GurlyIamBeach
Instant Favorite.
Comwayon
A Disappointing Continuation
Chirphymium
It's entirely possible that sending the audience out feeling lousy was intentional
JohnHowardReid
CinemaScope lenses by Bausch & Lomb. Color by DeLuxe. Produced by Buddy Adler. Copyright 1955 by 20th Century-Fox Film Corp. New York opening at the Roxy: 27 May 1955. U.S. release: June 1955. U.K. release: 24 October 1955. Australian release: 29 March 1956, Sydney opening at the Regent. 8,603 feet. 95½ minutes.SYNOPSIS: In search of her missing photographer husband, Jane Hoyt (Susan Hayward) arrives in Hong Kong and learns at the U.S. Consulate that her mission is futile, that neither the United States nor the British government can help her. She feels that she must try nevertheless, and registers at a hotel that services a conglomeration of businessmen, servicemen, entertainers, and ne'er- do-wells from all over the world. Jane gets in touch with Inspector Merryweather (Michael Rennie), of the local marine police, who, although unable to help her officially, promises to do all he can for her on his own. He asks her to identify two cameras that the police had picked up from a junk captain at the harbor. She confirms that they belonged to her husband. Merryweather then suggests that she inquire at a place called "Tweedie's". Jane is about to be thrown out of Tweedie's when Rene Chevalier (Alex D'Arcy) joins her at the table as if she were waiting for him. He tells her that he knew her husband and had seen him one night with Fernand Rocha (Mel Welles) and a girl named Maxine Chan (Frances Fong). With nothing more than this information she contacts Maxine, who leads her to Hank Lee (Clark Gable), of whom Merryweather had warned her.COMMENT: Although it took good money on the strength of its Hong Kong in CinemaScope background and its starring twosome, "Soldier of Fortune" is a rather ordinary tale with inconsistently motivated Mills and Boon principals forced into a combination pulp novel romance and comic strip adventure. In this latter connection, keen movie buffs will notice some remarkable similarities between "Soldier of Fortune" and Milton Caniff's "Terry and the Pirates" — especially as regards some of the bizarre background characters which give the movie some welcome jolts of interest, thanks to the efforts of players like Anna Sten (the former Goldwyn leading lady of the 1930s), Tom Tully, Russell Collins and other assorted misogynist bar habitues.OTHER VIEWS: Another early CinemaScope film in which the accent is firmly on the CinemaScope scenery (this time the travelogue cameras focus on Hong Kong) rather than the juvenile dialogue, stock characters and "Boys Own Paper" plot. Critics are usually tempted to say at this point that the players do their best — but they don't really. If they'd had a grain of sense they would have played it all tongue-in-cheek; but no, they're perfectly serious about the whole puerile business. Dmytryk's flat-footed direction matches the pedestrian plot. The appearance of Anna Sten in a minor role is some compensation for movie buffs, but otherwise the whole film, aside from the scenery and the lushly romantic music score is a very ordinary, very tepid and very dated anti-Chinese Communist tract. - JHR writing as George Addison.
mrsmagloo
Jane Hoyt (Susan Hayward, graceful and stunning, but tough as nails, as always), arrives in Hong Kong, intent on finding her husband, photojournalist Louis Hoyt (Gene Barry), who went missing in Communist China (where is Bill Clinton when you need him? ;) several months before. Back then, the British Empire owned Hong Kong, so she must go through them (in the form of a dashing Michael Rennie), but gets few leads, except for the name of a Mr. Lee, whom Rennie has few good words for.Thanks to deft editing, solid acting throughout, and beautiful photography, the flick moves quickly, taking us to seedy Tweedy's bar, the streets of Hong Kong, and ultimately to the luxurious home of the mysterious Mr. Lee (Cable) himself. Clark seems a tad old for the part, but is in great shape physically, and moves quickly and gracefully through all the action scenes. There is plenty of comic relief in the scenes at Tweedy's bar. Look for a stand-out performance by Anna Sten as Madame Dupree as Tweedy's "starving spy" who finds true love.If you like "Love is a Many-Slendored Thing," you will like this movie, although people with strict morals about marriage may raise any eyebrow or two throughout the course of the movie, even for one made in 1955!
Williliwaw
Miss Susan Hayward was a feminist heroine: tough, smart, edgy, beautiful beyond measure. Caught in a court fight with her estranged husband, 20th was forced to shoot Miss Hayward's scenes at the studio in Beverly Hills...no problem. They could have been shot on Mars because Susan Hayward plays this part to the hilt. Miss Hayward and her co star Clark Gable were natural stars and natural actor..together they work magic...The ending is particularly modern: Miss Hayward meets up with Clark Gable and instead of clinching and saying they love each other...well just see the movie, likely one of the most adult endings of all time.
blanche-2
Even toward the end of his marvelous career, Clark Gable's screen persona of the charming, irresistible bounder was untarnished. Unhappy with the roles MGM was giving him, he did not renew his contract. "Soldier of Fortune," which Gable subsequently did for 20th Century Fox, is a big budget, good-looking movie with big stars, none of which can hide the fact that it's a routine story that John Hodiak could have done in black and white in 1950 and probably did.Susan Hayward plays a woman who arrives in Hong Kong to look for her photographer husband (Gene Barry) who has slipped into China illegally. She runs into of a bunch of sleazy characters and finally meets Henry Lee (Gable), a soldier of fortune with money and contacts. He's an older version of Rhett Butler - out for himself but capable of goodness as well. He falls hard for Hayward and becomes more determined than ever to find her husband so he doesn't have to compete with a ghost. With two such attractive stars, it's obvious what's going to happen.The stars and the supporting cast - Michael Rennie, Tom Tully, Anna Sten et al - are all very good. It's a beautifully photographed film that undoubtedly looked great on the big screen with its Technicolor panoramas of Hong Kong, but alas, it's not very exciting. Gable looks fantastic and immaculate in his white suit, his smile as dimpled and his voice as gruff as ever, and Hayward, not the warmest actress who ever lived, is excellent as a concerned and confused woman. They work very well together.It's hard to say the movie is not worth seeing because as excellent as some of our actors are today, there are no Gables. There was only one - and checking him out is always worthwhile.
