Run For The Sun

The single literary work that has inspired the most movie and TV adaptations over the years may well be Richard Connell’s 1924 short story, “The Most Dangerous Game.” Even those who are unfamiliar with the story of a mad hunter in pursuit of human prey can probably recall a dozen or more filmed versions with similar plots (including the 2020 film, “The Hunt”), most of which don’t even credit the Connell story as a source. Ironically, one of the few movies that do mention Connell’s story in the credits is the 1956 adventure, “Run for the Sun,” which actually has relatively little in common with its source. Unfortunately, “Run for the Sun” also throws in a lot of extraneous plot threads that turn what could have been a crisp adventure into a film that becomes too longwinded.A quick look at the credits of “Run for the Sun” might lead some to believe that the movie was another Latin American film noir, as genre stalwarts Richard Widmark and Jane Greer head the cast. In fact, the first half-hour or so of the movie could have served as a springboard for a noir. Widmark plays an Ernest Hemingway-like author who disappeared several years earlier. Greer is a magazine reporter who tracks Widmark to a remote Mexican village and befriends him (not difficult since she seems to be the only woman in town). When he finds out her true identity, he rejects her, although she has begun to fall for him for real. He does, however, agree to fly her back to Acapulco in his private plane because the roads are treacherous.That decision proves ill-advised when their plane has to make an emergency landing in the jungle. The pair are rescued by a couple of mysterious Europeans (Trevor Howard and Peter Van Eyck) who live on a nearby hacienda. Widmark soon figures out that the two aren’t archaeologists, as they claim, but Nazi war criminals in hiding. Finally, over an hour into the film, the “Dangerous Game” storyline kicks in. Widmark and Greer flee for safety, while the Nazis and a pack of Dobermans pursue them (in Connell’s original story, the villain used a pack of dogs to pursue his quarry as well).Most action/suspense films are short on dialogue and long on thrills, but “Run for the Sun” reverses this formula to its detriment. The first half-hour seems to have come from a different film entirely, as Greer eventually gets Widmark to lower his guard and reveal his reason for going into hiding. This could have made a good feature all by itself, but by having the two main characters spend all their time delivering speeches to each other, there isn’t enough time for romance to develop naturally. Instead, their eventual hookup seems more a matter of plot necessity than natural chemistry. Once the couple meet their soon-to-be pursuers, the plot gets even more contrived. Believe it or not, once Widmark figures out who his hosts really are, he actually tells them, delivering the longest speech of the movie as he explains Trevor Howard’s life history. The story is fascinating (Howard is a British traitor, patterned after the real-life Lord Haw-Haw), and Widmark does a great job telling it. But this is the sort of speech that a movie villain usually delivers when he has the hero dead to rights. Spoken by the hero, the speech sounds oddly out of place. In fact, this entire sequence betrays some amateurish screenwriting. Both Widmark and the Nazis act incredibly stupid because that’s the only way that the film can move on.The chase sequence occupies the last half hour of the movie. Still, for those who went along with the overly talkative passages and stupid decisions made by the various characters in the hopes of seeing some nail-biting suspense here, the pursuit proves somewhat tepid. Director Roy Boulting does take full advantage of the location scenery and peppers this portion of the film with cut-in shots of snakes, iguanas, and other indigenous animal life (often to get Greer’s reaction shots). Boulting also provides one of the best demonstrations I’ve ever seen of the principle of Chekhov’s Gun, which allows a resourceful Widmark to escape a trap late in the movie. Still, “Run for the Sun” can’t always overcome the censorship concerns of the era, which limited the display of graphic material. Some of the more violent moments in the film are not shown, and what does appear on screen sometimes becomes needlessly confusing as a result. In one scene, Widmark rigs a bow-and-arrow booby trap that the villains later trigger. However, rather than show someone getting hit with a large bolt arrow, the camera discreetly cuts away, leaving viewers in the dark for another ten minutes as to just what happened.“Run for the Sun” is a difficult movie to rate. It’s uniformly well-acted, and it’s an excellent showcase for Richard Widmark as both actor and film character. However, it’s overly talky and confusing at times, and the chase that occupies the movie’s last half hour is only fitfully entertaining. Still, the actual finale is well-staged, including the very memorable bit of business I alluded to earlier. On balance, I’m giving this movie a marginal recommendation, especially for fans of Richard Widmark or film noirs in general. Still, “Run for the Sun” winds up being a bit of a slog in the bog.

Not only does this film attempt to rip off the Hemingway style, it tries to steal his persona as well. Perhaps I do a disservice to the great man himself by even mentioning his name in conjunction with this movie. But, what the film is attempting to do is clear - crystal. The Hemingway-esque character played by Widmark is unconvincing. None of the square jawed, broad shouldered presence of the man himself. To his credit Widmark attempts to perform his own stunts - but is not up to task as he struggles dragging the heroin thru the jungle. The direction is poor and unimaginative. The cinematography - second rate. The only characters that were believable were the Indians and the dogs. Even Trevor Howard was unconvincing as a bad guy. Nonetheless a fun watch for those of us who remember.

