Blood Alley

I love this old movie and not because I'm a dyed in the wool John Wayne fan, because I'm not! There's a couple of other Wayne movies I like but not a lot! The Rooster Coburn ones are a couple! I don't watch a movie for the technical mistakes or say who was miscast! If I really like one it becomes a "favourite" and may be brought out fairly often! This is one of my very "favourites"! I can't really tell you why, maybe it's the idea of a whole village escaping from Red China, plausible or not! I love happy endings!! Maybe it's because I'm an old fart of 80! Don't give me violence or a lot of bed hopping that's not for me or 4 letter words either! I didn't hear a single one! I would like to point out that Amoy is on the coast of China.

Blood Alley stars John Wayne as a resolute boat captain (replacing Robert Mitchum) who becomes involved in evacuating a Chinese village - and Lauren Bacall - across the perilous Formosa Strait (also known as Blood Alley) on a rickety paddle steamer, heading for safety in Hong Kong. Wayne and Bacall share strong chemistry, despite Hedda Hopper's critical comments in her column, where she dismissed Bacall's casting as detrimental to the film (which it isn't).

Several white actors portray Chinese characters (including Paul Fix and Berry Kroeger), and Mike Mazurki shines in one of his best roles as Big Han, though it's unclear whether his character is meant to be Chinese, Mongolian, or something else.

Henry Nakamura delivers a solid performance as the sharp-tongued engineer. An interesting bit of trivia: Swedish actress Anita Ekberg plays a Chinese peasant and won the Golden Globe for Most Promising Newcomer, despite appearing in just two or three scenes, with no lines of dialogue.

I've seen nearly all of John Wayne's A list films, but never caught "Blood Alley" til a recent showing on TCM. Looking at the credits I was pleasantly surprised that this 1955 offering was filmed in color, Panavision and directed by the great Wild Bill Wellman. It is gorgeously filmed and the action scenes are plenty and well done, as The Duke is a South Seas Captain sprung from a Communist Chinese prison to pilot a paddleboat that will take oppressed villagers from mainland China to freedom in Hong Kong. BTW, Wayne looked remarkably fit and healthy after 2 years in solitary confinement. He also acquired, to keep his sanity, a habit of talking to an imaginary character he calls "Baby." This may have been a good device in author Albert Fleischmann's novel, but in a movie script it's annoying. Lauren Bacall is the daughter of a missionary and even in the hot and stultifying humidity her hair, makeup, and clothing always look perfect. Naturally her and The Duke fall in love, but there is no chemistry. As mentioned, some great action scenes as storms, treason, and the Red Chinese Navy tries to stop them.

William Wellman solidly directed and William Clothier beautifully photographed this preposterous Cold War saga of Chinese villagers that steal an old stern-wheeler ferry to escape from Red China. The entire village uproots and sails the ancient dilapidated vessel through the treacherous Formosa Straits, which are known as Blood Alley, towards Hong Kong and freedom. Of course, with a stalwart John Wayne at the helm, the boat is in good hands, at least when the Duke is not distracted by Lauren Bacall. Bacall, who seems to have wandered in from another film, has confused living in a small Chinese fishing village with taking a suite at the Hong Kong Hilton. Her stylish clothes are always immaculate and fresh; her make-up is perfectly applied; and her coiffures must have taken hours to complete. The brass bed in her room always has clean, pressed sheets, and an invisible army of elves evidently sweeps and dusts her home every night.

But, aside from the incongruities and the racial stereotyping that was rampant when the film was produced, "Blood Alley" is an incredibly entertaining film that holds up to repeated viewings. Once the action leaves land, the escape at sea is exciting and often tense. Gunboats, storms, and treachery abound, although the Duke never loses his good-natured cool. Neither does Bacall, who remains confused about her surroundings and is dressed and manicured for a cruise aboard the Queen Mary. However, the film is great fun, if not as campy as it could have been. Mike Mazurki lends good support as a loyal Chinese villager, although he looks less Asian than John Wayne did in "The Conqueror."

The stunningly composed landscapes that are bathed in ravishing colors and splashed across the Cinemascope screen are worth a viewing in themselves. The beauty of the countryside should have kept Wayne's attention focused, because Bacall is too cold and hard as a love interest, even for a man who ostensibly spent years in a Chinese prison. Maureen O'Hara always played well with Wayne, and perhaps she would have injected some blood and life into the role. Nevertheless, "Blood Alley" remains a guilty pleasure and loads of fun for those who love watching John Wayne play John Wayne and do not demand an entirely credible storyline.

I was sparked to comment after reading another user comment here that contended Blood Alley is one of John Wayne's worst films. It may not be at the top of the heap, but it's far from the bottom. It well accomplishes what it sets out to do--entertain: fun, engrossing, action-packed and--on the wide-screen edition DVD I have--beautiful to behold.

The reviewer especially criticized Wayne's frequent side comments to "Baby" and the film's having non-Orientals playing the Chinese. I didn't find either factor a deterrent to my enjoyment. First, I took Baby to be Wayne's guardian angel more than an imaginary girlfriend. And I think his occasional comment to her was fitting. Yeah, the Captain Wilder got a little dotty after spending all those years alone in that cell. His hangup about "tennis shoes" was another example of his having gone a bit stir crazy.

Having non-Orientals play Chinese or Japanese was not uncommon in the Hollywood of yesteryear. Remember Charlie Chan and Mr. Moto? And closer to our time David Carradine in Kung Fu. I never understood why this is a stumbling-block for some people. And in Blood Alley the American actors playing Chinese did a great job.

Paul Fix first and foremost gets a nod. He made Mr. Tso a distinct character through mannerisms and distinctive sage-like speech. I especially liked the scene where Captain Wilder told him to toss that ornate sculpture in the furnace to fuel the ship, "That'll burn" Duke says, but Fix calmly notes how a craftsman put 10 years of his life into creating it. Here was a man who respected and had appreciation for the intangible things, like beauty and like freedom, which is what Mr. Tso was risking his life to help his townspeople regain.

Mike Mazurki also gets kudos for putting in a great performance as Big Hans. No, he didn't really look Oriental, but he brought weight to his part, especially in his first scene. You could tell that he was a guy you could count on. And for film buffs familiar with Mazurki, wasn't it nice to see him playing a good guy for a change?

Finally, the reviewer said Lauren Bacall was wooden. Well, was she ever among Hollywood's most dynamic actresses? I thought she did a good job with what she had to work with. She did seem tacked onto the film and her story was secondary to the main plot. I never did get a firm grasp on the subplot involving her father or why she ran off in the ship graveyard. However, she did sizzle in the scenes in the pilot house, especially when coming between Wilder and the ship's wheel. Yes, this film was not her finest hour, but Bacall certainly redeemed herself in The Shootist and proved she did indeed have an on-screen chemistry with Wayne.

Admittedly Blood Alley does not have a place in the crowded pantheon of GREAT John Wayne films, but it is certainly not among his worst! And as a huge fan of the Duke I can't even suggest a film for that dishonor. For me, any film featuring John Wayne is going to be better than most anything else on at the same time.