How sad is this?

A lot of fun.

There is, somehow, an interesting story here, as well as some good acting. There are also some good scenes

I didn’t really have many expectations going into the movie (good or bad), but I actually really enjoyed it. I really liked the characters and the banter between them.

"Slattery's Hurricane" is not a particularly good film and is a rare career misfire for a young Richard Widmark. Oddly, the bizarre and unlikable plot was from a story by Herman Wouk--a very accomplished writer. Perhaps the screenplay completely botched his story...perhaps he just had a misfire.Slattery (Widmark) is flying into a hurricane when the film begins. He then has a series of flashbacks that take up most of the rest of the film. It seems that after leaving active duty in the Navy, Slattery's made money flying charters. While he might be working for drug dealers, the money is good and Slattery asks no questions. Additionally, while he has a long-suffering girlfriend (Veronica Lake), he completely ignores her and begins chasing after a friend's wife!! All in all, he's a total jerk and only later, when receiving the Navy Cross (awarded for service during WWII--it was given to Slattery while he was in the Naval Reserves) does he start to reassess his life. But who cares?!The film has many problems--the biggest of which is the blandness of most of the characters. Darnell cheats on her husband...but you know nothing more about her. Lake is a doormat and nothing more. And Slattery's 'friend' (John Russell) is also quite bland--which is odd considering he often had a commanding presence in films. Add to that that Slattery is thoroughly despicable, you really wonder why you're even watching this film in the first place!

Richard Widmark flies into what becomes known as "Slattery's Hurricane" as he looks back on his life in this 1949 film. Directed by Andre de Toth, the film also stars Linda Darnell, John Russell and DeToth's wife, Veronica Lake.Widmark plays Slattery, a former Navy man who, with his girlfriend Delores (Lake), works for drug smugglers. Slattery is unaware of this, though subconsciously he probably knows, but Delores, an addict, knows everything. (Delores' addiction is only hinted at.) When Slattery meets an old Navy friend, Hobbie (John Russell), he finds out that Hobbie married his former love, Aggie (Darnell). Though Delores is in love with Slattery, Slattery is still in love with Aggie and goes after her, not caring about Delores' feelings or Hobbie's marriage. When a hurricane hits, Hobbie is called in for pilot duty so he can get the hurricane coordinates, but he's too drunk to fly. Slattery takes his place, and while flying through the storm, looks at his mess of a life.This isn't a particularly good film, but Richard Widmark does a great job, creating a fully fleshed-out character. It's impossible to believe that Lake, her signature haircut gone, was only 27 when this film was made. I would have guessed she was 40. Even with her husband directing the movie, she's not well photographed. It's a shame, because the petite actress was perfect for films, radiant, beautiful, with a great presence; no matter the role, she projected an intelligence and femininity. She just doesn't register here. The gorgeous Darnell has very little to do.All in all, mediocre, but worth it for Widmark.

