Hellfighters

Starring:John Wayne, Vera Miles, Katharine Ross, Jim Hutton, Jay C. Flippen, Bruce Cabot, Edward Faulkner, Barbara Stuart, Edmund Hashim, Valentin de Vargas, Frances Fong, Alberto Morin, Alan Caillou, Laraine Stephens, John Alderson, Lal Chand Mehra, Rudy Diaz, Chris Chandler, William Hardy (III), Howard Finch
Director: Andrew V. McLaglen
Studio: Universal Studios
Product Type: DVD

Amazon.com

Fans of Armageddon might see one or two resemblances between that 1998 box office hit and Hellfighters, a 1968 action film by Andrew V. McLaglen, one of John Wayne's favorite directors in his late career. (Their joint ventures included Chisum, Cahill: United States Marshal, and McLintock!) Wayne plays an oil well firefighter in the mold of Red Adair, turning up anywhere in the world where a geyser of fire is shooting up from a once-profitable gusher. His right-hand man (Jim Hutton) has questionable judgment about safety matters and is a scoundrel with the ladies--and neither fact is lost on Wayne when Hutton's character marries his long-lost daughter (Katharine Ross, a mere year after The Graduate). The film is an early entry in the disaster-meets-soap-opera genre that flourished in the '70s with such titles as The Towering Infernoand The Poseidon Adventure. McClaglen gets a lot of crackle out of his action scenes (many of the firefighting sequences are still startling in their intensity) and turns twin love stories (Hutton and Ross, Wayne and Vera Miles) into frothy studies of adult manners, with equal hints of Howard Hawks and Sidney Sheldon. The widescreen image on DVD offers viewers a chance to see what was then a developing vogue for gratuitous breadth and scope in all its goofy, self-congratulatory glory. (Is it necessary to look at a golf course the way one might look at an African veldt? Hellfighters says yes!) The DVD also includes production notes and written bios on the stars, plus optional French and Spanish subtitles and an optional Spanish soundtrack. The cast and sundry thrills make this film highly enjoyable, and easily forgivable for indulging in such inanities as a subplot concerning--hold on--Venezuelan terrorists! The Duke lives! --Tom Keogh

Customer Reviews:

kind of scary.......2007-06-13

This movie has a scene where a guy gets crushed by a bulldozer. Man, that hurts! He should have been more careful and stayed away from the bulldozer.
This brings up the need for unions and the government getting involved in
the workplace. Let's face it, a really good way to prevent people from getting injured and disabled is the fear that the government is going to shut them down. Well, that and civil actions.

A Personal Perspective of Hellfighters.......2007-06-01

As others have mentioned, I originally saw this film when it was released on the "big screen". It left a huge impression on me that has not left me to this day. When I saw that Hellfighters was available on DVD, I couldn't wait to order it so that I could enjoy the film at my leisure.

Perhaps this film did not have an Oscar level script and, yes, it is a bit dated (it was released in 1968 for goodness sake). However, this film is not a remake of a previously released movie (as so many others are today), nor is it a rehash of an occupation that is over done to death (how many films have been released documenting the fantastic work of Red Adair, who was truly "one of a kind"?). Throw in a stellar cast, and you have a film that is one of my favorite John Wayne movies of all times.

The Duke had a talent that allowed him to transcend the western and war film genres, allowing him, and those who worked with him on this and so many other films, to make successful films in various situations or scenarios. It is his honesty and obvious believability that comes across in this film and takes the audience from what could have been perceived as hokey, to the dangerous reality of the film.

I highly recommend this film; let it take you into the lives of the people whose lives are put on the line every day to fight oil fires and see the impact their work has on those who love them.

Highly Recommend...hang on to the edge of your seat!.......2007-05-23

I'm a big John Wayne fan but I've never watched too many of the non-Western variety (although "Hatari!" is one of my absolute favorites). I've liked Katharine Ross since the first time I watched "The Stepford Wives" and like John Wayne, have enjoyed her in everything I've seen her act in. I watched "Hellfighters" a few weeks back and fell in love with it. It's now become one of my favorite John Wayne films.

I won't go into detail about the plot because I think that if you haven't had the chance to see the movie yet, it's better when it's a surprise start to finish as it was for me. Suffice it to say that this is a great movie based on real life oil well fire-fighter Red Adair. "Hellfighters" has a bit of everything and most of all of course, The Duke....need I say more?

Chance.......2007-04-04

We have looked for this movie for a while and were so happy to find it. My husband named our son Chance after John Wayne in this movie. We wanted to get the movie to show it to our son that is now 8 years old. It is a great John Wayne movie.

john wayne-hellfighters.......2007-03-30

Big John Wayne fan. This is one of my favorites.
J. Guida

John Wayne: Screen Legend Collection (Reap the Wild Wind / Rooster Cogburn / The Hellfighters / The War Wagon / The Spoilers)

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John Wayne: Screen Legend Collection (Reap the Wild Wind / Rooster Cogburn / The Hellfighters / The War Wagon / The Spoilers)
Starring: John Wayne , Ray Milland , Paulette Goddard , Susan Hayward , and Charles Bickford
Director: Cecil B. DeMille
Manufacturer: Universal Studios
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B000NNUWZC
Release Date: 2007-06-12

Description

John Wayne is one of the most popular and recognizable leading men ever to hit the silver screen. Five memorable films capture his unforgettable career in the John Wayne: Screen Legend Collection. Co-starring an impressive roster of talent including Katharine Hepburn, Kirk Douglas, Marlene Dietrich and Randolph Scott, these films highlight an American icon who will always be remembered as a true screen legend. Reap the Wild Wind Cecil B. DeMille directs John Wayne and Ray Milland as two sailors battling pirates and competing for the affections of a southern belle (Paulette Goddard) in 1840s Key West. The Spoilers John Wayne joins Marlene Dietrich and Randolph Scott in an all-star adventure classic about gold and greed in an Alaskan boomtown during the 1890s. The War Wagon A rancher (John Wayne) recruits a brash gunslinger (Kirk Douglas) along with a raucous crew of misfits and readies them to pull off one of the most impossible heists of all time. Hellfighters A Texan demolition specialist (John Wayne) battles a perilous oil-well fire and hopes to reunite with his daughter and the wife who left him 20 years ago. Rooster Cogburn The saga of True Grit continues as John Wayne reprises his role as a Deputy Marshall who helps a missionary (Katharine Hepburn) bring justice to the Wild West.

Suicide Missions - Hellfighters (History Channel)

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Suicide Missions - Hellfighters (History Channel)

Manufacturer: A&E Home Video
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B000F6ZBMQ
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