The setting is a Japanese prison camp on a Malayan Island. WWII has actually ended, and the Japanese have surrendered, but the highest ranking officer among the prisoners (a very good Andre Morell) doesn't want the nasty camp commandant (Ronald Radd) to know this, however, for he has vowed to raze the camp to the ground and slaughter all the prisoners should Japan lose the war. The prisoners have got time working against them, and the arrival of an American officer (Phil Brown) could also shake things up.
While this might not stack up against a more prestigious film such as "The Bridge on the River Kwai", "The Camp on Blood Island" rates as very acceptable entertainment. One certainly despises the antagonists (also including Marne Maitland as a sadistic captain) in record time, for they are all portrayed in a strictly one-dimensional, barbaric manner. Our heroes are sick & tired of the abuse, and are ready to rise up righteous and kick some ass. And it's so very satisfying when they do it.
Britains' Hammer Studios were often about proving that they could handle more than period horror, and this stands as a good example of work in a different genre. It's co-written & directed by Val Guest (whose other Hammer films include "The Quatermass Xperiment" and "The Abominable Snowman"), and delivers its fair share of excitement & suspense, not to mention some genuinely poignant moments.
The exemplary British cast includes a large number of familiar faces, especially to fans of Hammer films: Carl Mohner, Walter Fitzgerald, Edward Underdown, Barbara Shelley, Michael Goodliffe, Michael Gwynn, Richard Wordsworth, Michael Ripper, Edwin Richfield, etc.
All in all, "The Camp on Blood Island" is a gripping example of this kind of story, although the finale does come off as a bit rushed.
Seven out of 10.
While this might not stack up against a more prestigious film such as "The Bridge on the River Kwai", "The Camp on Blood Island" rates as very acceptable entertainment. One certainly despises the antagonists (also including Marne Maitland as a sadistic captain) in record time, for they are all portrayed in a strictly one-dimensional, barbaric manner. Our heroes are sick & tired of the abuse, and are ready to rise up righteous and kick some ass. And it's so very satisfying when they do it.
Britains' Hammer Studios were often about proving that they could handle more than period horror, and this stands as a good example of work in a different genre. It's co-written & directed by Val Guest (whose other Hammer films include "The Quatermass Xperiment" and "The Abominable Snowman"), and delivers its fair share of excitement & suspense, not to mention some genuinely poignant moments.
The exemplary British cast includes a large number of familiar faces, especially to fans of Hammer films: Carl Mohner, Walter Fitzgerald, Edward Underdown, Barbara Shelley, Michael Goodliffe, Michael Gwynn, Richard Wordsworth, Michael Ripper, Edwin Richfield, etc.
All in all, "The Camp on Blood Island" is a gripping example of this kind of story, although the finale does come off as a bit rushed.
Seven out of 10.