British commandos with Greek guides land via submarine on Rhodes to sabotage Italian airfields.
Typical wartime drama suffers from a fatal lack of urgency. The film just meanders predictably from plot point to plot point, occassionally stopping to look at the scenery. Hard to believe this was directed by the same person who made All Quiet on the Western Front. The cast is also largely wasted, as the characters are little more than cardboard stereotypes. Bogarde's character, in particular, is one of the most uninspiring and gormless officers ever put on film, and an insultingly far cry from the actual person his character is based on. Has its moments, but they are too few and far between to make for a satisfying experience.The kookaburra heard calling at night in the Rhodian countryside doesn't really add to the versimilitude!
-Dave W.
|