Dir. Victor Adamson/Al Adamson (uncredited)
69 Minutes
USA
1960
Starring: Lyle Felice, Caroll Montour, Sergio Virwell
*/*****
Rough going curio in the Al Adamson set, with Al given a story and an acting credit while the film is directed by D. Dixon, aka Victor Adamson. But after some disputes and trouble beyond the scenes, Al would co-direct much of the picture, though there is no way of knowing exactly which material came from him. Presumed lost for many years, a print was unearthed while doing research for the Adamson documentary Blood & Flesh and was able to be included on this set. Though if one were starting their Adamson journey with this chronologically first entry, they would possibly be heavily pressed to want to continue. Half Way to Hell is a mercifully scant sixty-six minutes: thin on narrative, lousy with pacing, and devoid of any style or visual pleasure, with much of its composition (though certainly not content) at home in some pre-code western that is quietly aired on weekend mornings. Sprinkled throughout are some tenants of Adamson's exploitation leanings, with a seedy sequence of unnecessary sexual violence, though the centerpiece belongs to an extended whip fight sequence. Aside from being a bridge between the directing careers of father and son, Half Way to Hell does not exactly have anything of note aside from tested patience and time checking.
Viewed July 15th, 2020
Part of the ongoing Al Adamson Project.