A Place in Hell is another in the cycle of films often categorised as Macaroni Combat. These Italian films are sort of war-action alternatives to the spaghetti westerns. But there is a reason that these movies aren't remembered by anyone outside of Euro-cult enthusiasts and that is that by-in-large they are pretty unremarkable and, unlike the spaghettis, they don't have nearly as many factors that make them stand out as a genre of their own. This one, like 36 Hours of Hell from the same year, is set in the Pacific, on-location in the Philippines to be more precise. This does make it a little more distinctive from most in the genre which were set in Europe or North Africa. Set during World War II, its story focuses on survivors of the Japanese attack on Manila, including a journalist, a hooker and an Italian soldier. They end up on a Pacific island overrun by the Japanese and are soon joined by a band of Allied soldiers who are in the process of trying to recapture a radar base from the enemy.
Despite the setting, I found this one to be a little too slow moving for my liking. It wasn't especially thrilling or particularly interesting either. I found 36 Hours of Hell to be a better example of this kind of thing to be honest. I expect it will still be of interest to Euro-war film fans though.
Despite the setting, I found this one to be a little too slow moving for my liking. It wasn't especially thrilling or particularly interesting either. I found 36 Hours of Hell to be a better example of this kind of thing to be honest. I expect it will still be of interest to Euro-war film fans though.