User Reviews

"You know that guy would make a wonderful stranger. I don't know why you put up with him." — "Because he's my buddy, that's why." For this film that's a sample of scintillating dialogue. This movie was obviously shot on the cheap in a converted telephone booth. Newsreel footage is employed with a liberal hand by director/editor Kenneth G. Crane. Yes, it's a real cheapo, meanwhile-in-the-stock-footage effort with a few plyboard sets, a Mickey Mouse music score, a lot of dialogue and no action except a mild shoot-out at the climax.

Bronson is not well served by the budget and this film would be a good example of how much the success of his films owe to their high- budget mounting. Without that back-up, he is a distinctly less attractive proposition. The support cast, the dull, wordy script, the routine direction and camera-work are not much help and though Bronson does his best he just cannot overcome these limitations. In fact, this film is worth seeing solely for the opportunity of viewing Misses Carlyle and Wakefield.

Yes, Bronson is athletic. In one scene he jumps from a roof ledge to the street below. But otherwise he benefits little from Crane's relentlessly TV-close-ups style of unimaginative direction. Of course you can save a lot of money by making a movie this way — and saving money seems to be this picture's principal aim. Not only are the dialogue scenes in closet sets tediously dull, but the similarly economy-minded action spots are directed with an eye to the incorporation of as much stock footage as possible. Even the most undiscriminating action fans will find this one distinctly mediocre at best. When hell broke loose... Well, when did it?

***SPOILERS*** The film in its opening credits "First Introduces" actor Charles Bronson as GI Steve Bpland to the movie going audience ignoring the fact that Bronson has already been in the movies and on TV with at least some 50 credits under his belt-According to the IMDb-since 1951! Brosnson or Steve Boland plays a just drafted into the US Army, to prevent him from serving time for for illegal bookmaking, right after the the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor who in fact continues his bookmaking and ends up in the brig for it right up until almost the end of the war! It's in the final days of WWII in Europe that he finally sees the light by risking his life to prevent a number of Nazi guerrillas or Werewolves from knocking off the Allied Supreme Commander Gen. Eisenhower. That's to be carried out in an ambush that PVT. Boland's German girlfriend Ilsa's, Violet Rensing, fanatical Nazi brother Karl,Richard Jeackel, and equally crazy, about preserving Hitler's 3rd Reich, friend Ludwig, Arvid Nelson,are determined to carry out!

Up until then Boland has been a complete screw up as a member of the US Army landing in jail as well as on garbage or KP duty during his entire time servings, by digging ditches, his country. It's when he met Elsa as he says at the end of the film he found a reason for his very existence in life and that paid off by him preventing the Werewolves in changing the course, by knocking off Gen. Eisenhower, of the second World War! Most of the action takes place in WWII stock footage due to the films limited budget but the final scene with Boland taking out the Nazi Werewolves almost single handed was top notch as well as made the never sticking his neck out for anyone PVT Boland into a genuine hero.

***SPOILERS*** Sadly it was Ilsa who risks and gave her life by trying to alert the US unit that Gen. Eisenhower was with that it was about to be ambushed by her brother Karl and his fellow Werewolves and got shot, by Ludwig, in the back for it. Charles Bronson more or less played the same character in the movie that he played all throughout his career but added some humor into it as a bookie who never took anything seriously, even WWII, until the chips were down and then showed his true colors: Red White & Blue!

When he made this film about a sarcastic, troublemaking young man who becomes a hero in World War II, Charles Bronson had not yet hit full stardom. But like Steve McQueen who was also rising up at the same time, he made such characters very likable, and Saves the Day in a fight against a ruthless group of Nazi soldiers known as the werewolves. They are brutal, morale breaking young man whose duties it is to cause fear and anxiety through false radio news broadcasts, sudden terrorist attacks and all around violent mischief.

For a young Richard Jaeckel as the brother of the pretty German Violet Rensing, his duties are interred with by his sister who has turned against the ideals of why her country is at war, falling in love with Bronson, and knowing that the war is about to be lost, trying to save her brother from a certain death. Bronson, a tough big city boy always in trouble, ends up drafted early because of an agreement that he made with a judge in a criminal case, escorted immediately to the draft office and finding himself in over his head. But sometimes it's the unexpected actions by those the officers least expect that results in those battles, and Bronson character does a complete turnaround as he promises Rensing that he'll do what he can to prevent her brother from going through missions that would get him killed.

This is a fast-moving war movie, with Bronson Great showing all sides of this narcissistic young man who must really grow up when he realizes the purpose of the fight he's gotten himself into. Eddie Foy III may not have gone on to the great success of his father and grandfather, but he's very amusing as a Brooklyn-born soldier named Brooklyn. Rensing is beautiful and charismatic, and it's a shame that she didn't go on to other great roles like this. It's nice to see a war movie where a woman is as important to the story as the male soldiers are.

WHEN HELL BROKE LOOSE is a very early star vehicle for Charles Bronson, receiving an 'introducing' credit even though he'd been acting in the likes of HOUSE OF WAX some five years earlier. Perhaps it was the first time he used the Bronson surname. This film ostensibly sounds like a war film with plenty of battle footage, but it's not, and the action is rather limited due to budgetary constraints. Instead what we have is a mild thriller that's never as tense or exciting that it wants to be.

Bronson plays a mild-mannered guy who doesn't want to be a soldier and who subsequently goes A.W.O.L. to romance a pretty German girl, played by Violet Rensing. Unfortunately for him, his girl's brother, played by the entertaining Richard Jaeckel, is a Nazi saboteur planning to take down some American high command. Nobody believes Bronson so he has to save the day, but the execution is never as exciting as it sounds.

The film offers a decent fist fight (possibly the first of Bronson's lengthy career) and some other interesting moments, but is generally only a very average sort of picture, lacking the class and technical quality to make it genuinely enjoyable. It's on par with MACHINE GUN KELLY in that respect.