Ghost of the China Sea (1958)

So much average

Entertaining from beginning to end, it maintains the spirit of the franchise while establishing it's own seal with a fun cast

The performances transcend the film's tropes, grounding it in characters that feel more complete than this subgenre often produces.

After playing with our expectations, this turns out to be a very different sort of film.

The story idea for "Ghost of the China Sea" is very good and it intrigued me. Sadly, however, some of the writing was disappointing--with some very cliched characters as well as their dialog.The film begins just after the Japanese invaded the Philippines during World War II. The American and Filipino forces are in retreat and the movie is about a rag-tag group of civilians and a navy seaman as they try to avoid the Japanese and make it to safety. The best thing about this film is the leader of the group, played by David Brian. His character is tough, cynical and a bit blood-thirsty....as he smiles as his men machine gun a group of Japanese prisoners! But the rest of the characters are pretty terrible. There's the female who is only there to look nice and to be a love interest for the hero and the preacher--both of which say the dumbest things and COULD have been interesting characters. Overall, a mixed bag that doesn't amount to a rousing film nor one I can wholeheartedly endorse.By the way, early in the film the group is being held prisoner by a lone Japanese private. The man who plays the private is Kam Fong--the guy who played Chin Ho Kelly on "Hawaii Five-O" for about a decade.

Set in World War 2 Philippines, a diverse group of people try to escape the Japanese invasion by sea in a patchwork small ship. I saw the movie on youtube and it was a very good print. The cinematography was the best part of the film, it is a well shot film with beautiful black and white scenery. The plot moves quickly and follows a logical if cliched progression. However, the characters are little more than stereotypes and some of the dialogue is very corny. It is a very average action war film, it is enjoyable escapism if you do not expect too much.

There is no more ghost here than there was a Jew in Hitler's office !!It's not a horror flick we're talking about, but a good old war adventure that takes place during WW 2 in the Philippines. A group of Americans are surprised during the war and try to escape from the Japanese army. It's not a masterpiece, as you can guess. But it's rather entertaining, well paced and the characters are not so bad described. But there is no amazing sequences, just a little stock shots during battle moments. David Brian has the lead and this was Fred F Sears final picture.That's all folks.I think this film came from a 16 mm print. Not from a TV taping off.