Released in 1955, Soldier of Fortune initially presents itself as a typical melodrama of its era, but its depiction of expat life in 1950s Hong Kong offers a harsher, more realistic undercurrent. Directed by Edward Dmytryk, known for The Caine Mutiny, the film is based on a novel by Ernest Gann, who lived in Hong Kong as a child and drew from personal experiences to capture the city’s complexities. While much of the film was shot on location, some scenes were recreated on the 20th Century Fox backlot, blending authenticity with necessity.
The story follows Jane Hoyt (Susan Hayward), an American woman who arrives in Hong Kong to search for her missing husband, Louis (Gene Barry), a photojournalist captured in mainland China under suspicion of espionage. As Jane navigates a male-dominated society, she encounters local gangster Hank Lee (Clark Gable), who becomes infatuated with her and agrees to help rescue Louis.
Though the romance between Jane and Lee feels conventional, the film stands out in its portrayal of expat life in Hong Kong. The expats are shown as disillusioned, drowning their sorrows in alcohol and clinging to a fleeting sense of Western privilege in a city on the edge of a changing world. Jane, a determined woman, finds herself repeatedly warned of the dangers she faces as a lone female in this foreign land, and she experiences both patronization and objectification from the Western men around her.
Gable brings his usual charisma to the role of Lee, a gangster with a heart of gold, though his character’s deep isolation becomes evident as the film progresses. He’s a man haunted by the emptiness of his existence, holed up in his mansion with only street children for company, longing for the familiar comforts of his American roots. The supporting cast speaks Cantonese and, for the most part, avoids falling into stereotypes, though the mainland China sequences rely on less convincing caricatures.
Soldier of Fortune shines in its portrayal of a decaying colonial outpost, where British authority is fading, and Westerners cling to outdated notions of power. The expats’ struggles are symbolized in tragic scenes of drunken camaraderie, fleeting illusions of grandeur, and a sense of loneliness that pervades their lives. Ernest Gann’s script and Dmytryk’s direction blend melodrama with social commentary, making this film more than just a romantic adventure, but an exposé of life on the edge of empire.
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