Passable Wayne outing finds the Duke as an American skipper stuck in a Red Chinese jail (don't know why) and sprung by some villagers who want him to pilot them off the mainland to Hong Kong via a rickety riverboat. Amongst the passengers is Lauren Bacall, daughter of an American doctor and an influential person in the village. A stormy love interest develops between Wayne and Bacall as he takes the slow boat through the Formosa Straits despite the presence of Chinese gunboats. Why is this movie worth watching? First, good chemistry between the Duke and Bacall. She's believably tough and has some good moments putting the Duke in his place. Second, interesting photography and sets seem to capture the feel of the China coast though it was shot (as one reviewer has noted) in California. Third, the plot moves pretty quickly though, strangely, nothing much dramatic happens. And this brings up the flaw in the movie. At the outset, the Duke tells the village leaders that their scheme to use a paddle-boat on an ocean escape is crazy -- the boat is extremely slow and, being flat-bottomed, is likely to sink in rough ocean water. Moreover, they have no charts. We later learn that the compass is flaky as well. But we never see Duke solving any of these problems, never laying out a plan or having any sort of technical conversation with anyone on board. He's not rattles at all when they encounter a raging gale. He just pilots the boat as if he were driving from New York to Albany and encountering some rain along the way. It's just too easy and the drama of the journey is lost. Best moment: Bacall pushing Duke into a wall and telling him "And keep your hands off me." Worst moment: realizing that Mike Mazurki, with no makeup and not even a hint of an accent, is supposed to be a Chinese villager!
Review of Blood Alley
