IMDb > Five Gates to Hell (1959)

Five Gates to Hell (1959) More at IMDbPro »


Overview

User Rating:
5.2/10   46 votes
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Director:
James Clavell
Writer:
James Clavell (writer)
Contact:
View company contact information for Five Gates to Hell on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
23 September 1959 (USA) more
Genre:
War | Drama more
Tagline:
Women...Ravished and Shamed in War-Torn Indo-China more
User Comments:
Shabby little shocker more (6 total)

Cast

  (Complete credited cast)

Dolores Michaels ... Athena
Patricia Owens ... Joy
Neville Brand ... Chen Pamok
Ken Scott ... Dr. John Richter

Nobu McCarthy ... Chioko
Benson Fong ... Gung Sa
Nancy Kulp ... Susette
John Morley ... Dr. Jacques Minelle
Gerry Gaylor ... Greta
Shirley Knight ... Sister Maria
Greta Chi ... Yoette
Linda Wong ... Ming Cha
Irish McCalla ... Sister Magdalena
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Additional Details

Runtime:
98 min
Country:
USA
Language:
English
Aspect Ratio:
2.35 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
Mono (RCA Sound System)

Fun Stuff

Soundtrack:
Athena's Theme more

FAQ

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2 out of 7 people found the following comment useful.
Shabby little shocker, 17 January 2005
1/10
Author: reelguy2 from Boulder, Colorado

George Bernard Shaw once referred to Puccini's Tosca as that "shabby little shocker." That's an apt description for this Vietnam war film written and directed by James Clavell. Every manner of atrocity is committed in this unredeemable mess: garroting, rape, human boiling, crucifixion, pick-ax murder, and of course point blank shooting. Sure, it's a bloody war, but Clavell goes for the obvious sensational effect, without meaningful human values, much in the same way we've seen more recently in slasher pics.

Clavell manages to elicit terrible performances from his usually-commendable team of actors. Patricia Owens as a cynical nurse and Shirley Knight as a sanctimonious nun win the awards for bad acting against fierce competition. And for all the murders he commits, the usually tough Neville Brand is surprisingly innocuous, although it doesn't help that he's forced to play a Vietnamese leader. Greta Chi gives the best performance; doesn't that say it all?

There's some consolation at the end of the film when the women take arms against their captors. It's rather cathartic, I have to admit. But for sheer unpleasantness for most of its running time, this is a movie to avoid.

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Related Links

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