Five Gates to Hell (1959)

To me, this movie is perfection.

Highly Overrated But Still Good

It's easily one of the freshest, sharpest and most enjoyable films of this year.

It is neither dumb nor smart enough to be fun, and spends way too much time with its boring human characters.

A rather trashy early account of the Vietnam War when it was the French still fighting it is Five Gates To Hell. It's as if someone got all those yellow peril warnings out to create this film.If you believe this the Vietminh were really interested in our women folk for sex. Well proportioned females weren't all that prevalent among their own women.Neville Brand plays a Vietminh guerrilla leader who kidnaps a hospital staff to treat a local Vietminh leader, doctors and nurses. The patient dies and the hospital staff effects an escape, the doctors die but the women wind up defending French colonialism and the virtue of white womanhood with the exception of nurse Nobu McCarthy.A number of reviewers have already commented on Nancy Kulp, better known as Ms. Jane Hathaway of the Beverly Hillbillies lobbing handgrenades like she Nolan Ryan on the pitcher's mound.As if this oriental depravity isn't enough these people are even raping nuns among the nurses.Pure unadulterated trash.

So what do you have to "get over" to like this movie? The fact that standing sets and one American are used to be Vietnam. Those are small faults in a tightly put together potential exploitation film that instead manages to actually be dramatic and yes it's nasty in a war that's realistic to war in general and Vietnam in particular.Due to a fast pace and tight dialogue this one won me over very quickly. It's well acted and there are things you won't see coming. The faith elements--both of the nuns and the doctors--are changed and broken realistically.Unlike other Vietnam films--those made while the war was still being fought--this one presents the war in a way that time has supported, not torn down. There is no flag waving here. Also given good context and excitement to it all is a good musical score by Paul Dunlap.James Clavell--as he proved with his novel turned movie KING RAT and with his later last film as director, THE LAST VALLEY, doesn't shy away from rape and death and nastiness in war but manages to make it about characters and drama not cheap exploitation. Which isn't to say that fans of just that wouldn't find this enjoyable and maybe even a little bit educational as well.It's a good movie with limited production values--but makes the most of itself.

I was against film censorship and film ratings less than zero until I saw the aptly named Five Gates of Hell.As a previous critic noted, 'A shabby little shocker'. When asked to name a movie I wanted to 'unwatch', this is at the top of my list. Oh, and just when you thought the sociopathic film couldn't be worse, there's Nancy Kulp(Miss Jane Hathaway from the Bev Hillbillies) with a hand grenade, and Neville Brand in oriental blackface. If you're interested in the fates of women in World War II and Asian prisoner-of-war camps, I suggest you watch the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) miniseries 'Tenko'.

The day I was watching this movie, I went into labour with my second son, who has now passed away., therefore this particular movie has stuck itself into my memory, and when a friend told me today of this website, I had to see if it was listed....and it was.I never actually saw the entire movie, and would now love to purchase it if at all possible.Thank you. Mary Anne Sibley