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Movie is exciting, entertaining and educational -- they sneak in a few tid~bits about oil fires, poison well fires and thermal vents all while your enjoying the movie. The life of an Oil Fire Blow Out Specialist - Love, lost love, danger and laughter. Love it !! and they did it all with out murdering anyone or swearing up the whole movie !!!
Verified purchase: Yes | Condition: New
I love this movie and love widescreen.......... however the picture is 12" less than my screen. I don't mean top and bottom as in typical widescreen Shorter in length on the sides. 6" less on each side. I have a big tv in the game room and will enjoy the movie there but my 50" in the living room just isnt enough.
Verified purchase: Yes | Condition: Pre-owned
How do you put out an oil well fire? The 1968 film "Hellfighters" shows us step by step how it was done at that time: 1. Clear away all super heated metal debris. 2. Pack a 55-gallon drum with nitro glycerin, attach to a long boom and position it in the fire shaft. 3. Get a safe distance away and detonate the nitro. The temporary void of oxygen will extinguish the blaze. 4. Install a control valve on the pipe coming out of the ground. 5. Close the valve to stop oil flow. Event over. Not something most people would want to try at home. In fact so specialized is this line of work that one name became synonymous with the profession: Red Adair. He is the inspiration for the fictitious Chance Buckman (John Wayne in one of his few non-western roles) whose close knit Buckman Company employs, among others, Gregg Parker (Jim Hutton) who has just become his son in law. Leave it to Hollywood to dilute a story about a unique occupation. "Hellfighters" walks a line between Discovery Channel and "Dallas" with family dynamics taking a good portion of the screen time. Chance's ex-wife Madeline (Vera Miles) left him because she couldn't stand the anxiety of marriage to a man in such a dangerous career. Daughter Tish (Katharine Ross) has a different approach: accompanying her husband Gregg to the fires. (I liken this to going inside a fast food restaurant as opposed to using the drive thru--seeing what's happening with your order softens the wait). Wayne, playing the classic highly protective father, of course disapproves. However, when Madeline actually visits Chance on the scene of their worst fire, it is this modus operandi that brings them back together for good. A couple of things irritate me about "Hellfighters". The opening credits with red lettering outlined in white are difficult to read on a TV. And, although the first and last events are shown from start to finish, the fires in between are all cut short. You see the crew getting ready to attack, and then the movie jump cuts to the plane trip home or a scene back at the office. This movie is fairly dated. Use of asbestos, which has become a concern in recent years, to insulate the nitro could be scattered on explosion. And if the film were made today, you can bet Tish would be following in her father's footsteps as a firefighter herself. At least she realized that, at an oil well fire, tight fittin' jeans are safer (and sexier) than a skirt. The DVD does preserve the original 1:2.35 widescreen proportion. I would like to see a modern era version, but like a lot of older movies, they are enjoyable when viewed in the proper frame of mind for the time in which they were made.Read full review
This film is taken from the work of Red Adair, who was famous for a time for his exploits at putting out oil well fires. Featuring the standard Wayne cast of 1968 (see the Green Beret's) this film tracks time putting out oil-well fires, with some made-up personal love-interest drama to round out the two hours. It is formulaic and predictable, but the cast pulls it off, espescially Wayne. It's interesting to watch him do something in a contemporary time frame, where he doesn't ride a horse or shoot a gun. There is a great shot of him getting out of a station wagon with a 1960's hat on that will remind a lot of us of our dads. I always wind up watching the whole film through, rather than just the 30 minutes of it I intend to. And, it makes me wish I owned a Lockheed Jet Star!Read full review
Totally unique Duke movie, with super efforts invested in the production and fire scenes. Fine cast featuring Wayne stock company regulars, plus two wonderful young actors (Katherine Ross and Jim Hutton) that are a pleasure to watch and went on to their own wonderful careers. John Wayne was a master at coming up with stories that were different and engaging, which explains why he enjoyed a 40-plus year career and remains the greatest motion picture star of all time! Keep in mind that he performed in all the fire scenes after having undergone a major lung operation a few years earlier that would have retired most people. They don't make them like the Duke anymore!
Verified purchase: Yes | Condition: New
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