sides flouted the Geneva Conventions during WWII. And it turned out to not even be the last war ever fought.

Anyway, interesting movie.

'Back Door to Hell' is much better war film that one can expect from low budgeted B-movie. Little rough on the edges, but well put together with good story, enough tension and enough meaty characters to care for till to the end. The big battle in the end is cut together from stock footage, but that shouldn't come as a big shock.

Three men reconnaissance unit with hardened cynical sergeant Jersey (John Hackett) and philosophical wise cracker Burnett (Jack Nicholson) led by lieutenant Craig (played by pop singer Jimmy Rodgers who also was one of the financial backers), are on the mission in Luzon, Phillipines to gather information about the movements of Japanese troops prior to American invasion. Team must meet with guerrilla leader Miguel, but they find new leader Paco (Conrad Maga) instead, and learn that Miguel has been killed off by Paco himself. No certain explanation is given, except Paco's ambiguous answer, that you can't trust people during the occupation.

'Back Door to Hell' is not your typical anti-war film, nor 'we are the awesome heroes' type action piece. The film has a little existential and philosophical point of view, but it rather just depicts the war and its horrors. All this is enlivened by the location of Philippines.

The film didn't get much praise upon its release, and it is rather forgotten today, except when someone points it out as one of the earliest roles of Jack Nicholson (whose performance alone is definitely the reason to check out the film). But there are much more in that film. You can say that 'Back Door to Hell' is a film with personality.

Many great lines come from Jack Nicholson's character, but my favorite one is his answer to Jersey, when he asks: "We're all gonna die anyway - tomorrow, next week, 30 years from now. Did that little thought ever penetrate your thick skull?" And Burnett retorts: "Yeah, once when I was a boy, but naturally I dismissed it as being too outrageous."

P.S. Can anyone confirm, was it Japanese/American character actor Mako Iwamatsu in the role of captured Japanese soldier?

This movie begins with three American soldiers by the names of "Lieutenant Craig" (Jimmie Rodgers), a sergeant by the name of "Jersey" (John Hackett) and a soldier with the last name of "Burnett" (Jack Nicholson) wading ashore on the island of Luzon in 1944. Their mission is to scout out the area in preparation of an American landing. To accomplish their mission they need to rely on a Filipino guerrilla leader by the name of "Paco" (Conrad Maga) who harbors a deep resentment for the Americans--but he hates the Japanese even more and so reluctantly agrees to assist them--but everything must be on his terms. Now rather than reveal any more I will just say that this was a solid World War II film which is probably most notable for featuring Jack Nicholson at a young age in a supporting role. Although the film was certainly watchable I personally thought that the plot was rather basic and could have used a bit more added drama here or there. But that's just my opinion. All in all then, I rate the movie as about average and recommend it to those who might be interested in a film of this type.