Desperate Journey
Warner Home Video (1942)
Action, Adventure, War
In Collection
#3689
0*
Seen ItYes
IMDB   6.9
1 hr 47 mins USA / English
DVD  Region 1   NR
Errol Flynn Flight Lt. Terrence Forbes
Ronald Reagan Flying Officer Johnny Hammond
Nancy Coleman Kaethe Brahms
Raymond Massey Maj. Otto Baumeister
Alan Hale Flight Sgt. Kirk Edwards
Arthur Kennedy Flying Officer Jed Forrest
Ronald Sinclair Flight Sgt. Lloyd Hollis II
Albert Bassermann Dr. Ludwig Mather
Sig Ruman Preuss
Patrick O'Moore Squadron Leader Lane-Ferris
Felix Basch Dr. Hermann Brahms
Ilka Grüning Frau Brahms
Elsa Basserman Frau Raeder
Charles Irwin Capt. Coswick
Richard Fraser Squadron Leader Clark
Director
Raoul Walsh
Producer Hal B. Wallis
Jack Saper
Writer Arthur T. Horman
Musician Max Steiner

Errol Flynn, Alan Hale, Ronald Reagan, Arthur Kennedy, and Ronald Sinclair are on a "Desperate Journey" in this 1942 wartime film directed by Raoul Walsh. The film also stars Raymond Massey as a German commandant and Nancy Coleman as a member of the underground.

Flynn and his pals crash land in Germany and attempt to fulfill their mission plus destroy other enemy sites and enemies as they make their way to safety.

For guys trapped in an enemy country, arrested at one point, and in constant danger, they're a pretty lighthearted bunch. They're also amazing at getting out of tight spots.

While it's not particularly realistic, "Desperate Journey" is very entertaining with non-stop action all the way, a charming performance by that prince of charm, Errol Flynn, and good support. People are terrible about Ronald Reagan's acting - he didn't have much range, but he was pleasant enough and very good for a role in this kind of film.

One interesting thing is that I didn't understand any of the German, which I usually do, so I wondered if it was a dialect. As usual, the actors used the formal instead of the familiar tense, which I doubt officers did when speaking to soldiers. In one part of the movie, a German is asked if he speaks English, and he answers, "I speak as if I was in London born," which is exactly the way the German language is spoken, with the verb at the end. So someone knew what they were doing.
Edition Details
No. of Disks/Tapes 1