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Hell Boats (1970) More at IMDbPro »

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Overview

User Rating:
4.3/10   76 votes
MOVIEmeter: ?
Down 13% in popularity this week. See why on IMDbPro.
Director:
Paul Wendkos
Writers:
Derek Ford (screenplay)
Donald Ford (screenplay)
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Contact:
View company contact information for Hell Boats on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
20 March 1970 (Denmark) more
Genre:
War | Drama more
Tagline:
Their job: HIT IT HEAD-ON! Their target: HELL-ON-EARTH!
Plot Keywords:
more
User Comments:
Understated and Sensitive more (1 total)

Cast

  (Cast overview, first billed only)
James Franciscus ... Lt. Comdr. Jeffords, R.N.V.R.

Elizabeth Shepherd ... Alison
Ronald Allen ... Comdr. Ashurst, R.N.
Reuven Bar-Yotam ... C.P.O. Yacov (as Reuven Bar Yotam)
Mark Hawkins ... Lieut. Barlow, R.N.
Magda Konopka ... Luciana
Drewe Henley ... Sub. Lt. Johnson, R.N.
Inigo Jackson ... C.P.O. Stanhope
Takis Emmanuel ... Salvatore
Philip Madoc ... 'E' Boat Captain
John G. Heller ... Rheinhardt
David Savile ... Lieut. Wallace, R.N.
Sean Barrett ... Sub. Lt. Hendrickson, R.N.V.R.
Bernard Davies ... Cramer
Moultrie Kelsall ... Vice Admiral Ashurst
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Additional Details

Also Known As:
MTB Malta World War 2 (Australia) (video title)
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Parents Guide:
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Runtime:
UK:95 min
Country:
USA
Language:
English
Color:
Color (Technicolor)
Sound Mix:
Mono
Certification:
Sweden:15 | USA:GP | UK:A
Filming Locations:
Fort St. Rocco, Kalkara, Malta more
Company:
Mirisch Films more

Fun Stuff

Goofs:
Continuity: In the opening battle scene, the colliding boats explode before they hit each other. more

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User Comments

   (Comment on this title)
5 out of 9 people found the following comment useful.
Understated and Sensitive, 2 February 2007
8/10
Author: no2-10 from United Kingdom

Superficially it's a war drama of the tiny motor torpedo boats which did much unsung work in WW2, but the naval battles merely provide an exciting story in which an even more special romantic drama is wrapped up. The difficult love triangle involves the stuffy, awkward Brit and his unhappy wife, complicated by the arrival of the flamboyant American. The three play their parts beautifully as the tension rises; husband suspects wife, she is agonisingly torn between the two, lover tries to win her over.

Additionally there is an element of professional respect between the officers, which only serves to frustrate their base instincts, as the competent yet uncertain Brit tries to hold onto both a command and a wife he knows he doesn't deserve, and the daring yet sensitive American (a divorcée?) starts to see some semblance of bravery fighting to break out from the Brit's inhibited facade. Very like real life, the path of love does not run true, and the result is thus more realistic than one would expect from a movie. The madcap plans to outwit the enemy mimic perhaps, the deceptions played out in the romance.

This may not be a totally memorable film, but it has some finely understated beauty, which quietly avoids using hackneyed stereotypes, and mawkish efforts at pathos.

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Related Links

Full cast and crew Company credits IMDb War section
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