''Flight to Fury'' is a 1964 film starring

Jack Nicholson John Joseph Nicholson (born April 22, 1937) is an American retired actor and filmmaker. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest actors of all time. In many of his films, he played rebels against the social structure. He received numerous ...

Fay Spain Lona Fay Spain (October 6, 1932 – May 8, 1983) was an American actress in motion pictures and television. Early years Born in Phoenix, Arizona, Fay Spain was the younger of two daughters born to Robert C. Spain and Arminta Frances "Mick ...

and Dewey Martin. The film was directed by

Monte Hellman Monte Hellman (; born Monte Jay Himmelbaum; July 12, 1929 – April 20, 2021) was an American film director, producer, writer, and editor. Hellman began his career as an editor's apprentice at ABC TV, and made his directorial debut with the ho ...

and filmed back to back with ''

Back Door to Hell ''Back Door to Hell'' is a 1964 Filipino-American war film concerning a three-man team of United States soldiers preparing the way for Gen. MacArthur's World War II return to the Philippines by destroying a Japanese communications center. It was ...

'' in the Philippines in 1964. Nicholson was one of the writers of the screenplay. The film is about a battle over stolen jewels after a plane crash in the Philippines. A version in Filipino titled ''Cordillera'', directed by

Eddie Romero Edgar Sinco Romero, (July 7, 1924 – May 28, 2013), commonly known as Eddie Romero, was a Filipino film director, film producer and screenwriter. Early life Romero was born on July 7, 1924. His father was José E. Romero, the first Philippi ...

, was also released.

Plot

An American man identifying himself as a tourist, Jay Wickham, introduces himself to Joe Gaines in an Asian casino. After accompanying Lei Ling to her room, Wickham begins searching for a cache of diamonds believed to be in her possession, but is unable to find them. On the only available plane leaving for the

Philippines The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no), * bik, Republika kan Filipinas * ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas * cbk, República de Filipinas * hil, Republ ...

, the passengers include Gaines, Wickham and Ling, along with a man named Ross who is Ling's associate and carrying the diamonds, Lorgren (the rightful owner of the gems) and the latter's mistress, Destiny Cooper. A crash landing results in the death of some and serious injury to Ross, who hands Joe the gems before he dies. Natives begin approaching the plane, ready to kill any survivors and take their possessions. Wickham finds the jewels, kills Lorgren, shoots Destiny and flees, but is wounded by Joe. Before he dies, Wickham tosses the diamonds into a river, as Joe awaits the dangerous natives and his fate.

Cast

* Dewey Martin as Joe Gaines *

as Jay Wickham *

as Destiny Cooper * Vic Díaz as Lorgren *

Joseph Estrada Joseph Ejercito Estrada, (; born Jose Marcelo Ejercito; April 19, 1937), also known by the nickname Erap, is a Filipino politician and former actor. He served as the 13th president of the Philippines from 1998 to 2001, the 9th vice presi ...

as Garuda * John Hackett as Al Ross * Jacqueline Hellman as Gloria Walsh * Lucien Pan as Police Inspector * Juliet Prado as Lei Ling * Jennings Sturgeon as Bearded Man

Production

The film was based on an outline by Hellman and Fred Roos. Jack Nicholson adapted it into a script over a three-week period on a boat from the US to the Philippines. They did it as a homage to '' Beat the Devil'' and the film was originally entitled ''The Devils Game''. Hellman directed the film while editing ''Back Door to Hell'' at the same time. He fell ill in between directing the two films. Lino Brocka worked as Hellman's assistant.

Reception

Lippert was unhappy with the comedic tone of the film and had it re-edited for its theatrical release losing 11 minutes. Hellman was able to re-insert the footage for the video release.

''Cordillera''

directed a

Filipino language Filipino (; , ) is an Austronesian language. It is the national language ( / ) of the Philippines, and one of the two official languages of the country, with English. It is a standardized variety of Tagalog based on the native dialect, sp ...

version of the film titled ''Cordillera'' for release in the Philippines. According to Romero, he added some scenes and slightly changed the story.

References

External links

* * *
''Flight to Fury''
at the BFI * {{Eddie Romero 1964 films 1960s adventure drama films American adventure drama films American black-and-white films Philippine black-and-white films Films about aviation accidents or incidents Films about murder Films about murderers Films directed by Monte Hellman Films set in the Philippines Films with screenplays by Jack Nicholson Treasure hunt films Films shot in the Philippines 1964 drama films 1960s English-language films 1960s American films