Mara Maru Reviews

This production was made toward the end of Flynn's explosive career, and it proved a lesser entry in the adventure genre but nevertheless provided a fair share of thrills. Flynn is a deep-sea diver who knows where a jewel-encrusted cross lies buried in the deeps of the China Sea, on a sunken PT boat. Burr, wealthy, greedy, and venal, hires Flynn to navigate his yacht to the treasure spot. During the voyage the greedy crew begin hatching their own plots. Meanwhile, Roman, who is in love with Flynn, tries to talk him out of the diving scheme. The great adventurer nevertheless makes his perilous dives, battles Burr and his henchmen, and retrieves the holy relic. At the last minute, he regains his scruples and returns the cross to its rightful owners, taking it to a small native church in Manila, in the Philippines. There's plenty of action, and Flynn is exceptional in the last third of the film, where he regains his conscience. Location shooting took place on Catalina Island and in Los Angeles and Newport Beach Harbors. The San Fernando Mission doubled as the Filipino church.