Hawaii Five-O (TV Series) The Banzai Pipeline (1974) User Reviews

The Banzai Pipeline

[ringfire211 · 8/10 · 14 July 2021]

It's an episode I like more and more each time I watch it. The surfing action and those waves are obviously a big selling point with this episode but I really like it when they get away from Honolulu once in a while. Here, like in "The Flip Side is Death", the action is almost exclusively on the North Shore - at the Pipeline of the title. Well, at least the surfing footage is supposed to be at the Pipe. But the rest of the locations are almost all near beaches and water and brush area and then there's the shack where the 2 brothers live. I like all these out-of-the-way spots. I like to think most of this was shot on the North Shore. It also has a pretty grim ending which always gets me (a common theme with a lot of season 6) when the 2 brothers don't make it. You don't expect both of them to die like that. Usually the good guys win and the bad guys lose, right? Well, not here. It really gives you a jolt.

Too much, too soon

[VetteRanger · 7/10 · 24 February 2023]

An expert surfer and his budding filmmaker brother have the fortune/misfortune to be filming on the same beach where a hit man is meeting a man a crime boss thinks may roll over on him. He steals the victim's wallet. Unfortunately, he drops a can of film which the bad guys find and develop, leading them to the brothers.

Unfortunately, 5-0 is a bit slower following the trail of stolen credit card use, not getting a real clue until the filmmaker brother tries to use it one last time for a better zoom lens.

The crooks think the brothers may be witnesses and decide to eliminate them. McGarrett, with the real hit man in custody, becomes confused by the credit card use.

And so the episode winds up with one of the more tragic and violent endings in the series ...

A Bob Basso episode

[WilliamJE · 6/10 · 14 July 2022]

He was one of the most recognizable locals who appeared on Hawaii Five-O from time to time. The Banzai Pipeline is pretty average so far as episodes go for the series.

Aside from one or two logical jumps, it's a pretty good episode.

[planktonrules · 6/10 · 13 April 2011]

The show begins with a man being murdered on the beach. It seems that he's being indicted and his 'friends' have sent an assassin to make sure he doesn't talk. However, at the same time this is happening, a petty little thief is stealing the now dead man's wallet out of the nearby car. When the killer is about to leave, he happens upon the guy (Perry King) and King beats a fast getaway. Unsure if the thief saw anything, the killer tries to find the guy in order to silence him. But, when the assassin is jailed on suspicion of the murder, his bosses spring into action--looking for the beach guy who, COMPLETELY INEXPLICABLY, drops a roll of film--making it not especially difficult to find the dummy. In fact, this is a problem with the show--it's all too easy--as is the ending. In addition, sometimes McGarrett and his posse seem to make a lot of logical jumps in this one. Perhaps they just read the script and could anticipate what would happen! Not a terrible episode--particularly if you think surfing is super-cool. Otherwise, a bit below average but entertaining.