I wouldn't exactly call this movie a masterpiece, but it is a lot of fun. After watching Hellfighters, you'll want to run right out and get a job putting out oil well fires.
Chance Buckman (John Wayne) is a legend in the oil business. He and his team jet all over the world, extinguishing oil rigs and wells that have caught on fire. It's a dangerous job, but Chance and his men are the sort who live for exactly that danger. But when Chance is seriously injured after one job, his right hand man Greg Parker (Tim Hutton) calls up Chance's long estranged daughter Tish (Katherine Ross). Tish somewhat reluctantly come to her father's sick bed but after finding out he'll be okay, she tags along with Greg and the team to put out another oil fire. Well, by the time Chance gets out of the hospital, Tish and Greg are married. This isn't the most intricately plotted story, because the rest of the film is a series of increasingly perilous oil fires and Tish struggling against the fear she feels when Greg in on the job, a fear that drove her mother Madelyn (Vera Miles) away from Chance. The movie climaxes in Venezuela, where the Hellfighters have to deal with 5 flaming oil rigs and a violent guerrilla rebellion.
Except for two utterances of that-word-that-rhymes-with witch and Greg starting out the film as a libidinous hound dog, this is a G rated adventure for the whole family. Most of the stunt work involving the fiery oil wells is still quite impressive, even by today's standards, and there's a jovial tone to the whole thing that keeps it from being too scary. John Wayne is a commanding presence, but he makes sure to never completely overshadow the rest of the cast. Jim Hutton is able to stand toe-to-toe with "The Duke" on screen, while Katherine Ross and Vera Miles as two women struggling to love these danger-seeking men manage to seem like real people and not caricatures.
Yes, the interpersonal conflicts in the story aren't treated with a whole lot of emotional realism, but come on! This is a melodrama where tough guys get into a bar fight as a way of introducing themselves to each other. Based on the real life exploits of guys who actually put out oil well fires for a living, there's no moral or point to this film other than how totally awesome those guys are.
Hellfighters isn't one of the classic Wayne flicks, like The Searchers or True Grit. It doesn't set its artistic or storytelling goals that high. What it is, though, is thoroughly enjoyable. You won't be disappointed if you rent this movie.
Chance Buckman (John Wayne) is a legend in the oil business. He and his team jet all over the world, extinguishing oil rigs and wells that have caught on fire. It's a dangerous job, but Chance and his men are the sort who live for exactly that danger. But when Chance is seriously injured after one job, his right hand man Greg Parker (Tim Hutton) calls up Chance's long estranged daughter Tish (Katherine Ross). Tish somewhat reluctantly come to her father's sick bed but after finding out he'll be okay, she tags along with Greg and the team to put out another oil fire. Well, by the time Chance gets out of the hospital, Tish and Greg are married. This isn't the most intricately plotted story, because the rest of the film is a series of increasingly perilous oil fires and Tish struggling against the fear she feels when Greg in on the job, a fear that drove her mother Madelyn (Vera Miles) away from Chance. The movie climaxes in Venezuela, where the Hellfighters have to deal with 5 flaming oil rigs and a violent guerrilla rebellion.
Except for two utterances of that-word-that-rhymes-with witch and Greg starting out the film as a libidinous hound dog, this is a G rated adventure for the whole family. Most of the stunt work involving the fiery oil wells is still quite impressive, even by today's standards, and there's a jovial tone to the whole thing that keeps it from being too scary. John Wayne is a commanding presence, but he makes sure to never completely overshadow the rest of the cast. Jim Hutton is able to stand toe-to-toe with "The Duke" on screen, while Katherine Ross and Vera Miles as two women struggling to love these danger-seeking men manage to seem like real people and not caricatures.
Yes, the interpersonal conflicts in the story aren't treated with a whole lot of emotional realism, but come on! This is a melodrama where tough guys get into a bar fight as a way of introducing themselves to each other. Based on the real life exploits of guys who actually put out oil well fires for a living, there's no moral or point to this film other than how totally awesome those guys are.
Hellfighters isn't one of the classic Wayne flicks, like The Searchers or True Grit. It doesn't set its artistic or storytelling goals that high. What it is, though, is thoroughly enjoyable. You won't be disappointed if you rent this movie.