Strange Cargo is a religious fable about a number of convicts escaping Devil's Island - as you do - one of them a Messianic presence who mysteriously acts as a catalyst for their possible redemption as the run and then sail away from hell. A bit on the nose at times, it's nonetheless the heart of the film. Somehow, Clark Gable, Joan Crawford and their toxic romance are plugged into this story, and I'm not sure they ever comfortably belong. It already takes some gymnastics to get a woman on this trip, and though Crawford is good, her character attracts a series of creeps, and Gable's is one. Take a drink every time he calls her "baby" and I promise, you'll pass out before they get off the island. You'll need a stomach pump by the time they reach the mainland. So yeah, he's squarely in his "hard man" mode here, and his grace note isn't on par with what's given to other characters because his performance is so unashamedly two-dimensional. A picture I think would have been better without its star attractions, strangely.
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meerkate
This isn't even in one list? Unbelievable.thetramp
Strange Garborichjenkins28
Didn't expect it to be religious but it was pretty goodSiskoid
Strange Cargo is a religious fable about a number of convicts escaping Devil's Island - as you do - one of them a Messianic presence who mysteriously acts as a catalyst for their possible redemption as the run and then sail away from hell. A bit on the nose at times, it's nonetheless the heart of the film. Somehow, Clark Gable, Joan Crawford and their toxic romance are plugged into this story, and I'm not sure they ever comfortably belong. It already takes some gymnastics to get a woman on this trip, and though Crawford is good, her character attracts a series of creeps, and Gable's is one. Take a drink every time he calls her "baby" and I promise, you'll pass out before they get off the island. You'll need a stomach pump by the time they reach the mainland. So yeah, he's squarely in his "hard man" mode here, and his grace note isn't on par with what's given to other characters because his performance is so unashamedly two-dimensional. A picture I think would have been better without its star attractions, strangely.monty
Strange comment.ClassicLady
Strange movie.