Duel on the Mississippi (1955)
** (out of 4)
Plantation owner Andre Tulane (Lex Barker) finds himself in debt to the gambler Lili Scarlet (Patricia Medina) and the two are at each other's throats until one day when Tulane comes to the rescue and soon they are teaming up against some pirates.
William Castle's DUEL ON THE MISSISSIPPI is another film from the cult director that is mildly entertaining but at the same time it's pretty mediocre as far as its technical qualities. I say that because watching the film you couldn't help but give Castle a little credit since the film was well-made for the most part but there just wasn't enough here to bring the film alive and a lot of blame can go towards the screenplay.
The biggest issue I had with the screenplay is that there was a lot of plot and subplot but very little brains. In fact, the film was so watered down with various characters being introduced that it was very easy to lose track of what was going on. I never really cared about the battle between the two leads and there really wasn't anything happening in the story that kept my attention.
The cast, for the most part is good and Barker gets to show what he could do outside of Tarzan and the jungle. I thought he was pretty good for what the role required. The supporting players were good and that includes Medina. When all is said and done, DUEL ON THE MISSISSIPPI will appeal to fans of Castle but there's not enough here for most people.
** (out of 4)
Plantation owner Andre Tulane (Lex Barker) finds himself in debt to the gambler Lili Scarlet (Patricia Medina) and the two are at each other's throats until one day when Tulane comes to the rescue and soon they are teaming up against some pirates.
William Castle's DUEL ON THE MISSISSIPPI is another film from the cult director that is mildly entertaining but at the same time it's pretty mediocre as far as its technical qualities. I say that because watching the film you couldn't help but give Castle a little credit since the film was well-made for the most part but there just wasn't enough here to bring the film alive and a lot of blame can go towards the screenplay.
The biggest issue I had with the screenplay is that there was a lot of plot and subplot but very little brains. In fact, the film was so watered down with various characters being introduced that it was very easy to lose track of what was going on. I never really cared about the battle between the two leads and there really wasn't anything happening in the story that kept my attention.
The cast, for the most part is good and Barker gets to show what he could do outside of Tarzan and the jungle. I thought he was pretty good for what the role required. The supporting players were good and that includes Medina. When all is said and done, DUEL ON THE MISSISSIPPI will appeal to fans of Castle but there's not enough here for most people.