Prison Ship

For a very short movie, "Prison Ship", is surprisingly entertaining and tragically oh so believable.

The premise of the movie is based on fact. Japanese ships transporting prisoners-of-war during World War 2 did indeed offer themselves up as decoy targets, hoping to draw the US submarines away from their desired cargo ships and warships.

From that point the movie becomes a feel good exercise for an American audience, that by 1945 had cultivated a deep loathing for their enemy, and wished to see their own servicemen triumph against any and all impossible odds.

By 1945 Richard Loo was able to play his role blindfolded. Between late 1941 through to 1945 he was in 34 movies, invariably as the bad guy. In this movie Loo was the standout, the rest of the cast were merely competent.

If you have a spare hour, have a look, it's worthwhile for a fan of the genre.

The war is over. Japan has surrendered. Stories of their brutality are now surfacing. On Karaku Island, allied prisoners and captured civilians are being loaded onto a ship for destination unknown. British journalist Anne Graham is hiding amongst the prisoners with photos of Japanese atrocities. The group finds it odd that they're not blacked out at night. They're being used as decoys for American submarines. They plan a breakout from the prison ship.

When they start fighting, I don't know why almost everybody is standing back. The least they can do is smack the guard with their tin cups. I also don't like the Captain catching them with the dead guard. He would never allow them to live after that. The situation needs to make more sense. This would be a great prison escape movie if it's done more competently.

Westerners of all ages and states of life are prisoners of the Japanese military. They are being carried by ship to prison. Soon, however, they realize that the ship's captain, Richard Loo, is commanding a death ship, intending to kill them all, when he isn't sticking their hands in quicklime.

It's one step up from an exploitation film; Code-compliant, but hinting broadly with a large wink, a leer, and a sharp elbow to the ribs, making sure that the audience doesn't miss the implications, IF YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN!!!! In the midst of leering plot, and the cheap sets, the cast proves itself capable of moderation and modulation, particularly Nina Foch and Barry Bernard.

Miss Foch was a far more capable actress than her curriculum vitae would suggest. She came up through the cheap studios, a B Actress, and by the time she peaked in the mid-1950s with an Oscar nomination, she stuck against being in her thirties (just this side of death to any but an established star!) and the accelerating collapse of the Studio system. As she had, she continued to work and work well, in front of and behind the camera, until her death in 2008 at the age of 84.

"Prison Ship" is an unusual film in that it clearly was meant as anti-Japanese propaganda. However, like "First Yank in Tokyo" it took too long to get the movie to theaters and actually debuted just AFTER WWII had concluded. Because of this, I am sure it did poorly at the box office, as folks just wanted to get on with life and forget that awful war.

The movie's odd plot, according to IMDB and other sources, isn't far from reality. During WWII, prison ships operated by the Japanese were dubbed 'Hell Ships' due to the awful conditions. The story is set aboard one of these ships, though its purpose is different. Instead of transporting people to prison camps or work programs (where they were often worked to death), this one is a decoy ship...filled with prisoners and with lights exposed to encourage American ships to attack it. Once the prisoners realize this, they are determined to take over the ship. But, once they do...what about possible attacks on it by Allied forces??

This is not exactly a realistic story. First, like too many WWII propaganda movies, this one has a most ridiculously multinational cast of prisoners. Imagine...Dutch, American, British AND French folks all in the small group of prisoners! Second, the story has lots of plot holes and problems, such as why make a copy of the cell keys when they actually HAD the keys and easily could have opened all the cell doors?! And, when two of the prisoners attack a guard...why do all the other prisoners just stand there?! After all, they were about to die! There are more logical flaws...so it's a film you just have to watch and NOT try to understand all the difficulties!

So, is the film any good? After all, it's a cheaply made B-movie with very modest pretensions. Well, it IS entertaining and engaging. Plus, while cheap, the acting is actually pretty good. Worth seeing if you like WWII propaganda flicks OR if you are bored and curious. But certainly NOT a film to rush to see.

By the way, among the group of prisoners is one who stands out because she's mouthy and memorable and has a lot of lines. Yet, oddly, Barbara Pepper is not listed in the credits. And, if you are familiar with her, she later gained some fame as Mrs. Zipfel on "Green Acres".