Leofwine_draca WHEN HELL BROKE LOOSE is a very early star vehicle for Charles Bronson, receiving an 'introducing' credit even though he'd been acting in the likes of HOUSE OF WAX some five years earlier. Perhaps it was the first time he used the Bronson surname. This film ostensibly sounds like a war film with plenty of battle footage, but it's not, and the action is rather limited due to budgetary constraints. Instead what we have is a mild thriller that's never as tense or exciting that it wants to be.Bronson plays a mild-mannered guy who doesn't want to be a soldier and who subsequently goes A.W.O.L. to romance a pretty German girl, played by Violet Rensing. Unfortunately for him, his girl's brother, played by the entertaining Richard Jaeckel, is a Nazi saboteur planning to take down some American high command. Nobody believes Bronson so he has to save the day, but the execution is never as exciting as it sounds.The film offers a decent fist fight (possibly the first of Bronson's lengthy career) and some other interesting moments, but is generally only a very average sort of picture, lacking the class and technical quality to make it genuinely enjoyable. It's on par with MACHINE GUN KELLY in that respect.

kapelusznik18 ***SPOILERS*** The film in its opening credits "First Introduces" actor Charles Bronson as GI Steve Bpland to the movie going audience ignoring the fact that Bronson has already been in the movies and on TV with at least some 50 credits under his belt-According to the IMDb-since 1951! Brosnson or Steve Boland plays a just drafted into the US Army, to prevent him from serving time for for illegal bookmaking, right after the the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor who in fact continues his bookmaking and ends up in the brig for it right up until almost the end of the war! It's in the final days of WWII in Europe that he finally sees the light by risking his life to prevent a number of Nazi guerrillas or Werewolves from knocking off the Allied Supreme Commander Gen. Eisenhower. That's to be carried out in an ambush that PVT. Boland's German girlfriend Ilsa's, Violet Rensing, fanatical Nazi brother Karl,Richard Jeackel, and equally crazy, about preserving Hitler's 3rd Reich, friend Ludwig, Arvid Nelson,are determined to carry out!Up until then Boland has been a complete screw up as a member of the US Army landing in jail as well as on garbage or KP duty during his entire time servings, by digging ditches, his country. It's when he met Elsa as he says at the end of the film he found a reason for his very existence in life and that paid off by him preventing the Werewolves in changing the course, by knocking off Gen. Eisenhower, of the second World War! Most of the action takes place in WWII stock footage due to the films limited budget but the final scene with Boland taking out the Nazi Werewolves almost single handed was top notch as well as made the never sticking his neck out for anyone PVT Boland into a genuine hero.***SPOILERS*** Sadly it was Ilsa who risks and gave her life by trying to alert the US unit that Gen. Eisenhower was with that it was about to be ambushed by her brother Karl and his fellow Werewolves and got shot, by Ludwig, in the back for it. Charles Bronson more or less played the same character in the movie that he played all throughout his career but added some humor into it as a bookie who never took anything seriously, even WWII, until the chips were down and then showed his true colors: Red White & Blue!

bkoganbing Devoted film fans might note a more than passing resemblance of Charles Bronson's character in Well Hell Broke Loose to that of Alan Ladd in his first star billed role of Lucky Jordan. But the difference in the films is the difference between Paramount building up their newest box office sensation and Paramount rather indifferently releasing this low budget independent film that gives Charles Bronson one of his first starring roles.The only real interest When Hell Breaks Loose has is Bronson's rather unique character. Come Pearl Harbor he's forced to join the army to get out of a jackpot with the law, he's a bookmaker by profession. As a soldier he's no model and serves rather indifferently and most of the time in trouble from Pearl Harbor to the last days of the war in Europe as his unit is in Germany mid April of 1945.Where through his German girlfriend Violet Renning he learns of a secret group of fanatical Nazi true believers called 'werewolves' who are determined to still inflict as much damage as possible on the allies even though they know the war is lost. One of these 'werewolves' is Richard Jaeckel, Renning's brother.Well we know they didn't succeed because when this film was released Ike was our president.Only Bronson who was looking for his big break to stardom seems to do any acting. Everyone else kind of goes through the motions. This one is for Charles Bronson's devoted fans. Others take caution.

MartinHafer "When Hell Broke Loose" is one of Charles Bronson's earliest starring roles. Up until that time, he mostly played minor supporting characters but here he is THE star of this low-budget production. Bronson plays a rather amoral guy who is always looking out for himself--which is tough, as he's in the Army during WWII--a place where everyone must work as a team. Not surprisingly, he's often in trouble and has a horrible record as a serviceman. However, when he falls for a German woman, for once he thinks about another person. It becomes VERY complicated, however, when they both learn that her brother is a so-called 'werewolf'--a member of a team who dress like American G.I.s and who are dedicated to killing Eisenhower and disrupting the peace. What's next? See the film if you'd like...or not.While Bronson does a good job in this early role, the film is pretty cheap--with only fair actors in support and lots of poor, grainy stock footage. It is interesting but just seemed cheap. Worth seeing if you love Bronson, otherwise easy to skip.