Epic action/war movie

Rating: 8/10 (7 December 2013)

Good old Alistair MacLean . I love his books and the movies based on his books are often great too. "Where Eagles dare" along with "The Guns of Navarro" is the best movie based on his book. It's a simple story about a group of British and one American commandos trying to save American general from the hands of Nazis. The general has important information that can change the fate of whole World War II. His kept in a heavily guarded castle. Of course the story gets complicated I like that "WED" feels like a real life instead of typical Hollywood action movie . There are no one-liners , love stories or too much humor ( Ironically, all those elements appears in MacLean book). There story takes itself seriously , but not too seriously. The movie is based on three characters played by Richard Burton , Clint Eastwood and Mary Ure. The others are more or less a fillers. In the end it doesn't real matters , since the plot is interesting and action engaging.
Richard Burton Quito possibly gives the best performance of his life here. He TOTALLY dominates the screen . He's so tough, charming , bad ass that he makes look Eastwood bland . Can you imagine that ? Eastwood is reduced to a supporting player and nobody can't really complain about that . I've never thought I see a movie with Eastwood not being the ultimate bad ass on screen , but here it is ! It doesn't mean that Clint is bad here . He's good as a supporting character and he does get some cool action sequences here too . The movie just doesn't allow him to be as bad ass as in his later movies , but considering how awesome Burton is in this movie I doubt anyone can't complain. Mary Ure is nice as the woman spy.
The movie is long (almost 3 hours) , yet never dull . The movie moves slowly and I can admit that most fun appears after first hour . "WED" takes necessary time to set the story and since there is quite a lot plot here the viewer shouldn't be bored pay . From that moment the plot twists and action will amaze the viewer to the end of the movie. The last 45 minutes is non-stop action full of shootouts , fights and chases . The director Brian G. Hutton turns that part of the movie into exciting marathon of violence. What he does here for action movie is what Hitchcock did for thrillers . It's a spectacle , but not in mindless way. "WED" is a believable action movie where a group of few people defeats the whole army. The modern action movie directors should take notes how to create great action without tons of money , CGI and quick montage. "WED" is a proof that less is more – the scene with Burton fighting for life with two bad guys is better than all those kung fu fights combined together.
I really like the art-direction here – the castle , the village , the camps. The movie is quite nicely photographed by Arthur Ibbefson and the music by Ron Goodwin is subtle , yet very effective . The special effects hold up pretty good considering their age. Unlike most action movies I regret that I haven't seen this one in cinema.
A truly satisfying experience for all action movie fans and not only . I give it 8/10.