1951 / 105m - USA
Adventure, Romance
1.5*/5.0*
The African Queen poster

Watches

February 11, 2021

1.5*/5.0*

A classic Huston adventure that hasn't aged all that well. The film was shot entirely on location, even so the special effects trickery for some of the more adventurous shots looks more like something you'd expect to see in a cheesy Honda flick. A very dashing film this is not (at least not anymore).

Samuel and Rose run a church in Africa, until they are raided by German troupes. Only Rose survives the attack, but she has no way of escape. Then she meets Charlie, a rugged fella who owns a boat. Traveling down the Ulonga-Bora is ill-advised, but Rose convinces Charlie there's no other way to escape their predicament.

The effects are crummy and the adventure is merely amusing, never tense. Bogart's performance is questionable at best, Hepburn isn't really on top her game either. At least the film doesn't take itself too seriously, other than that it's a decently paced, but hopelessly outdated film.