Isle of Fury: Bogart in a tropical bind

Is this worth a watch?

If you have a soft spot for 1930s B-movies where everyone talks like they are in a radio play, sure. It’s short, punchy, and moves along without bothering to ask too many questions about logic. If you need tight, modern pacing, you will probably be bored to tears within twenty minutes.

The whole thing kicks off with a shipwreck. It is standard stuff, but the way they film the rescue is surprisingly gritty for the era. Then, we get the octopus scene. Yes, an octopus. It’s the kind of rubbery, awkward prop that makes you want to reach out and poke it just to see if it wobbles.

Humphrey Bogart is in this, obviously. He plays the guy with the dark secret. He has that classic, brooding energy that he would perfect later, but here he feels almost like he is testing out the water. Watching him try to be a regular guy while clearly hiding a massive headache is a mood.

The friendship between the leads is weirdly earnest. They spend all this time building up this bond, and you’re just sitting there waiting for the other shoe to drop. It’s like watching two people walk toward a cliff while they talk about the weather.

I couldn't help but think about how different this feels compared to something like Paprika. It’s like comparing a stone cabin to a neon-drenched fever dream. One is solid, gray, and reliable; the other is just wild.

Small details that caught my eye:

• The dialogue is incredibly polite, even when people are literally fighting for their lives.
• The background extras in the island scenes seem like they just wandered out of a local tavern.
• There is a moment near the middle where the film’s tone shifts so fast you almost get whiplash.
• Bogart’s hat remains inexplicably clean throughout most of the film.

The pacing is a bit of a rollercoaster. It starts at a sprint, slows down to a crawl for the "friendship building" section, and then hits the gas for a finale that feels like it was written on a napkin five minutes before shooting.

It’s not a masterpiece, but it’s not trying to be. Sometimes it’s nice to watch a movie that just wants to tell you a story about a guy who is bad at being a fugitive. I’ve seen worse ways to spend an hour.

Also, the lighting in the final act is just bizarre. It’s dark, then bright, then dark again. It feels like someone was playing with the light switches just to keep the crew awake. 🐙