Five Gates to Hell

With that title, it sounds like a vincent price camp horror film, but it's actually an adventure film, with some history thrown in. At a red cross medical unit in vietnam, 1950, a doctor ( Ken Scott) and several nurses (led by Nancy Kulp, from Beverly Hillbillies !) are taken hostage by the locals. Neville Brand is Chen, who has them operate on the local war lord. the soldiers are barbaric, and the nurses start getting attacked. and because some of the nurses are nuns, there's discussion over how much of a fight they should put up when it happens. the group must escape. somehow. the second half is their escape. written and directed by Jim Clavell, who actually WAS a prisoner of war during WW II. wrote a lot of material on experiences in asia. he passed away in 1994, but they are still remaking his story Shogun! Five Gates is very well done! he squashes a lot of story into 98 minutes.

I saw this movie long ago and I remember being riveted to the story. I thought Neville Brand was a great bad guy and the Five Gates to Hell were where he ruled. It was a very different war theme. I would like to purchase this in video if I could find a copy. I have looked about everywhere on the internet.

Vietnam, 1950. A band of Vietnamese guerillas invade a French hospital camp and carry off the nurses and doctors to perform an operation on some old geezer who is gonna croak anyway. The nurses are subjected to various atrocities (the worst of which is being cast in this film) before the inevitable breakout. This is about as close to an exploitation film as you can get from a major studio (20th Century Fox) considering the time period. The movie was shot in Cinemascope, although the print I saw was cropped.

Neville Brand, as the guerilla leader, looks as Asian as Mantan Moreland. His slicked-down hair doesn't help, either. He speaks in broken English. He yells out commands in what I assume is supposed to be Vietnamese, although I suspect he was really saying "get my freaking agent!" Dolores Michaels plays a nurse that Brand has the hots for. Nancy Kulp plays an ugly nurse that no one has the hots for. Ken Scott plays a doctor. Shirley Knight plays a nun. Benson Fong plays an Asian. Audience plays with their cell phones.

The climax isn't half bad, nor is it half good. I am no military strategist, but I'm pretty sure if the enemy is firing at you, you don't stand out in the open. Also, there is another lesson to be learned here. Never let Nancy Kulp anywhere near a hand grenade.

The day I was watching this movie, I went into labour with my second son, who has now passed away., therefore this particular movie has stuck itself into my memory, and when a friend told me today of this website, I had to see if it was listed....and it was.

I never actually saw the entire movie, and would now love to purchase it if at all possible.

Thank you. Mary Anne Sibley

So what do you have to "get over" to like this movie? The fact that standing sets and one American are used to be Vietnam. Those are small faults in a tightly put together potential exploitation film that instead manages to actually be dramatic and yes it's nasty in a war that's realistic to war in general and Vietnam in particular.

Due to a fast pace and tight dialogue this one won me over very quickly. It's well acted and there are things you won't see coming. The faith elements--both of the nuns and the doctors--are changed and broken realistically.

Unlike other Vietnam films--those made while the war was still being fought--this one presents the war in a way that time has supported, not torn down. There is no flag waving here. Also given good context and excitement to it all is a good musical score by Paul Dunlap.

James Clavell--as he proved with his novel turned movie KING RAT and with his later last film as director, THE LAST VALLEY, doesn't shy away from rape and death and nastiness in war but manages to make it about characters and drama not cheap exploitation. Which isn't to say that fans of just that wouldn't find this enjoyable and maybe even a little bit educational as well.

It's a good movie with limited production values--but makes the most of itself.