"Slattery's Hurricane" is not a particularly good film and is a rare career misfire for a young Richard Widmark. Oddly, the bizarre and unlikable plot was from a story by Herman Wouk--a very accomplished writer. Perhaps the screenplay completely botched his story...perhaps he just had a misfire.Slattery (Widmark) is flying into a hurricane when the film begins. He then has a series of flashbacks that take up most of the rest of the film. It seems that after leaving active duty in the Navy, Slattery's made money flying charters. While he might be working for drug dealers, the money is good and Slattery asks no questions. Additionally, while he has a long-suffering girlfriend (Veronica Lake), he completely ignores her and begins chasing after a friend's wife!! All in all, he's a total jerk and only later, when receiving the Navy Cross (awarded for service during WWII--it was given to Slattery while he was in the Naval Reserves) does he start to reassess his life. But who cares?!The film has many problems--the biggest of which is the blandness of most of the characters. Darnell cheats on her husband...but you know nothing more about her. Lake is a doormat and nothing more. And Slattery's 'friend' (John Russell) is also quite bland--which is odd considering he often had a commanding presence in films. Add to that that Slattery is thoroughly despicable, you really wonder why you're even watching this film in the first place!

Slattery's Hurricane (1949) ** 1/2 (out of 4) Mildly entertaining melodrama benefits from some nice performances by the leads. Pilot Slattery (Richard Widmark) takes off in a plane, flying through a hurricane where he looks back on his life. Most of this flashback centers on him running into a friend (John Russell) who he eventually stabs in the back and tries to steal his wife (Linda Darnell) while his own girlfriend (Veronica Lake) begins to lose control. While Slattery tries to steal the wife he has even more trouble from the men he works with who just happen to be involved in narcotics. At just 80-minutes this thing flies by pretty fast thanks in large part to the performances but in the end it's just way too predictable and full of too much melodrama to really work. I think the best aspect is the performance by Widmark who gets to act tough, as usual, but also manages to be very believable as the man simply struggling with his attitude and look on life. Widmark takes what could have been a simple tough guy role and adds some soul to it by really delivering a full character and one we can't help but feel as if we know. The cruelness that the character has towards anyone but himself is perfectly brought to life by the actor. Darnell doesn't get too much to do but she's certainly easy on the eyes. Russell's role is pretty thankless as well but I enjoyed all of his scenes with Widmark as the two certainly had a nice chemistry. Lake, who was married to the director at the time, doesn't come off nearly as good. I'm not sure what it was but just watch any scene she's in and it appears as if there's something really bothering her as she's constantly looking around and can't seem to keep her eyes still. Her role really wasn't written all that well but I still wasn't too impressed with her performance. The special effects of flying inside the hurricane were pretty good and it should be noted that Ray Kelloogg, director of classic drive-in fluff like THE KILLER SHREWS and THE GIANT GILA MONSTER, did the visual effects. I think the well-known cast will make people check this film out but the end results are rather mixed. There's some nice scenes and a couple decent performances but in the end you can't help but feel as if you're going through the motions and that you've seen this countless times before.

SPOILER ALERT: Think of this as Miami Vice, circa 1949. It has adultery, addicts, and drug dealing gangsters living in a mansion on the water with a private dock and hanger. All it needs are pastel colors and a Ferrari.The movie starts off with a guilt ridden Richard Widmark flying into a hurricane, reflecting on his screwed up life. We learn in a late reveal that his downward spiral started during WW2 when he was a Navy pilot who disobeyed orders, broke formation and bombed and sank a Jap cruiser. He was punished, not rewarded, so he left the Navy and was paid very well to fly a private Grumman Mallard around the Caribbean on errands for wealthy but shady Italian "candy distributors" from Chicago. Nudge nudge wink wink, but the word Mafia is not used.His girl Veronica Lake is an addict, but this was deemphasized and she is given little to do. She just complains about being sick, and looks like dog food. This is sad since the movie was made only seven years after Lake's dazzling magic act in This Gun For Hire. Considering that Lake's husband Andre De Toth was the director, and that they were trying to restart her career, they did a horrible job. Anyway, Widmark runs into his old Navy pal John Russell and his hot wife Linda Darnell, who had previously been Widmark's girl friend. Widmark immediately reignites the old flame, and they start an affair. Jumping on your best friend's wife is bad form and they know it, but that doesn't stop them. In sum, Widmark does a fine job of acting like a creep on many levels.There are good aerial scenes with the Grumman Mallard, and Widmark's pal takes him on a ride through a hurricane in a four engine weather plane, probably a Privateer which is a B-24 with a single tail.Of course Widmark hits bottom and his shady life style falls apart because The Wicked Are Punished, at least in the movies. A drug deal involving an absurdly small amount of white powder goes sour, and heavies are sent to kill Widmark. His pal learns about the affair, gets drunk and attacks him. Since the pal is in no condition to fly into an approaching hurricane, his Navy career will be ruined. Thus Widmark, feeling guilty as hell, snags a plane and flies solo into the hurricane, gathering crucial data for the hurricane warning system. Good footage of wind and wave damage is spliced in. Widmark's heroic act redeems him; he rejoins the Navy and is even belatedly decorated for his WW2 feat of arms. He takes an overseas assignment and wisely ditches Lake. After being a creep for most of the movie, Widmark straightens up and flies right after all. Other pilots' wives are safe - for now.

VERONICA LAKE was married to director Andre deToth at the time she made SLATTERY'S HURRICANE, a tale told in flashback by RICHARD WIDMARK as he pilots a plane through a horrendous storm and recalls a love affair he had with his best friend's wife (LINDA DARNELL). The friend is well played by JOHN RUSSELL, an actor under contract to Fox who never got to do much of anything but seemed as competent as any of the other up and coming contract players.LINDA DARNELL, looking every inch a femme fatale, is only given a minor role in the proceedings and is quite forgettable. VERONICA LAKE, on the other hand, this time playing a good, sensible woman and not her usual femme fatale, is convincing enough as the right gal for Widmark.Slow in getting started, it actually only gets into high gear once the storm scenes reach hurricane proportions--but by that time, you might have trouble staying awake through a very mediocre plot.Based on a book by Herman Wouk (THE CAINE MUTINY), it's hardly a distinguished work.