Classic, boys-own, war time romp

Rating: Null/10 (5 June 2003)

A military group made up of six British and one American soldiers parachute behind enemy lines in order to rescue an important British General from the German fortress the Shloss Alder - a mountain top castle accessible only by cable car. Once on the ground one of their group are murdered and the leader Smith suspects a double agent instead the unit. He decides to continue with the mission regardless - but is the aim of the mission as straight forward as he is telling the others.
This is a classic bit of war time adventure. Made possible because Burton wanted to do it because his son wanted to see Daddy in an action movie, this is far superior from most other Alistair McLean adaptations. The story is pure boys own' style adventure - but the source material is clever enough to hold the interest. The truth behind the mission is hinted up for a while before being revealed - it isn't earth shattering but Smith's handling of the situation is very cleverly done and fun to watch. The story goes go downhill a little in the `escape' section - up till then it's all quiet and espionage stuff, however to get out of the castle they merely blow everything up! They also manage to take on the whole German army, picking out targets easily while never getting hit themselves. However this is a minor complaint as some of the action scenes are great - notably the cable car scenes.
Burton is an unlikely action figure but plays the gentleman officer very well, and is totally believable when the twists come in the middle. Eastwood is very young but is suitably brash for the American Schaffer - fans may also be interested to know that his body count is higher in this film than any other in his career. Support is generally good but it's mainly Burton and Eastwood who carry the film.
Overall it's a classic bit of escapism set in WW2. It's quite silly at times but has a clever story to prop up the action.