This film has an interesting beginning, so at first it had me curious. Plus, it was shot with a sizable budget. But from Widmark's first appearance, it was clear the director was pushing him to heavily sell his cheesy bravado, instead of portraying a strong-willed, independent and intelligent man. It was that, and the ironically boring and protracted chase segment at the end that took this from being a possible 5-star oldie, all the way down to being a flat 3. In fact, the chase portion was so overly simplistic, and so full of holes, that it seemed like a kid wrote it.Another piece of bad writing was when Widmark's character figured out the bad guys to a tee. But instead of secretly acting on it to save his skin, he boastfully tells these very dangerous men all that he's figured out, only to be surprised they didn't like what they were just told. Again, even a kid would know better.When I finally finished working my way through this film, I had no desire to ever see it again.Not a bad movie. Just nothing near being a great or even a really good one.3 STARS.

I saw this film upon its initial release when I was a kid in the 50's. I liked it then and it hasn't lost too much in the intervening years. A remake of "The Most Dangerous Game" it was shot in Mexico and really has that "on location in the wilds" look. This film brought actress Jane Greer out of retirement and consequently nearly ended her life. She smashed her tailbone while doing stunt work in the rapids, breaking the skin. A day later after filming in fetid swamp water she developed a painful condition that not only hampered her for years, but after 5 years the then unknown virus ultimately marshaled its attack on her heart. No less than famed heart surgeon Michael DeBakey performed a delicate 4 hour operation to remove all remnants of this virus giving her a full recovery. The film is worth a look, however I was disappointed that MGM released this video in a 2.0 aspect ratio instead of the 2.35 that it was originally filmed in. (The reason I give it 3 stars instead of 4.) I've seen it on Turner Classic Movies in something approximating its original aspect ratio so I would assume with a little more diligence this could have been achieved. I suppose MGM just doesn't want to spend the time (or money) on something that's not likely to find a big enough audience. To bad, it is a decent enough film in the mold of "they don't make 'em like that anymore" and worth a better effort than given here.

I saw this movie many, many years ago on T.V. I enjoyed the movie very much. I recently purchased the movie and watched it. It did not let me down. The fifties were a very interesting time for movies. The war was over and movies were changing. Story lines were simple but great. I have over 4,000 dvd's & Blu-Rays in my library and the subjects range from everything and the year range of my library is 1936-2014. For the next couple of years I plan to add many movies from the 1950's. Another Widmark movie that I wish was available on DVD is "A Prize Of Gold". Its about a heist of gold in Britain involving a U.S. serviceman(Widmark) and British gangsters

Roy Boulting directs this better than average adventure caper, one of several films that uses the famous Richard Connell story THE MOST DANGEROUS GAME as source material, the most famous version being the 1932 Joel McCrea film. Set in Mexico, a disillusioned novelist (Richard Widmark) and a journalist (Jane Greer) flying in his private plane crash in the Mexican jungle. They are found by a suspiciously secretive Brit (Trevor Howard) and his German companion (Peter Van Eyck) whose explanations for living buried in the jungle (in a handsome hacienda with Indian servants) don't quite add up and soon Widmark suspects they may be permanent prisoners. The steamy jungle locations, shot by Joseph LaShelle (THE APARTMENT), provide an exotic backdrop for this man hunts man thriller. While the outcome is never in doubt, Boulting keeps the tension tight as a drum and Widmark is always a welcome screen presence and the lovely Greer (OUT OF THE PAST) holds up her end too. Produced by actress Jane Russell and her then husband, Robert Waterfield.The British release from Optimum Classics is a handsome looking print in its original 2.1 SuperScope format.

I don't much go for extras on DVDs, but I would love to have had a Doc on "the making of..". This film (not seen for many years) never fails to surprise me. Roy Boulting directing a thriller like this? Did the cast ralise what they would have to go through on location somewhere in the middle of nowhere (presumaby it was South America? I don't know.). Look at their faces, particularly Trevor Howards, as they cut through jungles, stumble down slopes, wade rivers, and stagnant swamps, all for real, and as fa r as I can tell-no doubles used, except when Widmark is attacked by a pursuing Doberman. This is a tough, tightly directed, beautifully filmed, well acted film that seems almost forgotten. The print is Superscope and lovely. I'm not really a fan of Widmark (don't know why), but he did make some very good films (Last Wagon/Backlash/Law and Jake Wade and others) and this is right up there. Jane Greer, lovely as ever, looks a bit older than I believe she was (32?) goes through hell (and high water?) as well. A good underrated film not quite 5 stars but well worth adding to any collection. (Did you know that my favourite "comic" "Film Fun" did a 2 page story of the film with photos also did the same for "The Last Wagon" - just thought I'd mention it)

Brilliant! Glorious colour and fantastic performances from everyone. Don't be put off by the boring dvd cover. We really enjoyed this one and can recommended it to all fans of Jane Greer, Richard Widmark and Trevor Howard, or even if you just enjoy a good story. Enjoy!

Arrived on time and plays fine.

Good