SPOILER ALERT: Think of this as Miami Vice, circa 1949. It has adultery, addicts, and drug dealing gangsters living in a mansion on the water with a private dock and hanger. All it needs are pastel colors and a Ferrari.The movie starts off with a guilt ridden Richard Widmark flying into a hurricane, reflecting on his screwed up life. We learn in a late reveal that his downward spiral started during WW2 when he was a Navy pilot who disobeyed orders, broke formation and bombed and sank a Jap cruiser. He was punished, not rewarded, so he left the Navy and was paid very well to fly a private Grumman Mallard around the Caribbean on errands for wealthy but shady Italian "candy distributors" from Chicago. Nudge nudge wink wink, but the word Mafia is not used.His girl Veronica Lake is an addict, but this was deemphasized and she is given little to do. She just complains about being sick, and looks like dog food. This is sad since the movie was made only seven years after Lake's dazzling magic act in This Gun For Hire. Considering that Lake's husband Andre De Toth was the director, and that they were trying to restart her career, they did a horrible job. Anyway, Widmark runs into his old Navy pal John Russell and his hot wife Linda Darnell, who had previously been Widmark's girl friend. Widmark immediately reignites the old flame, and they start an affair. Jumping on your best friend's wife is bad form and they know it, but that doesn't stop them. In sum, Widmark does a fine job of acting like a creep on many levels.There are good aerial scenes with the Grumman Mallard, and Widmark's pal takes him on a ride through a hurricane in a four engine weather plane, probably a Privateer which is a B-24 with a single tail.Of course Widmark hits bottom and his shady life style falls apart because The Wicked Are Punished, at least in the movies. A drug deal involving an absurdly small amount of white powder goes sour, and heavies are sent to kill Widmark. His pal learns about the affair, gets drunk and attacks him. Since the pal is in no condition to fly into an approaching hurricane, his Navy career will be ruined. Thus Widmark, feeling guilty as hell, snags a plane and flies solo into the hurricane, gathering crucial data for the hurricane warning system. Good footage of wind and wave damage is spliced in. Widmark's heroic act redeems him; he rejoins the Navy and is even belatedly decorated for his WW2 feat of arms. He takes an overseas assignment and wisely ditches Lake. After being a creep for most of the movie, Widmark straightens up and flies right after all. Other pilots' wives are safe - for now.

Lt. Willard Francis Slattery {Richard Widmark}, a former Navy pilot, is in control of this Grumman Mallard Aeroplane. He's flying right into the centre of a storm, a ferocious storm gathering momentum, here Slattery reviews his latter day life.Slattery's Hurricane is directed by André De Toth and also stars Linda Darnell, Veronica Lake, John Russell and Gary Merill. It's based around a story written by Herman Wouk, and it's with Wouk that the interesting back story to the film belongs. Herman Wouk was of course the writer of Pulitzer Prize winning novel-The Caine Mutiny {also made into a fabulous film starring Humphrey Bogart}. It was while Wouk was researching weather data for "Mutiny" that he got the genesis for Slattery's Hurricane. Pitching it to 20th Century Fox, he got the go ahead for a screenplay, and feeling inspired he turned his short story into a fully fledged book.Adapted by Richard Murphy, Slattery's Hurricane is a real good film stopped from being a great one due to the inevitable interference from the Production Code Administartion. Research into the film, and those who know the novel, shows the story to be a spiky one about adultery, drug smuggling and drug addiction, with closely formed characterisations leading the way. The observant will spot these things in the film anyway, but the toning down leaves us with a more melodramatic picture than a sharply dark one that the story deserved. However, it's with much credit to De Toth and his cast that the film is still an engrossing mood piece set around the birth of a raging hurricane, a hurricane that is not just of the storm itself, but of the emotional state of Will Slattery too. Grim nature and the troubled human condition dovetailing to create our finale of Slattery's Hurricane.Richard Widmark is good value {wasn't he always?} as the lead protagonist, mean, moody and even menacing in his selfishness, Slattery called for an actor capable of blending emotional layers. The studio had wanted Tyrone Power for the role {perhaps showing the high hopes they had for the film?}, but they got Widmark instead, who rewards them {and us} with yet another memorable performance. Linda Darnell, softly spoken, sexy and exuding a femme fatale sheen, does well with what is a surprisingly underwritten part, tho we can probably thank {not!} the PCA for that issue. Veronica Lake, then married to director De Toth, had hoped for the film to signal a comeback for her faltering career, it wasn't to be, and that's sad because she's really rather great here. Heartfelt and giving the story a crucial counter point edge to Widmark's unfolding state, Lake served notice that she still had some quality to offer cinema. John Russell and Gary Merrill {whose opening narration sets the tone} do what is needed, but rightly play second fiddle to the three principals.It could have done with better villains than the portrayals given by Walter Kingsford and Joe De Santis, but Slattery's Huricane remains a fine movie begging to be seen by more people. Still not given a DVD release and rarely shown on television, it's a film that if you get a chance to see it then you should grab that opportunity with both hands. 7/10