climbingtiger957 started out enjoying this film,plenty of fights decent cast ,then for me it turns to the usual shock tactics of vintage whale slaughtering .films like this have no "this may contain upsetting scenes "why ???,believe me I'm no lightweight but stuff like this UN-nerves me ,and yep i know if you don't like it turn it off ,SO I DID !!reading reviews on this ,people saying it was an interesting view of foregone whale hunting ,well who want's to see that!!.they are beautiful creatures with very much the same traits as humans ,there are times when they are aggressive when they have been harpooned by some idiot as they are trying to protect there young with a harpoon in them ,anyway that's my rant i wanted to write this because people may not know what this film is about before they watch it ,being called "hell below zero"not "slaughtering of the whales" and if you find this interesting i recommend you pop up the slaughterhouse for an afternoon,that should make your'e day. freaks.

gordonl56 HELL BELOW ZERO – 1954Alan Ladd headlines this crime-adventure film set on the Antarctic whaling fleet. Ladd is in South Africa seeing about a mine he had invested in. It seems he was taken for a bundle by his partner in the enterprise. He meets a woman, Joan Tetzel, who is in from the UK to see about the death of her father. The man, a ship Captain, had gone overboard from a whaler in the Antarctic.Ladd, who just happened to serve in the Navy during the war signs on as first mate on the ship taking Tetzel to the whaling fleet. Also going along is the owner of the fleet, Basil Sydney and Niall MacGinnis, the fleet doctor with an over fondness for the bottle.Ladd and Tetzel are both attracted to each other and sparks soon fly. That is till Ladd hears that Tetzel in the fiancé of Stanley Baker, the son of Basil Sydney. Ladd cools the relationship which annoys Tetzel. Things heat up again when Ladd discovers that Baker is no longer in the picture.The ship reaches the whalers and Ladd is assigned to look into the death of Tetzel's father. Soon at the top of the suspect list is Tetzel's old beau, Baker. There is of course no actual proof since the only witness somehow manages to get himself killed.To cut to the quick, Baker decides to do in Ladd, Tetzel and anyone else you might cause him any bother. While all this is going on, there is plenty of action involving the whalers etc. A couple of good knockdown fist fights are thrown in to keep the pace going.The whole thing ends with a chase across the ice with the dastardly Baker getting his well deserved comeuppance.This movie is better than I am making it sound. There is plenty of action, and lots of interesting, shot on location footage of the whalers in action. This is blended very well into the made in studio footage. All in all, this is a good way to use up 90 minutes on a rainy day.Also in the cast is Jill Bennett as a Captain on one of the whale catchers. The director, Mark Robson, is best known for directing, THE PRIZE, THE HARDER THEY FALL, LOST COMMAND, VALLEY OF THE DOLLS and VON RYAN'S EXPRESS.

Chris Gaskin Hell Below Zero is one of three British movies Alan Ladd (Shane) appeared in. The Black Night was one of the others. I enjoyed this.A man signs on a whaling ship and one of the reasons for this is to help a woman find her Dad's killer. The expedition takes them to the frozen wastes of the Antarctic, where they track the killer down on a rival whaling ship. Not surprisingly, Ladd also falls in love with the woman.There is some good photography in this movie, which is shot well in colour. I first thought is was black and white when I purchased it.The rest of the cast includes Joan Tetzel as the love interest, Stanley Baker (Zulu) as the murderer and Basil Sydney.Hell Below Zero is a good way to spend 90 minutes one afternoon or evening. Very good.Rating: 3 stars out of 5.

derekparry The story of a whale factory captain who has allegedly committed suicide but to the disbelief of his daughter who is going to travel to the Antartic to prove otherwise. Not a bad start but then Alan Ladd enters and it goes downhill from there.It's not all bad. Stanley Baker plays the bad guy well and the climax is worth waiting for...just. On the way you will endure some graphic scenes of a whaling operation in action. This was probably far more palatable in 1953 than it is now. Also there is a fight scene that really reminded me of the 60's Batman TV series - but perhaps naffer.Approach with caution.....and not at all if you like whales.