Hellfighters (1968)

14% of critics liked it
(7 reviews)
76% of users liked it
(6,736 ratings)

Chance Buckman (John Wayne) heads a team of international trouble shooters who travel around the world to put out oil fires. The dangerous profession has taken a toll on the marriage between Chance and Madelyn (Vera Miles), who leaves when she can no longer endure the stress of saying goodbye and… More Chance Buckman (John Wayne) heads a team of international trouble shooters who travel around the world to put out oil fires. The dangerous profession has taken a toll on the marriage between Chance and Madelyn (Vera Miles), who leaves when she can no longer endure the stress of saying goodbye and fearing she will never see him again. With his faithful assistant Greg (Jim Hutton), the team is ready at a moments notice to race anywhere to extinguish the flames of oil fires raging out of control. Greg eventually falls for Chance's daughter, Tish (Katherine Ross), who shares her mother's concern over the dangers the men endure. Hellfighters received technical advising from famed oil-well fighter Red Adair and his assistants who provided excellent and credible information for the film and the pyrotechnic team headed by legendary special-effects expert Fred Knoth. ~ Dan Pavlides, Rovi

Rating, Runtime: G, 2 hr. 1 min.
Directed By: Andrew V. McLaglen
Written By: Clair Huffaker
Genres: Documentary, Action & Adventure, Romance

In Theaters: Nov 27, 1968 Wide
On DVD: Jan 5, 1999

Critic Reviews

A.H. Weiler, New York Times
Our indestructible Duke again has made actionful, if not stirringly meaningful, child's play of exotic disasters.
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times
A slow moving, talkative, badly plotted bore.
Emanuel Levy, EmanuelLevy.Com
All the ingredients (cliches) of the John Wayne hero are here, from commitment to his job as firefighter to a wife who couldn't accept him to a daughter who affects reconciliation.
, TV Guide's Movie Guide
The Duke is an oil-fire fighter running around the world putting out blazes.
Dennis Schwartz, Ozus' World Movie Reviews
A dull adventure tale about macho men who fight oil fires.
Steve Crum, Kansas City Kansan
Blazingly colorful Duke Wayne actioner.

Read all 6 critic reviews

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Featured Audience Ratings

Dean M

This is a very entertaining film. Some of the acting of Jim Hutton & Katharine Ross may have been less than one would expect. But the film should be seen keeping mind that this was years before the disaster films of the early seventies like The Poseidon… More
This is a very entertaining film. Some of the acting of Jim Hutton & Katharine Ross may have been less than one would expect. But the film should be seen keeping mind that this was years before the disaster films of the early seventies like The Poseidon Adventure & The Towering Inferno. It is a fun watch as Chance Buckman's (John Wayne) crew travels the world putting out oil well fires while kindling a few fires of their own in the local women. It is fun to watch many of the fire-fighting scenes today and wonder how they pulled this off thirty years ago. It is very Wayne as can be seen as some of his regulars turn up here, such as Bruce Cabot, Edward Faulkner who were part of his stable. This is the first time I ever saw Jim Hutton (father of actor Timothy Hutton) in this action-adventure film.
xGary X

A lumbering exercise in machismo, this films sees a series of oil fires/explosions tackled by John Wayne in overalls and no plot. Frankly, it's bores in the same way common to most disaster movies of the 70s. The Duke's forays into other genres are generally best avoided.