Isle of Missing Men

I am giving this film a 3--and that's only because I liked Alan Mowbry in the film. Otherwise, it might only have gotten a 2! This is a very undistinguished drama from Monogram--a studio known for mostly undistinguished low-budget films. But even for Monogram, this film suffers from terrible writing.

The film begins on a steam ship in the Pacific during WWII. Suddenly, an American C-47 transport plane is spotted overhead and everyone shouts that it's a Japanese bomber. Suddenly bombs begin falling off this plane which NEVER was used as a bomber. Then, inexplicably, the shots of the plane now show a tiny private plane--then, back to the C-47. In the history of bad use of stock footage, this might be among the worst misuses of such film. Even if you have no idea what I am talking about because you are NOT an insane airplane buff, it would be like talking about a Ferrari and then cutting to clips of a Smart Car and then a pickup truck--it's THAT obvious! Most of the people aboard manage to survive the attack--and soon you'll start wishing none of them had! The film then switches to an island penal colony over which John Howard is warden. Why this place is in the middle of the Pacific, I have no idea. Nor, for that matter, do I understand why he invites a lady he met on the ship (Helen Gilbert) to come visit the place! Well, not surprisingly, Gilbert has an ulterior motive--something EVERYONE saw other than Howard! Where it all goes next you'll have to see for yourself--but unless you are as dumb as Howard's character, you certainly will see it coming!

While I generally expect less from a B-movie than the typical film, this one left me even less than thrilled because the plot just made little sense. The characters just made no sense---and I kept asking myself 'does anyone act that stupidly?!". Well, apparently in this film they do! Just watch John Howard--he is crazy stupid late in the film. Watch it yourself and see. No one--I repeat "NO ONE" acts that way--unless, of course, they have a head injury.