An Exercise In Nonsense

Am I Missing Something?

The storyline feels a little thin and moth-eaten in parts but this sequel is plenty of fun.

Blistering performances.

Rita Hayworth, Robert Mitchum, and Jack Lemmon star in "Fire Down Below," a 1957 film. Hayworth plays Irena, a woman with a mysterious European past and no passport. Mitchum and Lemmon are Felix and Tony, who run a ferry boat in the Caribbean. They are paid to take Irena to another island. Felix (Mitchum) knows she's trouble and worse than that, he's attracted to her. Tony (Lemmon) falls for Irena and, when she leaves the ferry, he accompanies her.The film takes an odd turn here - Tony wants to marry Irena, so he takes a job transporting illegal goods to get some money together. But someone has tipped off the police. Tony and his associate escape, and Tony ends up on a Greek ship. The ship has an accident, and Tony is trapped in the hold.This film starts out as one thing - a love triangle, a mysterious woman with a checkered past, two friends who become enemies - and becomes the story of a man facing death in the cargo hold of a ship. That part goes on too long, and we don't see the happenings on dry land. We are told about them toward the end of the film. It just felt like something was missing.There are suspenseful moments and good acting. Mitchum plays the sardonic Felix well, and Lemmon is, as always, likable as Tony and handles both the light and dramatic scenes very well. I do think for this role his casting was somewhat strange. I think like Hayworth he was trying to fulfill contractual obligations to Columbia. Hayworth is a long way from her Gilda days, but a striking woman. Her hard life, like the life of the character, has caught up with her. She doesn't display a lot of range in the role but has a knockout dance number during Mardi Gras that is very much the old Rita.Interesting for the cast.

Rita Hayworth, Robert Mitchum, and Jack Lemmon star in this tale of passion, friendship, and betrayal set in an exotic locale. Robert and Jack are friends, that is until Rita shows up. Rita gets a chance to show her acting chops in an understated performance as a lady wanting off of the island. She has a very memorable dance number, too. And, Bob Mitchum is Bob Mitchum, basically.Even though Jack Lemmon gets third billing, he has more air time than the others. My main problem with it is the fact that Jack's predicament takes up 30 minutes of the film and other than watching him act there's not much suspense or interest to keep the viewer really involved.It's to the actors' credit that the rest of the movie is very watchable and the ultimate ending is a very natural one. I know my review sounds rather lackluster (my rating is really 6.5), but if you like the stars, you'll walk away pretty satisfied. The ending helps a lot, and Rita seems to have everything pretty well balanced in her capable hands.Costarring Herbert Lom (Dreyfuss from the "Pink Panther" series) and Bernard Lee (Bond's superior "M" before Judi Dench) and co-produced by Bond producer Albert C. Broccoli, this combination of adventure and drama that may be one of the stars lesser known efforts but it is waiting for you to discover it.

You'd sure think that with Robert Mitchum, Jack Lemmon and Rita Hayworth this would be an exceptional film--but it isn't--at least in a good way! Despite all this talent, Mitchum and Hayworth are essentially wasted--especially Mitchum who is given very little to do during the film other than to act grumpy! In addition, mid-way through the film, the entire flow of the movie stops and it's almost like an entirely different film for 45 minutes. At the end, it unconvincingly returns back to the original and far inferior story.The plot involves two partners who live in the Caribbean--making money taking people on fishing trips or doing a little smuggling. When a guy pays them to transport Miss Hayworth secretly out of the country, Mitchum responds with some nonsense about "hating women like her" and other such nonsense. To the well-trained ear used to bad movies, this obviously means "I'll act like I hate her through most of the film, but soon we'll be slobbering all over each other!". What a horrid cliché--and so predictable.Later, when Mitchum is treating Hayworth badly, Lemmon assumes the role of Sir Galahad and defends her. Eventually, he even decides he wants to marry her and take care of her. However, Hayworth knows that she's just no good and won't commit.In the interim, Lemmon goes on a very dangerous smuggling mission without Mitchum. He wants to get money for Hayworth to smuggler her into the United States, so he feels it's worth the risk. Things go poorly, however, and Lemmon's boat is destroyed. He hops aboard a freighter and makes for the island where Hayworth is waiting. However, completely out of the blue, there is an accident on board and Lemmon is trapped and the boat is about to explode (gosh) and there's a very limited amount of time to save him. However, all attempts fail and it looks like Lemmon will be blown to smithereens. This part of the film is actually very tense and interesting--and DOESN'T star Mitchum or Hayworth but a whole new cast of characters!! As I said, it's like a movie within a movie.In the end, Hayworth and Mitchum return to help out good 'ol Jack, but by now (no surprise), Hayworth and Mitchum have discovered that they don't hate each other but are in love (gag me).The film is poorly constructed, clichéd, stupid and failed to do anything with the only good part of the film (Lemmon trapped on the boat). What a waste of good talent.

Rita Hayworth was 40 at the time this film was made. Rather interesting. She still looked lovely. Robert Mitchum and Jack Lemmon are both vying for her attention; Mitchum wins out momentarily.Toward the end the story shifts as Lemmon is trapped in a ship, there is a fire, and Lemmon becomes a more sympathetic character. Mitchum and Hayworth feel guilty. This story would seem ripe for a re-make; it is a good story; rather a curiosity.The Technicolor oranges and greens are prevalent; it is always interesting to watch films from this period. It would seem the stars themselves were fabricated to coordinate with the surroundings. The scenes at the carnival event are colorful and wild. Worth seeing as a commentary on the times.