A triumvirate of friends – bosom buddies, longtime pals. . . and hardcore criminals – though we all know the idiom ‘as thick as thieves’, that is not always the case, for especially in film noir, friend can quickly become foe, and femme can often become fatale. Case in point – Hell’s Half Acre (1954), directed by John H. Auer.
Meet Chet Chester (Wendell Corey – Rear Window), supposedly dead at Pearl Harbor, the criminal used the event to change his name (he was originally Randy Williams) and make it rich in the racketeering underworld in Hawaii (with his two buddies). Now the owner of a swank nightclub and transformed into an amateur songwriter, his past soon comes knocking when he is confronted by sketchy eyed business partner Slim Novak (Robert Costa), who is looking for another payout. . . and he’s not afraid to shoot for it. The problem is, Chet’s protectively dangerous dame, Sally Lee (Nancy Gates), has a just as itchy trigger finger, offing his former buddy quite quickly.
Worried for his lady, Chet takes the blame. . . knowing his money and clout will give him an easier chance at getting off for self defense – after all, he is the writer of the hit song “Polynesian Rhapsody”. But let us not forget about the third member that completes the aforementioned triumvirate, supposed nice guy Roger Kong (Philip Ahn), who doesn’t take long to prove his nice guy persona false – leaning on Sally for information on the money now that she is the only one left with the pertinent details.
What would seemingly be more than enough action for a tense crime tinged noir, a new angle arises when we are introduced to mainlander Donna Williams (Evelyn Keyes – The Seven Year Itch), a woman who hears Chet’s song for the first time and immediately goes into some sort of fugue-like reverie. Hearing a line that was once her catchphrase with her husband. . . who supposedly died on that fateful day at Pearl Harbor, she wonders if this is actually a clue that her hubby of only two days is still alive.
Making her way to Honolulu, she is greeted by the chattiest and ultra nosey taxi driver turned tour guide in the city – Lida O’Reilly (Elsa Lanchester – The Bride of Frankenstein). Transporting her here and there, she is granted visitation to see her supposed man, only to discover from Chief Dan (Keye Luke), that Chet has escaped after learning that his beloved has been murdered. Donna also learns that she might be a witness – as she visited the house where it all happened earlier that day and spotted a guy in front of the beach estate.
Taking on the role of investigator. . . which might just be wise, as Chief Dan and his team could be the worst cops ever found in movies (losing locked up criminals, having informants killed under their noses, being thrown out of their own cars by perps – who then steal a police cruiser, firing into packed neighborhoods, and losing track of their number one target – which leads to a dangerous high speed pursuit), Donna enters the criminal underworld (located in the titular Hell’s Half Acre), posing as a dime-a-dance dame as she tries to track down her could-be man. She’ll have to watch her back though, as this place is littered with people like two-faced Ippy (Leonard Strong – The Claw, or is it The Craw, from Get Smart), kidnaper and drunkard Tubby Otis (Jesse White), cheating string-puller Rose Otis (Marie Windsor – The Killing), and many more.
Shot on location in Honolulu, it is the setting of Hell’s Half Acre that really makes it stand out. With beautiful sandy beaches, hilly landscapes, and its seedier titular location – full of dark nooks and innumerable staircases leading to an equally uncountable number of seedy residences, each and every location really makes this setting come alive. The audience believes it when the cops say that finding Chet in the Half Acre will be near impossible, or that Donna is putting her life at risk by poking around in the wrong end of town. Even the score, brought to life by R. Dale Butts, is Polynesian tinged. . . adding even more flavour to the film.
It also leans heavily into many a noir theme. . . both femmes truly capture the moniker (Windsor nearly as dangerous as her infamous turn in The Killing), while intriguingly, the investigator trope is taken over by a woman – Donna replacing the typical private dick that usually goes with the rather male nickname. And though there is some nice lighting, it is not as pronounced as many a noir. . . as the Hawaiian landscape takes over at many moments throughout the runtime. It also has a nice concluding note, not always something that can be found in this type of movie.
An intriguing Hawaiian located film noir, Hell’s Half Acre succeeds in cast, setting and story. Though it doesn’t particularly add much new to film noir (which had already been around for over a decade at this point), it will be appealing to those who love this type of story. So, take a shot at watching this criminal adventure. . . it will have you both charged and arrested.