Destination Unknown Reviews

Strange sea melodrama has a rum-running ship becalmed, out of fresh water, and sinking fast. To top it off, the captain and mate have been swept overboard in a storm, leaving bo'sun Hale in command of a mutinous and desperate crew. Suddenly, stowaway Bellamy emerges and informs the crew that all the casks they thought were full of sherry hold fresh water, foisted on them by a crooked island trader. Using vaguely supernatural powers, he saves the ship and turns its crew of cutthroats into a nice bunch of guys. Then he disappears as mysteriously as he appeared. Hale is magnificent as a big Swede, and the first part of the picture is a tense atmospheric thriller, but soon after Bellamy appears it slips into maudlin sentiment and slapstick comedy. Garnett wrote this film off his resume, later commenting: "In spite of an excellent script and a brilliant cast... DESTINATION UNKNOWN should have been titled DESTINATION OBLIVION. It sank without a trace."