No Thriller in Manila
Having learned that MacArthur had crates full of silver dumped in to the Manila bay as they fled the Philippines, the Japanese start using their prisoners of war to dive down and retrieve it in return for extra rations and better accommodation. It leads to conflict between the men especially Lt. Dennis Butts (Rik Van Nutter) who is angry that the Japanese respect the lower ranked Clyde Preston (Jim Brown) more than him. But as the men set about helping the Japanese they are approached by the resistance who want the chests of money and in return will help Clyde and his friends escape.
Fans of the "Dirty Dozen" do not be swayed by the fact that "Pacific Inferno" stars Jim Brown and Richard Jaeckel as this is extremely weak in comparison. In fact "Pacific Inferno" is weak compared to the majority of war movies and is basically one of those late 70s movies which attempted to draw on the waning popularity of the war movie with the general public before it was too late. As such it has next to nothing to offer as the storyline is slim, the action is rudimentary whilst also fake and the characters are in truth characterless.
Looking for something to praise "Pacific Inferno" for, well I could mention it manages to show some realism as we see how one soldier is a racist but it is a scarce moment in a movie which lacks depth. I could also mention that this was another 70s war movie which used contemporary movie rather than using more authentic tunes. But do you know what I am clutching at straws because whilst not completely terrible "Pacific Inferno" doesn't have a great deal to offer other than a lot of stock footage used in some better movies.
What this all boils down to is that "Pacific Inferno" is scraping the bottom of the barrel when it comes to war movies and as such it is now a movie mainly for fans be it of Jim Brown, Richard Jaeckel or war movies who are looking to watch them all.
