6.5/10
3,845
47 user 10 critic

Hellfighters (1968)

G | | Action, Adventure, Drama | 27 November 1968 (USA)
Hellfighters Poster
The story of macho oil well firefighters and their wives.

Director:

Writer:

(screenplay)

Stars:

, , | See full cast & crew »
Reviews

On Disc

at Amazon

5 photos | 8 news articles »
Learn more

People who liked this also liked... 













◄ Prev 6 Next 6 ►

0 Next »
The Green Berets (1968)
Drama | War
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 5.6/10 X  

Col. Mike Kirby picks two teams of crack Green Berets for a mission in South Vietnam. First off is to build and control a camp that is trying to be taken by the enemy the second mission is to kidnap a North Vietnamese General.

Directors: Ray Kellogg, John Wayne, and 1 more credit »
Stars: John Wayne, David Janssen, Jim Hutton
0 Next »
Donovan's Reef (1963)
Adventure | Comedy | Romance
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 6.9/10 X  

Comedy subtly dealing with moral issues such as racial bigotry, corporate greed, American belief of societal superiority and hypocrisy.

Director: John Ford
Stars: John Wayne, Lee Marvin, Elizabeth Allen
0 Next »
Cahill U.S. Marshal (1973)
Drama | Western
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 6.5/10 X  

J.D. Cahill is the toughest U.S. Marshal they've got, just the sound of his name makes bad guys stop in their tracks, so when his two young boys want to get his attention they decide to rob... See full summary »

Director: Andrew V. McLaglen
Stars: John Wayne, George Kennedy, Gary Grimes
0 Next »
The Undefeated (1969)
Western
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 6.7/10 X  

After the Civil War, ex-Union Colonel John Henry Thomas and ex-Confederate Colonel James Langdon are leading two disparate groups of people through strife-torn Mexico. John Henry and ... See full summary »

Director: Andrew V. McLaglen
Stars: John Wayne, Rock Hudson, Antonio Aguilar
0 Next »
Rooster Cogburn (1975)
Adventure | Drama | Western
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 6.9/10 X  

Marshal Rooster Cogburn unwillingly teams up with Eula Goodnight to track down the killers of her father.

Director: Stuart Millar
Stars: John Wayne, Katharine Hepburn, Anthony Zerbe
0 Next »
The War Wagon (1967)
Western
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 6.9/10 X  

The story of a man who was shot, robbed and imprisoned who returns to steal a large gold shipment from the man who wronged him. The gold is transported in an armored stage coach, the War Wagon.

Director: Burt Kennedy
Stars: John Wayne, Kirk Douglas, Howard Keel
0 Next »
McLintock! (1963)
Comedy | Romance | Western
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 7.3/10 X  

Wealthy rancher G.W. McLintock uses his power and influence in the territory to keep the peace between farmers, ranchers, land-grabbers, Indians and corrupt government officials.

Director: Andrew V. McLaglen
Stars: John Wayne, Maureen O'Hara, Patrick Wayne
0 Next »
Chisum (1970)
Biography | Western
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 6.9/10 X  

Cattle baron John Chisum joins forces with Billy the Kid and Pat Garrett to fight the Lincoln County land war.

Director: Andrew V. McLaglen
Stars: John Wayne, Forrest Tucker, Christopher George
0 Next »
Big Jake (1971)
Certificate: GP Action | Crime | Drama
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 7.2/10 X  

In 1909, when John Fain's gang kidnaps Big Jake McCandles' grandson and hold him for ransom, Big Jake sets out to rescue the boy.

Directors: George Sherman, John Wayne
Stars: John Wayne, Richard Boone, Maureen O'Hara
0 Next »
Rio Lobo (1970)
Adventure | Western | Romance
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 6.8/10 X  

After the Civil War, Cord McNally searches for the traitor whose perfidy caused the defeat of McNally's unit and the loss of a close friend.

Director: Howard Hawks
Stars: John Wayne, Jorge Rivero, Jennifer O'Neill
0 Next »
The Train Robbers (1973)
Comedy | Romance | Western
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 6.4/10 X  

A gunhand named Lane is hired by a widow, Mrs. Lowe, to find gold stolen by her husband so that she may return it and start fresh.

