ISLAND OF DOOMED MEN is a typical B-movie of its type in which an FBI agent is tasked with going undercover as a prisoner on a penal colony on a remote Pacific island. The place is run by Peter Lorre, delivering a typically ultra-creepy performance as the softly-spoken boss who runs the place with an iron fist. In many respects this is similar to THE ISLAND OF LOST SOULS, the classic adaptation of the Wells novel with Charles Laughton, but shorn of any supernatural content. It's nonetheless atmospheric and violent at times, with Rochelle Hudson adding allure and plenty of suspense as we witness some of humankind's darkest behaviour.

ISLAND OF DOOMED MEN was shot in 1940 with WWII already raging in Europe. Lorre, who had first grabbed international attention with his lead role in Fritz Lang's M in Germany, just before the Nazis came to power and he fled for France and then the UK, must have appreciated playing a part very reminiscent of the dictatorial figure of Hitler, ordering his wife and servants about on pain of various types of physical punishment ranging from whipping to getting shot. Lorre serves up a truly magnificent performance as someone totally blinded by power. His somnolent eyes carry menace and even his uneven teeth look creepy! He is well supported by Rochelle Hudson, as the wife who realizes the mistake of gold digging and marrying for money only to end up an inmate in her own abode; and Wilcox, as secret agent Sheldon, aka John Smith, also provides convincing acting support. Curiously, Sheldon gets his operation orders in a manner that must have been a blueprint for the Mission Impossible series 20 years later. Acceptable B quality cinematography, reasonably solid script despite the predictable ending, and Charles Barton's typically effective direction render 69' minute long ISLAND OF DOOMED MEN most watchable.

Island Of Doomed Men has Peter Lorre in the lead as the lord and master of his own private island where he has convict labor assigned there and has them digging for diamonds. It doesn't look like the men are finding a lot of diamonds, but Lorre is sure living well, complete with trophy wife in Rochelle Hudson. In a rather stupidly handled plot Robert Wilcox plays a government agent sent to investigate. He's convicted on a real murder charge though. I attribute the clumsy handling to some bad editing. Not a great picture, but Lorre carries the whole thing with a Doctor Moreau like character. He may not be doing experiments on animals, but he's sure getting his jollies. Peter Lorre fans will like this.

The story in this movie is fairly implausible B grade stuff, but the script called for a creepy guy to play the lead, and in 1940, that meant Peter Lorre. And Peter is at his creepiest in this one as island owner Stephen Danel, who gets prisoners paroled to his custody to work at his island diamond mine. Upon arrival the parolees discover that they are slave mine workers that can be beaten or killed at the whim of Danel. Only two things seem to have it worse off than the slaves; Danel's wife, and monkeys. Monkeys tick him off so much that his violence towards them probably leads to the only meat the slaves get. Lorre is perfect in his role here, and creeps up the screen in industrial-strength fashion. Although the script is not Casablanca caliber, the editing is very tight and there are no wasted scenes. This is a very watchable story, but I'm not sure what niche this movie filled. Too long for a short subject, and too short for a feature length film, I'm not sure how this was marketed to theaters. I just caught this for the first time on a late night/early morning TCM showing. Lorre fans will not want to miss this one if they haven't seen it.

Okay so this is NOT "Island of Lost Souls" or "The Big House" but I do think that fans of Peter Lorre would enjoy it. No need to hash out the plot here, and yes of course this is nothing more than a 1940s B-Movie. Nonetheless, if you grew up decades ago and have fond memories of staying up late and watching the old horror movies and science fiction monster movies on TV over the weekends, then watching this movie might be an enjoyable way to spend a late Friday or Saturday night, even though it's more of a "semi-noir" movie instead of a horror film.

Despite the low rating, this is a must for fans of low-rent cinema of the 1940s. It stars Peter Lorre seemingly doing a spoof of himself. This is the period just before he started to bloat — I imagine just after the Mr. Moto franchise left him without a steady gig. It also features — wait for it — Charles Middleton, aka Ming the Merciless, in a grubby career-ending part as the island's whip master. This is a bigger part than you might imagine, since the only activity on the island seems to be whipping, the object of which is to get a bunch of extras to rat on other extras who may be talking to the Department of Justice about the evil activities taking place on the island — basically, a lot of whipping. Filmed on a shoe-string budget that makes Monogram's most dismal releases look like Cecil B. Demille productions, this corker of a film may be best viewed under the influence of your favorite intoxicant. Without that spiritual aid, you probably won't be able to suffer past the opening, where a secret agent applies for a job in the Department of Justice, which seems to be located in a set originally created for an SRO hotel. Good luck, movie fans!

