AllMovie

During a 1980 interview, writer-director Douglas Heyes mentioned that he preferred to forget his first big-screen writing assignment, Drums of Tahiti. Though lensed in 3D, the film's action content is minimal: the character spend most of their time talking over their various problems. Set in the South Seas in the late 19th century, the story concerns gun smuggler Mike Macklin (Dennis O'Keefe). To divert the authorities' attentions from his activities, Macklin hides behind the reputation of his trophy wife Wanda (Patricia Medina). Meanwhile, police inspector Pierre Duvois (Francis L. Sullivan) bides his time, waiting for Macklin to tip his hand. One of the film's isolated highlights is an energetic native dance by the curvaceous Sylvia Lewis.