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.

1940's "Island of Doomed Men" was among a handful of Columbia 'B' films that ended up part of the SON OF SHOCK television package in the late 1950s, one of two to star Peter Lorre, followed months later by the even better "The Face Behind the Mask." 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, Dead Man's Isle, where Danel employs parolees as slave labor to mine diamonds when not being flogged for disobedience. Also held captive is Danel's beautiful wife Lorraine (Rochelle Hudson), who habitually clings to Sheldon despite her husband's protests. The script's characters are fairly one-dimensional, much like Warners' Karloff vehicle "Devil's Island" (1939), but Lorre's quiet, soft-spoken presence is more unnerving than the bombastic, overdone performance that could have resulted, 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 do it, albeit fearfully (the reactions of others reveal much, since Hollywood couldn't show any depravity). The supporting cast is surprisingly strong, but it's Lorre's show all the way (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, Oct 1 1966, following 1961's Mexican-filmed "The Living Head" (also in its only broadcast).

This B movie is shown on Turner Classic Movies, it's about as bad as it gets without being a Monogram release so you know it's pretty bad. Actually it's worse than watching a Monogram release as this being a Columbia picture, it has decent production values so there is that much less to laugh about. The Comcast mini summary lists this as one of Peter Lorre's most sinister roles where he rules a penal colony on an island. My thought's turned to the Charles Laughton movie, "Island Of Lost Souls" and it just dawned on me that this movies title is a total rip off of that movies title, lol. Anyway where that movie had true suspense and horror for our captives, here it's strictly nonsensical. Add on to that that it's really boring with the values code in full effect and the only thing left is to make fun of the suggestive lines involving the monkey and Lorre's wife, not nearly enough to make this worth watching except for the most hard core B movie fans out there. So here are my gripes, first and foremost, that theme music playing loudly over and over and over, it's the same kind that you find in a serial and it's rhythm will really agitate you after 15 minutes, here you get it for at least 45 minutes in the background. Next is a total waste of the character actor who did Ming The Merciless, I guess many of his roles were like this, but man he would have been a great evil character if this had been done right. The female lead is a non looker who I think was in some 3 Stooges shorts (it is a Columbia release and the Doc was also in 3 Stooges shorts), so the female lead doesn't bring much in the way of eye candy either. I laughed when in the beginning the hero got 1 to 20 for murder, this being 1940! I doubt that people got one year for that offense. I was saying to myself now lets see, he frees everyone there and gets rescued and then he's going to go back to jail because he's on parole, it's just way too stupid, must have been made for kids. I'll be generous and give it a 5 of 10 for when Lorre shot's the monkey, that was pretty funny, extremely predictable but funny.

Peter Lorre is perfect in this role, a calm, controlling madman with a terrifying temper bubbling underneath. Flashes of his temper are the highlights of the movie. Whomever played his wife could've probably been out-acted by a beanbag, but she's pretty, so it's ok. The other main man was okay, and I was rooting for him like I was supposed to. I guess the underlying question is: Could an island of slavery actually exist? Just kidding. The movie is not that deep, or worthy of further thought. The underlying question actually is: What does Peter Lorre have against monkeys?