In January 1942, the month after the United States entered World War II, reporter John Royer returns to the United States. He goes to see his friend, newspaper publisherJohn Manchester, about a scheme to smuggle desperately needed rubber out of Japanese-occupied Malaya. Manchester, though he has been selected by the government to deal with the rubber shortage, does not seem interested, but later, government agent Kellar takes him to a meeting with Manchester and others. They give their approval. Royer needs the help of his old friend, Carnaghan; he gets Carnaghan released from Alcatraz to help. They slip into Malaya and contact Carnaghan's associate, the Dutchman, who recruits a gang for them from customers in his saloon, including Romano. Carnaghan also renews his acquaintance with the saloon's singer, Luana from Italy. Using money and intimidation, they succeed in purchasing all the available rubber, but eventually the Japanese commander, Colonel Tomura, gets wind of the scheme. On the last trip to transport the remaining rubber, belonging to part-German plantation ownerBruno Gerber, to a waiting freighter, Carnaghan smells an ambush. He forces Gerber to confess that he tipped off Tomura. Royer decides to try going around the ambush, but Carnaghan refuses to go with him. Royer is killed by the waiting soldiers. Tomura hints to the Dutchman that he would be willing to look the other way and let the rubber go in return for gold. Despite the Dutchman's certainty that Tomura is lying, the cynical Carnaghan takes him up on his offer. The Dutchman is right; Carnaghan is captured by Tomura. He takes Tomura to where the freighter lies hidden, but when a Japanese warship arrives, it is met by two PT boats, which proceed to sink it with torpedoes. Carnaghan shoots first the soldiers guarding him, then Tomura, but is himself wounded. When Malaya is liberated by the Allies, Kellar tracks Carnaghan down to an island, where he has settled down with Luana, to give him a medal. Carnaghan refuses the medal, and tells Kellar to give the medal to the Dutchman.
Cast
Spencer Tracy as Carnaghan
James Stewart as John Royer
Valentina Cortese as Luana, bargirl and Carnaghan's former girlfriend
Sydney Greenstreet as The Dutchman. This was Greenstreet's last picture.
John Hodiak as Kellar
Lionel Barrymore as John Manchester
Richard Loo as Colonel Tomura
Gilbert Roland as Romano
Roland Winters as Bruno Gerber, a plantation owner
DeForest Kelley as Lieutenant Glenson
Production
The film was based on Manchester Boddy's plan to get rubber out of Japanese-held Malaya after a fire destroyed large part of the US government's supply of raw rubber at the Firestone Tire & Rubber Company's plant in Fall River, Massachusetts. The character John Manchester, portrayed by Lionel Barrymore, was based on Boddy. The film was originally developed by Dore Schary for RKO under the title Operation Malaya. Howard Hughes rejected both Operation Malaya and Battleground, which led Schary to Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. The film was completed at MGM in late 1948 and delayed release due to hesitation about making a film about World War II. This film's shooting was the first occasion on which James Stewart worked with Spencer Tracy since his screen debut in Murder Man in which he had a minor role, as Shorty, and had sixth billing.
Reception
The New York Times critic Bosley Crowther called the film "a rousing, old-fashioned thriller about bold men with wily minds and crushing fists. Scenarist Frank Fenton crowded plenty of action into the script and Richard Thorpe's direction keeps the screen pulsing with excitement". According to MGM records, the film earned $1,959,000 in the U.S. and Canada and $1,128,000 in other markets, resulting in a profit of $691,000.
