Hell in the Pacific

"Out of violence, compassion. Out of suspicion, trust. Out of hell, hope."

1968 1h 43m EN

👍

7.0

SOLID

★7.0TMDB · 194

DramaWarAdventure

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

During World War II, a shot-down American pilot and a marooned Japanese navy captain find themselves stranded on the same small uninhabited island in the Pacific Ocean.

“Out of violence, compassion. Out of suspicion, trust. Out of hell, hope.”

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Cast

Lee Marvin
American Pilot
Toshirō Mifune
Captain Tsuruhiko Kuroda

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: John Boorman
Writers: Alexander Jacobs, Eric Bercovici, Reuben Bercovitch
Languages: Japanese, English
Countries: United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Shot for just $4.2M — micro-budget by Hollywood standards.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Earned back only 78% of its budget on initial theatrical — a commercial disappointment on release.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

ERA

Did you know

58 years old — a genuine piece of film history.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

Dialogue crosses 2 languages: Japanese, English.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

Lean credit list — fewer than 30 people officially credited.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by John Boorman, shot by Conrad Hall. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Lalo Schifrin. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Thomas Stanford shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

John Boorman directs. Conrad Hall behind the camera. Lalo Schifrin scores. Thomas Stanford cuts. A commercial under-performer on release. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in Japanese, English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Shot for just $4.2M — micro-budget by Hollywood standards.
2Earned back only 78% of its budget on initial theatrical — a commercial disappointment on release.
358 years old — a genuine piece of film history.
4Dialogue crosses 2 languages: Japanese, English.
5Lean credit list — fewer than 30 people officially credited.
6Directed by John Boorman, shot by Conrad Hall. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
7Original score by Lalo Schifrin. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
8Editor Thomas Stanford shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
9Lee Marvin and Toshirō Mifune carry the top of the cast.
10Marketing tagline: "Out of violence, compassion. Out of suspicion, trust. Out of hell, hope.".
11IMDB entry: tt0063056 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
12Classified under 12 themes, including "japan", "world war ii", "pilot", "u.s. air force".

The technical file

Cinematography: Conrad Hall
Original score: Lalo Schifrin
Editing: Thomas Stanford
Makeup / hair: Shigeo Kobayashi
Runtime: 103 min · 1h 43m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Budget: $4,150,000
Box office: $3,230,000
Return: 78% of budget
Original language: EN
Certification (US): G
IMDB: Hell in the Pacific (1968)

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John Boorman

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Community reviews

What people are saying

david_carry2026-09-04
It's a war movie with almost no fighting. It's a survival movie that's more interested in psychology than fishing tips. An American pilot and a Japanese captain wash up on the same island, and instead of immediately killing each other, they spend most of the runtime playing this elaborate, frustrated game of cat-and-mouse . There's a lot of posturing, a lot of yelling in languages neither understands, and some genuinely funny moments—like fighting over a piece of driftwood . What makes it work is the two leads. Marvin is all brute force and menace; Mifune is pure intensity and dignity . Neither speaks the other's language, so everything is conveyed through body language, tone, and sheer presence. Boorman's direction is subtle and patient, letting the tension build slowly . But it drags in the middle, and the ending is infuriating. The studio tacked on a stupid explosion that makes no sense, completely undercutting everything that came before . The original ending is much better—quieter, sadder, more honest. Some people will find the whole thing too slow and pretentious. Others will appreciate its stripped-down, allegorical power. I'm somewhere in between.

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