Hell Bound (1957)
Hell Bound (1957)
„Hell Bound“ is a 1957 film noir crime film directed by William J. Hole Jr.. The screenplay by Richard H. Landau is based on a story by himself and Arthur E. Orloff.
At sea, a freighter, traveling from the Far East to Los Angeles, picks up the sole survivor of the sinking of a small fishing boat. As the ship nears the California coast, a health officer boards for a quarantine inspection. The official is diabetic, takes ill, and is invited to rest on board until the ship docks.
The rescued „fisherman“ locates a package of war surplus narcotics. The health officer deliberately injects himself with an overdose of insulin, rendering himself unconscious, prompting the captain to send a message to have an ambulance meet the ship when it docks. The fisherman, actually an accomplice of the health officer, places the package in the health officer’s jacket. When the ship docks, another accomplice, a Nurse working for the ambulance service, takes possession of the package, and passes it on to Jordan who sends it to a drug dealer.
Jordan, who has made a film enactment of this proposed robbery, screens it for gangster Harry Quantro and his associates in order to secure financial backing for the actual heist. Quantro agrees to provide funding, but insists his girl friend Paula pose as the nurse, a role intended for Jordan’s girl friend, Jan, in order to protect Quantro’s investment. The ambulance driver, Eddie Mason, is not in on the scheme, so Paula must be careful when she takes her place.
A seaman delivers a map of the ship’s hold along with a key to the narcotics storage compartment, Jordan runs him over with his car, killing him. Jordan hires port health officer, Herbert Fay, Jr., an overweight diabetic eager to retire and travel, to participate in the robbery. Jordan blackmails Stanley Thomas, a recovering drug addict and former medical student who caused a girl’s death during an illegal operation, to pose as the fisherman.
Paula falls in love with Eddie. Jordan informs Paula of the ship’s docking date and gives Thomas the key to the area containing the drugs. Jordan finds out about Paula’s relationship with Eddie, stabs her and leaves her for dead. Jan agrees to resume her original role and replace Paula.
On the morning of the robbery, Eddie is worried about Paula and tries to reach her. Thomas is desperately in need of a fix. Fay feigns a dizzy spell, and the captain invites him to stay on board and arranges for an ambulance to meet the boat. The scheme unravels disastrously, however, when Thomas goes berserk and Fay dies after injecting the insulin. Eddie and Jan arrive in the ambulance at dockside, find Fay’s dead body being carried down the gangplank, and Thomas in custody. A police officer hands Eddie a phone number to call and he connects with a hospitalized Paula who has informed the police about the robbery. The police arrest Jan who then points to Jordan as he lurks nearby. The police chase Jordan, and he is killed.
Cast:
- John Russell – Jordan
- June Blair – Paula
- Stuart Whitman – Eddie Mason
- Margo Woode – Jan
- George E. Mather – Stanley Thomas
- Stanley Adams – Herbert Fay Jr.
- Gene O’Donnell – Purser
- Frank Fenton – Harry Quantro
- Virginia De Lee – Stripteaser
- Boyd „Red“ Morgan – Accomplice
- Dick Standish – Accomplice
- Ann Daro – Accomplice
- Scott Peters – Aide
- Richard LaMarr – Bar Patron
- Al Roberts – Bar Patron
- John Roy – Bar Patron
- Dehl Berti – Daddy
- Frank McGrath – Detective
- Richard Martin – Dock Worker
- Larry Thor – Doctor
- George Sawaya – Man in Rail Yard in Final Scene
- Sammee Tong – Murdered Seaman
- Marge Evans – Nurse
- Gerald Frank – Police Officer
- William Flaherty – Purser
- Kay Garrett – Quantro’s Man
- George Mayon – Quantro’s Man
- Robert Strong – Quantro’s Man
- Gordon Armitage – Seaman
- Chet Brandenburg – Seaman
- George Bruggeman – Seaman
- Joe Garcio – Seaman
- Joe Ploski – Seaman
- Harry Wilson – Seaman
- Chuck Webster – Ship Captain
- George Whiteman – Ship Captain
- Edward DeRoo – Squad Officer
„Hell Bound“ ist ein Film-Noir-Kriminalfilm aus dem Jahr 1957 unter der Regie von William J. Hole Jr. Das Drehbuch von Richard H. Landau basiert auf einer Geschichte von ihm und Arthur E. Orloff.
Auf See nimmt ein Frachter, der vom Fernen Osten nach Los Angeles unterwegs ist, den einzigen Überlebenden des Untergangs eines kleinen Fischerbootes auf. Als sich das Schiff der kalifornischen Küste nähert, kommt ein Gesundheitsbeamter für eine Quarantäne-Inspektion an Bord. Der Beamte ist Diabetiker, erkrankt und wird eingeladen, sich an Bord auszuruhen, bis das Schiff anlegt.