1940's "Island of Doomed Men" was among the 11 Columbia titles included in the SON OF SHOCK television package in the late 1950s, one of three to star Peter Lorre, followed by "The Face Behind the Mask" and "The Boogie Man Will Get You." The ill-fated actor Robert Wilcox ("The Man They Could Not Hang") is cast as Mark Sheldon, undercover agent from the Department of Justice, who certainly picks a roundabout way to conduct his investigation; convicted of a murder he didn't commit, orchestrated by the very man he's investigating, Lorre's Stephen Danel, winding up exactly where he intended to be all along after several uncertain months of good behavior. Dead Man's Isle is the place where Danel employs parolees as slave labor to mine diamonds when not being flogged for disobedience, with only three armed guards (Charles Middleton, Don Beddoe and Bruce Bennett) and an electrified fence to protect his home ("to keep out the animals and snakes!"). Also held captive is Danel's beautiful wife Lorraine (Rochelle Hudson), habitually clinging to Sheldon despite her husband's protests and seeking aid from houseboy Ziggy (George E. Stone), whose pet monkey throws a fit at the sight of the boss ("keep that monkey away from me!"). The script's characters are fairly one-dimensional, much like Warners' 1939 Karloff vehicle "Devil's Island," but Lorre's quiet, soft-spoken presence is more unnerving than any bombastic, overdone performance, making those moments when he does lose his cool quite chilling (what was it about that monkey anyway?). Every time he needs a light someone is there to fearfully do it with shaking hands, and the reactions of others matter more since Hollywood didn't dare show any depravity. The supporting cast is surprisingly strong but it's Lorre's show all the way, actually one of the few vehicles in which he's top billed as the main heavy (he and Rochelle Hudson had previously co-starred in "Mr. Moto Takes a Chance"). Despite its SHOCK! pedigree, "Island of Doomed Men" aired just once on Pittsburgh's Chiller Theater on Oct 1 1966.

If I have one problem with Island of Doomed Men, it's the complete lack of logic on display. Here's the storyline from the movie's main page on IMDb: "Sadistic Stephen Danel owns a penal island, and when he is not humiliating and mistreating his wife, he is torturing his convict prisoners and using them for slave labor. Government agent Mark Sheldon is sent to infiltrate the island and bring Danel to justice." There are a couple of glaring inaccuracies in this quote that go to my argument about a lack of logic. First, Stephen Danel is not torturing "convict prisoners". Instead, he is torturing parolees. Parolees would undoubtedly be missed. How Danel gets away with his operation without someone becoming wise to what he's doing defies all logic. Like I said, these are parolees. Some would presumably have families that would be outraged if their loved ones just disappeared after being paroled. Also, I'd think the U.S. prison system would do a better job of monitoring parolees. Sure, a few might fall through the cracks, but not the dozens Danel has gone through over the years. Second, Sheldon's plan to bring down Danel is so convoluted and illogical that it will make your head hurt if you think about it long enough. The quote makes it sound as if the Justice Department (or some other government agency) sent him to the island on a mission. Not true. Instead, to get to the island, Sheldon allowed himself to be convicted of a murder he didn't commit, serve a whole year in jail, and have himself conveniently paroled into Danel's custody. What a ridiculous plan! Sheldon's predecessor appeared to have enough information on Danel to justify a search warrant. When Sheldon was arrested, why not come forward with that information instead of going through the ridiculous steps he took to get to Danel? Utterly illogical. If it weren't for Peter Lorre's performance, some decent tension in the film's finale, and Rochelle Hudson, I'd easily rate this one much lower.

Island of Doomed Men is directed by Charles Barton, written by Robert D. Andrews and features cinematography by Benjamin Kline. It stars Peter Lorre, Rochelle Hudson and Robert Wilcox. Federal agent Mark Sheldon (Wilcox), by a strange quirk of fate, is framed for murder and sentenced to serve time on the Pacific Island penal colony he was to investigate anyway! Once there he finds harsh conditions and the camp run by a sadistic task master named Stephen Danel (Lorre). Catching the eye and befriending Danel's beautiful wife, Lorraine (Hudson), herself a prisoner of Danel's tyrannical behaviour, Sheldon knows he must act quick if he is to survive the Island of Doomed Men! Neither good nor bad, Barton's film is standard fare that features strong themes fighting to impact during the relatively short running time (just under 70 minutes). Much of it is a sweaty prison drama driven by Lorre doing another one of his insane antagonist portrayals. Within the narrative is sadism, spouse and animal abuse, bondage and corruption of power, but these are just shards of potency in an otherwise very talky piece. Performances around Lorre are adequate and Barton and Kline have a decent eye for mood via the black and white photography. Not very memorable and not nearly as throat grabbing as thematics suggest it could have been, but enjoyable while it's on and certainly one for Lorre completists. 6/10

I did enjoy watching this film, but the absurdity of the plot made it impossible for me to properly suspend my disbelief. I kept asking myself, 'huh'? The protagonist is given a secret government mission to infiltrate an island where questionable goings-on are thought to be happening. Then he ends up in prison for a crime he did not commit, is miraculously paroled after one year into the care of the man (and island) he was suppose to originally penetrate- at this point your head begins to explode with obvious questions like "Why wont the govt just send someone to the island to look around?" And many more... The plot holes in the film are too deep and wide... you better watch your step! OK, the real point of this film is Peter Lorre. That's why we watch the movie- we just cannot get enough of the guy. His creepiness is in full force here,he plays a sadistic man of wealth with a barely concealed rage, impeccably dressed, with good taste, a soft spoken seething monster with a menacing yet polite manner- this is what we want, and Lorre completely delivers. 5.8 stars.