Director: Burt Kennedy
Stars: John Wayne, Ann-Margret, Rod Taylor
0 Next »
The Sons of Katie Elder (1965)
Western
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 7.2/10 X  

Ranch owner Katie Elder's four sons determine to avenge the murder of their father and the swindling of their mother.

Director: Henry Hathaway
Stars: John Wayne, Dean Martin, Martha Hyer
Edit

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
...
...
Tish Buckman
...
Greg Parker
...
Madelyn Buckman
...
Jack Lomax
...
Joe Horn
Edward Faulkner ...
George Harris
Barbara Stuart ...
Irene Foster
Edmund Hashim ...
Colonel Valdez
Valentin de Vargas ...
Amal Bokru (as Valentin De Vargas)
Frances Fong ...
Madame Loo
Alberto Morin ...
General Lopez
...
Harry York
...
Helen Meadows
John Alderson ...
Jim Hatch
See full cast »
Edit

Storyline

The adventures of oil well fire specialist Chance Buckman (based on real-life Red Adair), who extinguishes massive fires in oil fields around the world. Written by Jim Beaver <jumblejim@prodigy.net>

Plot Summary | Add Synopsis

Plot Keywords:

oil | fire | oil well | firefighter | guerrilla | See All (88) »

Taglines:

The Toughest Hellfighter Of All! [Australia Theatrical]

Genres:

Action | Adventure | Drama | Romance

Certificate:

G | See all certifications »

Parents Guide:

 »
Edit

Details

Country:

Language:

|

Release Date:

27 November 1968 (USA)  »

Also Known As:

Die Unerschrockenen  »

Filming Locations:

 »

Company Credits

Production Co:

 »
Show detailed on  »

Technical Specs

Runtime:

| (cut)

Sound Mix:

(Westrex Recording System)| (Australia)

Color:

(Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1
See  »
Edit

Did You Know?

Trivia

When asked to comment on the film during production, actress Katharine Ross replied, "It's the biggest piece of crap I've ever done!" Then the reporter asked Vera Miles to respond to Ross's comment. She thought for a moment and said, "Well, it's not the biggest piece of crap I'VE ever done!" See more »

Goofs

When the Hellfighters are fighting the first oil well fire, they explode nitro glycerine over the oil rig to extinguish the fire. After the explosion, the fire is still burning! See more »

Quotes

[last lines]
Tish Buckman: I think we oughta get her a tin hat.
See more »

Crazy Credits

The cast list in the opening titles lists six actors not found in the closing credits, but not Louie, Bebe, who is found in the end list. See more »

Connections

Featured in The Sopranos: Walk Like a Man (2007) See more »

Frequently Asked Questions

This FAQ is empty. Add the first question.

User Reviews

 
John Wayne portrays a modern-day hero.
17 February 2007 | by (United States) – See all my reviews

When I first saw "Hellfighters" I was only about 13 years old. The movie certainly captivated me, in part because it seemed so realistic. Also, the slogan of the Buckman Company really appealed to me. "Around the world, around the clock." This was a story about someone who really went the distance to help people.

This movie was so visually stunning that Popular Mechanics ran a cover story on the special effects, describing how a mixture of propane and diesel oil was used to make the fires, which were fed by underground pipes. It also explained that Red Adair really did use explosives to put out oil well fires, which many people found hard to believe.

This was a highly believable, present day performance by John Wayne, which is somewhat special in and of itself. There was only one brawl, which was all good fun, and we even get to see Mr. Wayne get a face full of what looks kind of like oil. (It was dyed water.) There is no heavy, moralistic message to this film, a minimum of flag waving, and watching it is just plain fun.
15 of 18 people found this review helpful.  Was this review helpful to you?
Review this title | See all 47 user reviews »

Message Boards

Recent Posts
Maybe Time for a Remake? Hellfighters actnfla
Did Ross and Hutton get along? mrsbookbabe
is the duke killed in this movie? aardvarkpat
Re: Hearing things?? jaynormarshan
CALHOUN'S AGENT louhaby
What type of planes at end of movie? cormack-1
Discuss Hellfighters (1968) on the IMDb message boards »
Getting Started | Contributor Zone »

Contribute to This Page

Write review
Create a character page for:
?