The Devil's Keep

This minor, Portland, Oregon-based, low-budget film could have been fun, but takes itself so seriously that it misses nearly every opportunity to be entertaining. The female lead (Miss Gathering Marbet, I kid you not) is so full of herself that you'd wish she got bumped off early in the picture (or at least experimented upon by the Nazi villains). Everyone seemed committed to the project, if nothing else, so too bad it all turned out so simpleminded and childish. I watched this picture on DVD which contained some secret Nazi tidbits that were fun, and a director's commentary that was virtually non-existent.

The main appeal of this film is for those of us who like to see Portland locations in a movie. While the plot is ludicrous and slow-moving, the acting silly and the pacing almost nonexistent, it is nice to see Mt. Scott, the Portland airport and the waterfront prominently displayed. My friend Hans was an extra in this film, but wound up on the cutting-room floor. Better luck next time, Hans.

I caught this flick one rainy Sunday afternoon on cable not knowing what it was, and it was better than I would've thought. The story moves from Oregon to London to Austria, and nobody changes clothes once! The story is decent, the acting ok, but there's enough to keep you interested for 90 minutes or so. There was one scene that had me rolling though: The lead actor shoots a bad guy in the leg at one point (in Oregon), then several days pass and the climax takes place in a graveyard in Austria. The bad guy comes limping into the scene with a bleeding handkerchief around his leg! Slight continuity problem I think. Anyway, I'd give it 6/10. Plus I doubt you'll ever see an actress with first name "Gathering" ever again.

Having worked on this film back in the early nineties, I remember distinctly that I was witnessing one of the dopiest films ever being made in front of my eyes. The director, Don Gronquist, was so inept that he had us drive a huge water truck up the winding road of a mountain for a rain scene. All he filmed that night was some guys in the back of a covered truck (he could have done that in a parking lot). At the time everyone ooed and ahhed at the script (I guess it was good for Portland) but jeez louise, it was poorly written. If you can find this title anywhere, get it, because it is a great howler. Prepare your ears for one of the worst music scores ever written for a movie.

The Devil's Keep certainly won't win any awards for anything, but it is somewhat enjoyable. Perhaps I am prejudice since I like stories concerning WW2 and Nazi-era Germany.

This was apparently only the 2nd film directed by Don Gronquist, who had done the low-budget "Unhinged" in 1982. He does a decent job, but nothing that really sets his work apart from the average.

The script of The Devil's Keep should have been developed further, the screen time of the movie is a little long. The plot of the movie is vaguely similar to the classic movie "Boys From Brazil", albeit on a much lower budget. The Devil's Keep concerns lost Nazi gold and modern day conspiracy, which has been done before. The problem with The Devil's Keep is that it goes a little over the edge on the entire conspiracy issue...sometimes it's simply difficult for the viewer to suspend their disbelief.

One last problem with the movie is the "Old Man Makeup" on a few actors throughout the film. It looks quite fake on the actors and I really don't understand why they just didn't use actors who were seniors. Maybe they wouldn't look exactly like the younger actors in the 1945 flashbacks, but it would have been much more convincing than the bad makeup.