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Kodie Bird True to its essence, the characters remain on the same line and manage to entertain the viewer, each highlighting their own distinctive qualities or touches.

Tayyab Torres Strong acting helps the film overcome an uncertain premise and create characters that hold our attention absolutely.

bkoganbing A rather trashy early account of the Vietnam War when it was the French still fighting it is Five Gates To Hell. It's as if someone got all those yellow peril warnings out to create this film.If you believe this the Vietminh were really interested in our women folk for sex. Well proportioned females weren't all that prevalent among their own women.Neville Brand plays a Vietminh guerrilla leader who kidnaps a hospital staff to treat a local Vietminh leader, doctors and nurses. The patient dies and the hospital staff effects an escape, the doctors die but the women wind up defending French colonialism and the virtue of white womanhood with the exception of nurse Nobu McCarthy.A number of reviewers have already commented on Nancy Kulp, better known as Ms. Jane Hathaway of the Beverly Hillbillies lobbing handgrenades like she Nolan Ryan on the pitcher's mound.As if this oriental depravity isn't enough these people are even raping nuns among the nurses.Pure unadulterated trash.

reelguy2 George Bernard Shaw once referred to Puccini's Tosca as that "shabby little shocker." That's an apt description for this Vietnam war film written and directed by James Clavell. Every manner of atrocity is committed in this unredeemable mess: garroting, rape, human boiling, crucifixion, pick-ax murder, and of course point blank shooting. Sure, it's a bloody war, but Clavell goes for the obvious sensational effect, without meaningful human values, much in the same way we've seen more recently in slasher pics.Clavell manages to elicit terrible performances from his usually-commendable team of actors. Patricia Owens as a cynical nurse and Shirley Knight as a sanctimonious nun win the awards for bad acting against fierce competition. And for all the murders he commits, the usually tough Neville Brand is surprisingly innocuous, although it doesn't help that he's forced to play a Vietnamese leader. Greta Chi gives the best performance; doesn't that say it all?There's some consolation at the end of the film when the women take arms against their captors. It's rather cathartic, I have to admit. But for sheer unpleasantness for most of its running time, this is a movie to avoid.

byoung6429 I saw this movie long ago and I remember being riveted to the story. I thought Neville Brand was a great bad guy and the Five Gates to Hell were where he ruled. It was a very different war theme. I would like to purchase this in video if I could find a copy. I have looked about everywhere on the internet.

Gar-8 I believe Clavell was a great historical novelist, and when he tried out the silver screen, with all its limitations, he maintained his integrity. The sheer quality of this flick shines through. It's set in Vietnam in 1950, and, as usual, if it's Eastern society, he can teach it.