John Chard

Fury on The Fury II Sea Fury is directed by Cy Endfield and Endfield co-writes the screenplay with John Kruse. It stars Stanley Baker, Victor McLaglen, Luciana Paluzzi, Grégoire Aslan, Robert Shaw and Francis De Wolff. Music is by Philip Green and cinematography by Reginald H. Wyer. Aged Captain Bellew (McLaglen) of the tugboat Fury II is lured into a romantic involvement with young Josita (Paluzzi) by her father who has designs on financial gain for the family. However, the arrival of British sailor Abel (Baker) to the crew sees a romantic dalliance occur of which Bellew is sure to be furious about... Set in a village on the Spanish coast, where the harbour is host to tugboats and ebullient sailor types, Endfield's film is a weird romance - come - seafaring drama. In truth the first two thirds of the film is pretty turgid stuff, it shuffles along as some sort of bizarre love triangle, then a bit of jealousy comes into play and a drama at sea forces the pic onto a much higher level. Filmed out of Estartit and Girona in Spain, the acting is fine, where McLaglen (in his last film before his death) is in full bluster mode, Baker is smooth and macho, and Paluzzi strikes the right forbidden fruit chords (including one quite racy and well shot underwear change sequence). When the plot forces the now bitter crew of the Fury II out to a perilous rescue mission that will make them good money, it is here where the pic pays you off for the time spent with the previous tedium of the lovelorn character developments. It's dramatic, furious even, with Baker put through the water mangler by his director. Above average, but only recommended if one has the patience to wade through an hour of sogginess to get to the watery thrashy pulse raising last third. 6/10