Wonderful character development!

Memorable, crazy movie

i must have seen a different film!!

A film with more than the usual spoiler issues. Talking about it in any detail feels akin to handing you a gift-wrapped present and saying, "I hope you like it -- It's a thriller about a diabolical secret experiment."

This general genre -- Americans fighting Nazism (or in this case the Japanese) before or during World War II, is generally not very high on my list of types of film to watch. However, every once in a while one comes along that is pretty decent, often because it's not as predictable.One thing that makes this particular film a cut above is the cast, much of which was fresh off the success of "The Maltese Falcon". This is a good vehicle for Humphrey Bogart, who plays a GI pretending to be kicked out of the military to act as a sort of spy on some Americans that are up to no good with the Japanese, scheduled right around the bombing of Pearl Harbor, However, in this case the action is taking place centered around the Panama Canal. The primary bad guy here is Sidney Greenstreet, in league with he Japanese. Greenstreet is suitably menacing here. The leading question among the characters is: is Bogart's love interest -- again Mary Astor, a good girl or a bad girl? I actually think Astor is better here than she was in "The Maltese Falcon".There are also many Asian character actors here that you will recognize, even if you don't remember their names: Victor Sen Yung, Richard Loo, and Keye Luke (among others). Another very good character actor here is Charles Halton.Of course, as some of our participants have pointed out, there is negative stereotyping of the Japanese in this film. Well, of course! It was made in the middle of World War II.The degree of suspense here is a little uneven, and there are times when the film moves a little too slowly (particularly in the first half of the film), but overall this film holds your attention.Sidney Greenstreet's love of Japanese culture is really quite entertaining. I never considered him a very versatile actor, but he was very good at what he did well.If there are any criticisms due here, there are two. First, the stunt doubling for Humphrey Bogart here is way too obvious. Second, some of the "special effects" here (such as the single airplane near the end of the film) is quite primitive. But, overall, these two things do not detract much from the enjoyment of the film; they may just make you smile.Recommended if you wish to savor a taste of John Huston's Hollywood version of patriotism. Quite well done for this genre.

Across the Pacific (1941)This is some kind of cross between "Maltese Falcon" and the "Casablanca" and it has a cast that covers both movies, even though it is usually matched to the former since it shares the same director, the great young John Huston. It's hard to picture this turning into a gem even with these stellar talents at the top of their game--the plot is just too forced and canned. And the writing, not surprisingly, lacks the snap and intrigue of both these other films, even though screenwriter Richard Macaulay has some great films to his credit (including "They Drive by Night," also with Bogart). It's a decent film, filled with common movie tricks and turns, and it does have a huge range of scenes and turns of events, enough to make it worth watching.But this is a war movie, shot right between that great detective movie and that great early war movie. Being 1941, it seems to have the single goal, beyond entertainment, of presenting the Japanese as a new enemy. There is lip service to their great and unique culture, and some of the Japanese characters are charming and warm, but gradually most of them become duplicitous. By the end it's an all out guns and torpedoes affair, the last scenes occurring on Pearl Harbor day but in Panama (and with no direct mention of the attack itself, but lots of planes). In a twist, it's a Canadian who is the evil mastermind.If Humphrey Bogart makes a great, begrudging detective, or a great begrudging club owner, he isn't quite at home as an undercover spy trying to woo a single woman who happens to be on the same boat, and who happens to encourage him. Maybe it's the woman, the miscast Mary Astor, who is the problem (she was the problem in "The Maltese Falcon" as well), but Huston can't seem to see the awkwardness of what is meant to be a major thread in the movie.To put it another way, she is no Ingrid Bergman. But then, the movie is missing the great (and I mean great) character actors of the other films, especially Peter Lorre. It does have the equally great Sydney Greenstreet, who is at his best when a secondary character, someone not quite complex enough for the main role here. (His erudite, good humored, worldly nature was stretched thin the same way in the rather charming "Christmas in Connecticut.")Anyway, this is a fun film partly because of the actors who are a pleasure regardless of their roles. And it's a great example of how Hollywood was quickly responding to this new World War II reality.

Director John Huston, right from the big success of THE MALTESE FALCON, recruits Humphrey Bogart to play ex-Army officer Rick Leland in this World War II propaganda flick. Espionage, treason, a bit of romance in this drama aboard a Japanese steamer. The viewer gradually discovers a few of the passengers are not who they claim to be...including Leland. Bogart woos a small-town girl Alberta Marlow(Mary Astor)...not so innocent. Sydney Greenstreet plays spy Dr. Lorenz, willing to pay for military information. A Japanese-American(Victor Sen Young) making a trip to see the old country may just be the most mysterious passenger aboard. Bogart and Astor trade flirty banter and lighten up some of the drama. Also in the cast: Monte Blue, Charles Halton, Keye Luke and Frank Wilcox.

Richard Macaulay had to do some fast rewrites on this John Huston-directed picture, based upon a magazine serial by Robert Carson. When dishonorably discharged Army Officer Humphrey Bogart is revealed to be a spy staking out a powerful Japanese sympathizer aboard a vessel to the Orient, the portly commander was originally supposed to be supervising the bombing of Pearl Harbor. When that occurred in real-life while the picture was in production, Macaulay hurriedly switched the locale to the Panama Canal (making the film's title irrelevant). However, even if the story structure is patchy--and Mary Astor's role as a plantation owner's daughter ultimately doesn't make much sense--"Across the Pacific" has a dryly joshing quality about it, and the end results are pleasant if unremarkable. Bogart (playing 'Rick', sometimes 'Ricky') is in jovial spirits throughout, especially when comparing gun sizes with Sydney Greenstreet (never better) or fingering Astor's back after she's acquired a sunburn; his blithe, easy performance makes the film enjoyable. Astor (ostensibly the love-interest) doesn't pour on the charm in her scenes with Bogie; she plays it rather big-sisterly with him, a seen-it-all kind of gal, and this works extremely well. The finale is a sign of the times--American fighter planes fill the skies--but even this corny touch works a little magic, despite the film's misshapen quality and sluggish beginning. **1/2 from ****