Art Vandelay I'm starting to think Mervyn LeRoy wasn't a very good director. Sinatra and Tracy give their worst performances I've ever seen, and I've seen countless films by both men. Everybody else is an amateur-hour ham barely competent by TV standards. The special effects are shamefully bad. The plot? Well, it's basically a disaster flick before that term was applied to star-bloated films in the 70s and beyond. When the enormous styrofoam bridge post got dislodged and crushed one of the characters - though not so quickly that Tracy wasn't able to speechify about the guy's bravery - I just burst out laughing. This is a career low for Tracy and Sinatra. Their careers were lucky to survive this garbage.

mitch1492 I'm astounded at the generally good reviews this film has received. The farther along you get in this movie, the worse the writing becomes. I'm a huge Frank Sinatra fan, and an even bigger Spencer Tracy fan, but neither of them can save this cliché-ridden mess. The idea of this old man parachuting into the jungle is absurd enough, but what was the point of it? Logically, they should have found the leper colony abandoned. There were plenty of adults there. Why were they just sitting around, meekly awaiting death? Why didn't they pack up their charges and try to get out of there? Then, of course, all the rescuers have to die, in order that their sacrifice appears noble. The convict who dies in the quicksand is the silliest. I've always seen people die in quicksand in movies by sinking downwards. In this case the poor man encounters quicksand with a current, and he's swept away from his would-be rescuer at an absurd speed. The worst writing is saved for the very end, when Sinatra throws his life away, for no reason whatsoever. Noble? He's committing suicide! The nobility escapes me.

kcox-12 Own this movie and always enjoy watching it. I remember first seeing it at the drive-in theater when I was a kid. The volcanic eruption and lava is really awesome...whether it's realistic or not, I don't know, but it's sure neat to watch. The island setting is beautiful and the filming is well done. The earthquake was pretty cool, too. I like the fact that the 3 convicts turn out to be decent guys who do what has to be done. Frank Sinatra, especially changes from the cocky smart-mouthed know-it-all to a person with feelings for others. The ending, with the island exploding is pretty outrageous, but, again, fun to watch. I really like this show! Watch it for fun, not to critique its realism.

Chris Gaskin The Devil at 4 O'Clock is an excellent disaster movie from 1961.Three convicts on their way to Tahiti land on a volcanic island in the South Seas to allow a new priest to alight. They help out at a leper hospital there but a volcano blows its top and the children at the hospital are in danger. Outgoing Father Dunnon and the three convicts team up and go to rescue the children but a footbridge collapses, stranding Dunoon and one of the convicts, who later dies. The children make it to safety and Ol' Blue Eyes, who plays one of the convicts goes back to be with Dunoon and the island finally explodes and sinks into the sea.This movie has excellent special effects, especially the eruption scenes.As well as Frank Sinartra, the cast also includes the excellent Spencer Tracy as Dunoon and Kerwin Mathews (The 7th Voyage of Sinbad, Jack the Giant Killer).The Devil at 4 O'Clock is a great way to spend a couple of hours. Excellent.Rating: 3 stars out of 5.