Moustroll Good movie but grossly overrated

SpunkySelfTwitter It’s an especially fun movie from a director and cast who are clearly having a good time allowing themselves to let loose.

Voxitype Good films always raise compelling questions, whether the format is fiction or documentary fact.

Kien Navarro Exactly the movie you think it is, but not the movie you want it to be.

jacobs-greenwood Directed by John Huston, though finished by Vincent Sherman when Huston was called into war service, with a screenplay by Richard Macaulay that was based on a story by Robert Carson (or Garson, depending upon the source), this war adventure attempted to recapture the magic that director Huston shared with three of its leads in the previous year's The Maltese Falcon (1941).In this one, Humphrey Bogart plays Rick Leland (in his next film, he would play his most famous Rick; Blaine in Casablanca (1942)), Mary Astor plays Alberta Marlow, and Sydney Greenstreet plays Dr. Lorenz. All three are involved in an intrigue that couldn't have been more timely, a Japanese attempt to blow up the Panama Canal (the original story involved Pearl Harbor, hence the film's incongruent title, which actually was attacked during the production). It captures the style, if not the substance, of the earlier film.Artilleryman Leland is bucked out the service just before his country would be forced in World War II, a curious time to dishonorably discharged; John Hamilton plays the court-martial president. It's a ruse by the U.S. Military Intelligence intended to draw enemy spies to the ex-soldier, who may be able to provide information they need. Leland goes through the motions of attempting to enlist in the Canadian army before he boards a ship headed to the Orient where he hopes to serve China and Chiang Kai-shek against Japan. He meets, and is curiously attracted to Alberta, but their would-be romance has a rough start (she gets seasick; later, she gets sunburned). Leland also meets, and is befriended by, some other passengers: Dr. Lorenz and Joe Totsuiko (Sen Young). After sharing drinks and pretending to be both intoxicated and willing to part with certain strategic details for a price, Leland learns that Dr. Lorenz is a buyer of just this type of information; he's working for the Japanese.There's plenty of intrigue, and a lot of it's confusing (intentional or otherwise). Rick's not sure if Alberta has any connection to his dealings with Lorenz, or whether to trust her - at first she wants to help him, but later she disappears. Once the ship from New York reaches Panama, the plot thickens. Charles Halton plays A. V. Smith, Rick's go-between who gives the ex-soldier a schedule of air patrols to reel in Lorenz. Lee Tung Foo plays a friend of Rick's, a Panamanian hotel proprietor, that assists Rick. Plus, the usual suspects in these war pictures, Richard Loo and Keye Luke, also play roles (as does Philip Ahn, though uncredited). Smith is killed, Rick is knocked out, and eventually everything leads to a plantation where it is learned that Dan Morton (Monte Blue) is being held. Alberta is Morton's daughter, and both were being played by Lorenz. Naturally, Rick recovers, saves the day and the Panama Canal.

edwagreen Mary Astor wasn't exactly a main love interest in this film and the extremely excellent actress may have very well made her match here by being wrongly cast. The ending bewildered me in the fact that Astor's father has just been shot to death and yet she is able to walk off with Bogart in a comfortable fashion.Sidney Greenstreet is his usual devilish self as it becomes more apparent that he is more than a sociology professor.You don't have to be a genius to figure out that Bogart's discharge from the army was done on purpose so that he could infiltrate a spy ring.Before the real action and intent of the film begins, the scenes on deck are rather dull.

drjgardner Think Humphrey Bogart, Mary Astor, and Sydney Greenstreet along with John Huston and what do you come up with? "The Maltese Falcon" of course. But think again, because no sooner had Warner Bros created one of the best films of all time, they re-teamed the actors and the director and cinematographer and came up with this piece of flotsam that is hardly worth viewing. Called "Across the Pacific", this 1942 film came out just after the Pearl Harbor attack, so the original script had to be changed from Pearl Harbor to the Panama Canal, although the name somehow stuck.It's nice to see some of my favorite Asian actors at work here, including Richard Loo (Master Sun from "Kung Fu), Keye Luke (Master Po), and Kam Tong (Hey Boy from "Have Gun Will Travel"). But other than that, the film has little value.

John T. Ryan IN THE ORDER of things, this film comes three after THE MALTESE FALCON (Warner Bros./1941) and just one before CASABLANCA (Warner Bros./1942). This means that we are treated to a Boagy who is possessed of rapidly rising stock in the Filmworld. After the Former, Mr. B.'s resume qualified him as a more than competent Leading Man in Action film; whereas the Latter proved his worth as a Romantic lead.WITH THE RELEASE of this wartime drama, ACROSS THE PACIFIC (Warner Bros./1942), we witness the re-uniting of THE MALTESE FAlCON's Director, John Huston with Bogart, Mary Astor and Sydney Grenstreet. This was the 4th film done by Mr. Greenstreet; who had been a Stage Actor with a forte of Musical Comedy, before first stepping before the camera & bright lights at age 63!WITHOUT OUR GETTING too deep into the story, suffice it is to say that we have a drama that involves the World War II, Pacific Theatre, espionage, treason and the lowly and cowardly behaviour of those seeking wealth at all cost. The basic plot has been used in other movies, including one with another one of Warners' big Stars.WE HAVE THE benefit of a large cast of supporting players, featuring a good number of Hollywood's Asian Community; such as: Keye Luke, Victor Sen Young and Richard Loo. John Hamilton makes a typically authoritative portrayal as the Army Officer heading the Court Martial.OF ALL OF the performances by the principal players (and they were excellent), it was Sydney Greenstreet's portrayal of the Professor with the uncanny affection for all things of the Orient; especially that of Imperial Japan, the Rising Sun and "the East Asia Co Prosperity Sphere."AFTER MUCH TALK about the "superior" culture of the Far East and how he lives it, Dr.Lorenz (Greenstreet) is unable to take his own life, pleading with Rick Leland to "put just one bullet" in his temple. THE COWARDLY NIPPONFILE didn't have the courage to end his own life by committing 'Jack Brickhouse'. Oh excuse us, Schultz! We meant 'Harry Caray'!