Classic Film Review- Hellfighters
This movie debuted in 1968.
Hellfighters is one of John Wayne’s non-Western films and probably one of the best in that outfit. The movie is directed by Andrew V. McLaglen and written by Clair Huffaker.
Chance Buckman (John Wayne) owns an oil-fire fighting organization based in Houston. He’s been divorced for 20 years and though he and his wife love one another, his wife cannot bare his risky and dangerous business. His daughter, Tish (Katharine Ross), finds him after he gets injured while putting out a fire and she wants to get to know him. She quickly falls in love with Greg (Jim Hutton), his assistant.
This reunites Chance with is wife Madelyn (Vera Miles) and she is once again pulled into his firefighting world. He chooses to leave his business behind for his wife and take a corporate job, though he longs to be back into the game.
When a fire at a Venezuela mine puts his daughter and son-in-law in harms way, he must take the chance to return to his duty as one of the best oil-fire fighters in the world.
John Wayne is often accused of just playing himself and that is easy to see in this film. Since it takes the Duke out of the Old West and into oil fields and mines, you can see that. However, I think the way they make the movie fits him in.
As for the movie itself, it is one of his best non-Western films. The Duke is a commanding presence, complemented by Miles who is equally forceful. Together, they lead an excellent cast of characters who go from one tragedy to the next with drama and romance sprinkled in between these sequences.
You can tell this was a different era of Hollywood. It is not plagued by poor CGI but is instead punctuated by practical effects that only enhance the feeling of danger within each fire. It does not get a lot of attention, but one that has earned its place as a classic.
Bottom line, Hellfighters features drama, thrills, fire, danger, and explosions. The perfect mix!
FAVORITE QUOTE: I think we oughta get her a tin hat.
PARENTAL CONCERNS: Violence, Language, Mild thematic elements
Check out the trailer below:
What do you think? Let me know in the comments below. Tell me if there is a comic book, movie, or anime you would like me to review.