Watch Isle of Fury For Free

Sadly Over-hyped

Perfect cast and a good story

When a movie has you begging for it to end not even half way through it's pure crap. We've all seen this movie and this characters millions of times, nothing new in it. Don't waste your time.

The film never slows down or bores, plunging from one harrowing sequence to the next.

While watching this film, I couldn't help but marvel that in different parts of his career, Humphrey Bogart starred in what may have been Warner Brothers' best film ever ("Casablanca") and its worst film ever -- this one! I don't know if it's true what another of our reviewers said, but I can believe that Bogart once denied he ever made this film...it's that bad. This almost primitive film was made in 1936...just 3 years before Hollywood's landmark year of 1939, yet it looks like something from the late 1920s or very early 1930s. This isn't even a "B" picture...definitely an "F" picture! And if you don't believe me, just watch the scene where the wonderfully fake looking octopus attacks Bogie; here's looking at you, kid! The trouble is that this film could have been pretty decent. A man with a less than stellar past is on the lam in the South Seas where he has turned over a new leaf (that's Bogart). At the beginning of the flick, he is getting married to Margaret Lindsay. In a storm (some good footage here), a ship wrecks on the reef, and a young man is saved (Donald Woods). That young man is secretly there to arrest Bogart, but he becomes his friend and falls in love with his wife.But the biggest problem here is the acting. Humphrey Bogart is "okay" in some scenes, and very awkward in others. He is not alone! Margaret Lindsay may be the only one in the cast that did a pretty good job, although Donald Woods was not too bad (nor was he too good). E.E. Clive, as the doctor, seemed to have trouble talking. Paul Graetz as the captain...how did he ever get in pictures? No one else impressed, either.There's really only one reason to watch this film...because it is so very bad it's entertaining. Somehow, the next time I see the beginning of a Warner Brothers picture, and they have that logo with "As Time Goes By" in the background, I'm going to think of this film.

...this is your film. I'm giving it four stars just based on the fact that the three leads - Humphrey Bogart, Margaret Lindsay, and Donald Woods managed to carry this thing as well as they did. The film opens on a wedding between Val Stevens (Humphrey Bogart) and Lucille Gordon (Margaret Lindsay), with Lucille having all the enthusiasm of someone who is using her life savings as a down payment on buying a house that she just doesn't like. The way WB has Bogart made up will make you realize why she feels that way if you don't just laugh out loud - bad perm AND bad mustache with bad perm. Donald Woods is the mysterious handsome stranger that shipwrecks on Val and Lucille's tropical island and almost interrupts the ceremony. When Woods' character regains consciousness after being rescued, he instantly begins giving reluctant bride Lucille bedroom eyes. If you think you know where this thing is headed from the beginning you'd probably be right, so I'm going to stop right there and let you watch and find out what happens. Just don't nod off and miss the hilarious scene of Bogart wrestling with a fake octopus that looks like it is right out of Ed Wood's Bride of the Monster. I've seen Bogart in some odd films given his later film persona - the rather experimental "Midnight" and the early talkie "Bad Sister" - but this is the only truly bad film in which I've seen him, and by bad I mean dull and predictable.

Isle of Fury (1936) ** (out of 4) A rather bland love triangle set in the South Seas as Val (Humphrey Bogart) and Lucille (Margaret Lindsay) are married during a rough storm and minutes later there's a boat crash and Eric (Donald Woods) washes ashore. Soon all three become friends but Lucille begins to have extra feelings Eric as she starts to realize that she'll never fulfill her dreams on this island. This here is a remake of the 1932 film THE NARROW CORNER, a film I haven't seen so I can't compare the two. With that out of the way, this film here makes for some slight entertainment but in the end pretty much everyone can skip it unless you're fans of the cast. The biggest problem is, once again, the screenplay which was clearly not given too much attention, which I guess can be understood since this was meant to be the second film on a double bill. The screenplay never really knows what it wants to do because one moment we're on an adventure and then the next we're tied up in a love triangle that never really seems to work either because more attention is spent on Bogart and Woods instead of Woods and Lindsay. The film is certainly confused in what it wants to do but like many "B" movies it's at least smart enough to throw everything in and just hope something sticks. This film throws in a real crazy sequence where Bogart dives down to get some pearls and is attacked by a large octopus and soon enough Woods is underwater fighting it as well. I'm not sure what it is but no matter what movie you're watching it's always a plus when a killer octopus shows up. As far as the performances go I wasn't too thrilled with Lindsay who seemed to be sleepwalking throughout the film but I did enjoy Bogart and Woods. I thought these two actors really kept the film moving as they had a nice chemistry together and you have to love Bogie's mustache. The ending is pretty weak but the film only runs 62-minutes and makes for a decent time killer, although only fans of the stars should really seek it out.

This film aired today on TCM and the transfer looks great. Bogart, Lindsay and E.E Clive perform in a high seas adventure with Bogart as a pearl merchant. Lots to look at here with a short running time. This was one of warner's pictures of the week with a great cast, director, and cinematographer Fantastic Film (**** Out Of *****)Look for many warner extras here in bit roles. I am surprised that there are as many low rated "Whiners" how they thought this film was terrible, but a true Bogie fan would never call any of his films bad. There is no reason for trashing any of his films, but if I did I would consider all his films great except his non Warner's films that must have been independent productions...