Hell Bound

IMDb RATING

YOUR RATING

After World War II, a Los Angeles crime ring uses a complex scheme, involving a freight ship, a junkie, and a corrupt health officer, to smuggle drugs into the USA.After World War II, a Los Angeles crime ring uses a complex scheme, involving a freight ship, a junkie, and a corrupt health officer, to smuggle drugs into the USA.After World War II, a Los Angeles crime ring uses a complex scheme, involving a freight ship, a junkie, and a corrupt health officer, to smuggle drugs into the USA.

See production info at IMDbPro

IMDb RATING

6.3/10

744

YOUR RATING

See production info at IMDbPro

Photos29

Top cast37

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John Russell

Jordan

June Blair

Paula

Stuart Whitman

Eddie Mason

Margo Woode

George E. Mather

Stanley Thomas
(as George Mather)

Stanley Adams

Herbert Fay Jr.

Gene O'Donnell

Purser

Frank Fenton

Harry Quantro

Virginia De Lee

Stripteaser
(as Virginia DeLee)

Gordon Armitage

Seaman
(uncredited)

Dehl Berti

Daddy
(uncredited)

Chet Brandenburg

Seaman
(uncredited)

George Bruggeman

Seaman
(uncredited)

Ann Daro

Accomplice C
(uncredited)

Edward DeRoo

Squad Officer
(uncredited)

Marge Evans

Nurse
(uncredited)

William Flaherty

Purser
(uncredited)

Gerald Frank

Police Officer
(uncredited)

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Storyline

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Did you know

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Trivia
The final scenes were shot at the Red Car trolley graveyard, on Terminal Island, near the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach. They were in the process of being recycled by National Metal and Steel. The company also scrapped many decommissioned U.S. Navy ships there after WWII and also steam locomotives as they were being replaced by diesel-electric ones. The scrapyard closed at the end of 1985.

Goofs
(at around 20 mins) A seaman is headed to make the key swap. As he heads toward the loading dock (distance shot), there is no shadow on the dock. A minute later, when he is on the loading dock making the swap with Jan, the loading dock is completely in the shade. Another moment later, the seaman leaves and re-crosses the railroad tracks. Again, there is no shadow on the loading dock. Obviously, the distance and closeup shots were done at two different times of the day.

Quotes
[first lines]
Narrator: Three days ago, at exactly 0600 - because that is really not the time - on February 5 - because that is really not the date - this freighter, which shall be nameless, sailed from a certain Far Eastern port. Its destination: The Port of Los Angeles, Wilmington, California. This is fact.

User reviews21

Review

Featured review

7/10

Quite good--though it has its slow moments

John Russell was a very large, handsome and often scary looking man. Mostly he made westerns, though here in "Hell Bound" he's in a low-budget film noir picture.

The film begins with Jordan (Russell) coming up with a perfect plan to hijack a shipment of surplus narcotics left over from World War II. The military plans on destroying them--Jordan plans on relieving them of that responsibility and selling them for a fortune. However, to make the plan work several partners need to be gathered--a nurse, a derelict man in a raft, a crew member who will go into a diabetic coma and a government agent to look the other way. It's such a perfect plan he even made a movie and showed it to a mob boss--a man who is duly impressed--so impressed that he offers his girlfriend to play the part of the nurse. With all these things in place, what's to go wrong?!

While the film has a few slow moments, the execution of the robbery is exciting and a bit shocking in its brutality. I appreciated this, as these ARE criminal scum and they sure act like it!

As far as the nurse plot goes, it reminded me of the amazingly good but mostly forgotten Rory Calhoun picture, "The Big Caper". All in all, very well worth your time.