Across the Pacific (1942)

Buy This Item Across the Pacific (1942) by MGM (Video & DVD)  Available from Amazon  $19.98  on 8-28-2008     Fresh from the triumph of The Maltese Falcon, most of the principals plunged right into Across the Pacific. You have Sidney Greenstreet, still at the top of his game playing the same type of sinister character, shades of difference. Mary Astor looks great as a bad girl/good girl. Then there's Bogie of course & director John Houston who got drafted & didn't quite finish "Pacific". The cheesy sets, one woman character & script writing as you go, indicates this was a rush job done on the cheap. It tried capitalize on Pearl Harbor hysteria & goose The Maltese Falcon audience. But I found "Pacific" to be a better movie. Maybe better isn't the right word. I liked it a lot more. Maybe it was the subject matter. War & rumors of war vs murder & a stupid bird statue. Fine movies both. These were warm-ups to Bogart's classic, Casablanca. <br />The Movie: It is November 1941. Bogart is Rick (no not that one) & he's been cashiered out of the U.S. army in disgrace, for being a thief. He goes to Canada to enlist. They've heard of him & don't want him either. From there he boards a Japanese cruise ship bound for New York & then Asia through the Panama Canal. Maybe China isn't so picky. Or maybe he can sell himself to Japan if the $$$ is right. The ship gets to New York where we find he is actually an spy for The USA. He is on the trail of Dr. Lorenz, (Greenstreet) an agent with strong Japanese loyalties & lots of money to disperse to traitors, like Rick, for example. Rick has extensive knowledge of the Panama Canal fortifications, from his years of service there. Lots of romantic activity for Rick on this long ocean voyage in the person of Alberta (Astor). They fall in love. Their easy, smart, somtimes sexy banter show that these two people know each other & have an immediate chemistry. They get to Panama & the intrigue continues & the action part of the movie kicks in. Rick gets captured, beat up, escapes & shoots down an escaping Japanese plane carrying a bomb. Dr Lorenz is arrested & Bogie & Mary are reunited in one of those patented Warner Brothers quick endings. This is good stuff, almost *****. I'm sure this has been mentioned but what's with the title? Nobody ever gets to the Pacific in this one. Reader Reviews This is Humphrey Bogart the way his fans like him best--being pure Bogart and relishing his role the way he did Sam Spade in THE MALTESE FALCON. He has some crackling good dialogue to share with Mary Astor and Sydney Greenstreet and director John Huston keeps things moving at a lively pace with the usual amount of twists and turns. Only problem is this is one of those espionage tales full of hidden identities--a bit disconcerting considering how complicated the plot is. But after awhile that doesn't matter. What counts here is the great chemistry between Bogart and Astor, Bogart and Greenstreet, Bogart and Sen Young. In short, it's Bogey doing what he does best--and Greenstreet as well--with Bogart as the tough guy whose mission is to destroy a scheme by spies to blow up the Panama Canal. All of the shipboard scenes are great fun and played for comedy as well as drama. It has plenty of suspense along the way. Sen Young is especially good in a colorful supporting role. It's slam bang entertainment all the way. Of course, at the end, Bogey single-handedly destroys the enemy and is free to pursue the mysterious Mary Astor. At times it seems as though these are characters left over from THE MALTESE FALCON with Astor again playing a woman who just might be treacherous. The only ingredient missing among the supporting cast is Peter Lorre. For Bogart fans, this is a must see. John Huston had to leave toward the end of the shooting to go into war service. Filming was completed by Victor Sherman who took no credit for his work.

Across the Pacific (1942) Available from Amazon Price: $19.98 Updated on 8-28-2008.

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