Blood Alley (1955)

How sad is this?

Pretty good movie overall. First half was nothing special but it got better as it went along.

what a terribly boring film. I'm sorry but this is absolutely not deserving of best picture and will be forgotten quickly. Entertaining and engaging cinema? No. Nothing performances with flat faces and mistaking silence for subtlety.

One of the most extraordinary films you will see this year. Take that as you want.

Two other reviewers discuss the politics of the time this movie came out – 1955. In a nutshell, the Red (Communist) Chinese government had come to power under Mao Tse Tung after the end of WW II. The Chinese then supported the North Korean communist efforts to overrun South Korea. The U.S. still had not recognized the communist government – which had won control of China by force over the smaller democratic forces of Chiang Kai-shek following WW II. Others have discussed John Wayne's patriotism – which some call "right wing." Wayne had strong feelings about his country. He used his film company, Batjac, to make some movies that espoused the American ideals of freedom, liberty and democracy. Although not as strongly as others, "Blood Alley" was one film that had such propaganda. This movie was based on a novel of the same name by Albert S. Fleischman, who also wrote the screenplay for the film. It's a simple story and plot, with a mixture of suspense, romance and action. The script and roles are not exceptional, but the film has two vehicles that drive it. The first is the overall plan for an entire village to escape Red China and flee to freedom in Hong Kong. The second is the mode for such flight – a paddle-wheel ferry. Indeed, the boat is the heart of the tale and biggest star of the film. The cast are all fine – John Wayne and Lauren Bacall make a nice team, and the supporting actors are very good. But, the settings, cast of very busy extras, and cinematography make this film exceptional. The filmmakers did an excellent job in giving us vivid scenes of the Chinese coast – having been filmed in San Francisco Bay. A 1955 review in the New York Times praised William Wellman for his direction. "But in filming his story at China Camp in San Rafael, near San Francisco, and in San Francisco Bay, Mr. Wellman appears to have approximated, in flavor at least, the authentic hilly Chinese locales as well as the reedy shores and choppy waters of the Formosa Strait. And he has added to that flavor by employing scores of Chinese-Americans as realistic 'extras.'"I should mention one scene that flaunted reality. I wonder that the filmmakers didn't notice this. Early in the film, the villagers are loading very large rocks or small boulders into their sampans. One shot shows two frail-appearing older men carrying a rock the size of a duffel bag. That is followed by shots of men passing rocks the size of bed pillows to other men in the boats. This all seems to be done with relative ease. I don't know if there may be some sort of light-weigh rocks in China, but having done considerable landscaping with large rocks, I would conclude that the men in the film were supermen, or that the rocks were fakes. Rocks the size of bed pillows would easily weigh 200 pounds or more. And one the size of a duffel bag would tip the scales at 500 pounds or more. Still, "Blood Alley" is a fine propaganda film that should entertain the whole family.

Sorry to say this but, this movie would have rated much higher if a different lead was cast. Don't get me wrong this movie is very watchable. With Wayne & Bacall starring, Paul Fix supporting, good writing, solid acting by leads and bit players it had it all but one thing... John Wayne is out of character. This movie as I said before would probably have been rated at between 7.5 to a 9 if Robert Mitchum had not been fired from the lead role early in the picture. Since this movie was being produced by Wayne's fledgling BATJAC Productions, he was forced into the role by Warner Bros., saying they would pull the plug on distribution if he did not star. Too bad. I can easily see Kirk Douglas sending this over the top. Just think of his performance in the movie In Harms Way and you'll get the idea. Jimmy Stewart would have been great also. Think Harvey....see what I mean! If your a Wayne fan as am I, you'll scratch your head and wonder.....hmmmmmmmmm. Later Wayne would have had the clout to say no. I'll rate this at 7 paddles on the River-boat wheel.

Captain Tom Wilder (John Wayne), languishing in a southern Chinese Communist prison and kept sane by his imaginary girlfriend "Baby," is freed from his jailers by a bribe raised by the efforts of local villagers. There is a price. As an experienced sea captain, Wilder is expected to convey the 180 villagers 300 miles down Blood Alley (really the Pearl River or Zhu Jiang: just check a map) to the safety of Hong Kong so that they may escape the machinations of the brutal Chinese Communists. Wilder is initially reluctant: His ship is just an old ferryboat (1885), and he has no maps or charts to navigate a river that has many boat wrecks. The ferryboat is flat-bottomed and reaches a grand total of 8 knots (nautical miles per hour). And yet Wilder is intrigued by the opportunity to outwit the Reds. Time is short, as the ruthless Communist soldiers, searching for Wilder, are terrorizing the villagers. After a trick that ensnares the Communist patrol boat on a high riverbed, Wayne and his passengers are soon on their way down river. Wilder is accompanied by a doctor's daughter, Cathy Grainger (Lauren Bacall), fellow-escapee and love interest. Along the way are many obstacles: gunboats, stormy weather, mutiny, poisoned food, etc. There is a final escape through shallow water aided by a human tow. Through it all you just knew that Wilder would see things through in the end. After all, even though there were over 600 million Chinese, they did not stand a chance against the Duke. Colorful and Entertaining.

Others have reviewed this film better than I could, but I would like to point out one misconception I've seen in a couple of places: "Blood Alley" is not the Formosa Straits.The Straits are approximately 420 miles ENE of Hong Kong, and are 118 miles wide at its widest point, which is practically the open sea. It's also nearly 250 miles from the end of the Straits to Hong Kong, which definitely would be open sea. The movie makes it clear that the refugees are moving 300 miles downriver to escape to Hong Kong, and at one point John Wayne's character worries about about what might happen to the boat in any kind of real waves.Most likely "Blood Alley" is the Pearl River, which is China's third longest river after the Yangtze and Yellow, second largest in terms of volume, and does empty into the sea at Hong Kong. The delta near Hong Kong is wide and deep enough for the Chinese warship that was firing at the refugees later in the film. (Terrible shots weren't they?) The refugees also would have been following the east side of the delta rather than what appeared on Wayne's hand-drawn chart to be the west side, but hey -- it's the movies.