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List Price: $14.98 | | Label: Universal Studios
Salesrank: 3382
Released: January 5, 1999 |
| Our Price: $7.36 |
| Used Price: $6.77 |
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MPAA Rating: G (General Audience)
Media: DVD |
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Editorial Review:
Oil well fire fighters strive to control the dangerous blazes that are their job while resolving romantic problems.
Genre: Feature Film-Action/Adventure
Rating: G
Release Date: 2-SEP-2003
Media Type: DVD
Description of Hellfighters:
Fans of Armageddon might see one or two resemblances between that 1998 box office hit and Hellfighters, a 1968 action film by Andrew V. McLaglen, one of John Wayne's favorite directors in his late career. (Their joint ventures included Chisum, Cahill: United States Marshal, and McLintock!) Wayne plays an oil well firefighter in the mold of Red Adair, turning up anywhere in the world where a geyser of fire is shooting up from a once-profitable gusher. His right-hand man (Jim Hutton) has questionable judgment about safety matters and is a scoundrel with the ladies--and neither fact is lost on Wayne when Hutton's character marries his long-lost daughter (Katharine Ross, a mere year after The Graduate). The film is an early entry in the disaster-meets-soap-opera genre that flourished in the '70s with such titles as The Towering Infernoand The Poseidon Adventure. McClaglen gets a lot of crackle out of his action scenes (many of the firefighting sequences are still startling in their intensity) and turns twin love stories (Hutton and Ross, Wayne and Vera Miles) into frothy studies of adult manners, with equal hints of Howard Hawks and Sidney Sheldon. The widescreen image on DVD offers viewers a chance to see what was then a developing vogue for gratuitous breadth and scope in all its goofy, self-congratulatory glory. (Is it necessary to look at a golf course the way one might look at an African veldt? Hellfighters says yes!) The DVD also includes production notes and written bios on the stars, plus optional French and Spanish subtitles and an optional Spanish soundtrack. The cast and sundry thrills make this film highly enjoyable, and easily forgivable for indulging in such inanities as a subplot concerning--hold on--Venezuelan terrorists! The Duke lives! --Tom Keogh
Hellfighters Reviews:
Good film, the video transfer is mediocre 
2009-10-25 - The director and cameraman were afraid to show any full body shots of K. Ross, when she walks into a room a pool table always happens to be in front of her. Ridiculous camera work, but the film is something your pappy would be proud of, good ole homestyle late 1960's feel-good and cozy type atmosphere, makes you feel warm all over.
Great old-timer 
2009-09-16 - Always loved this movie, found out my hubby liked it, too. So, I ordered it as a suprise, sat the hubs down with some munchies and we had a ball watching John Wayne at his best: the blustery know it all and the charmer with the twinkle in his eye. This one makes the guys and ladies happy!
hellfighters
2009-06-25 - I had recieved it without delay. I have been searching for this movie for awhile. Now I have it in my collection.
Great
2009-06-13 - Hellfighters is one of the Duke's greatest movies. This is based on the life of Red Adair. I could watch this over and over.
Bad presentation 
2009-06-04 - Universal ruins a fun movie with this sloppy DVD which provides a non-anamorphic version of the movie and without much cleaning up of the image. Spend a little more for the John Wayne collection which has the proper anamorphic version of this fine film.
