Quite simply one of the greatest war movies ever made. A top notch thriller loaded with action, espionage and double crosses, "Where Eagles Dare" is the kind of movie that Hollywood just doesn't make anymore. This isn't some politically correct drama steeped in reality. No, this is good guys vs. bad guys. This is pure unabashed fantasy which keeps the audience on the edge of its seat. This is just darn good entertainment! Richard Burton is absolutely cunning as the British agent who leads an elite group of soldiers behind enemy lines and into a seemingly unpenetrable German castle to rescue an imprisoned American General. A young Clint Eastwood is the only American on the mission. Clint is his usual cool and calm self. However he, like the audience, isn't sure who to trust. Somebody's a double agent, but exactly who is anyone's guess. Don't worry about figuring it out, just sit back and enjoy the drama. You'll love the growing tension and suspicion between Burton and Eastwood.
The journey into the castle is classic heart-stopping drama. Even better is Burton's fight with a German soldier high atop a ski lift -truly one of the most riveting action sequences ever filmed. Bullets are flyin' and bombs are blastin' throughout. In the end, heroes emerge while evil perpetrators get their just due. Classic, absolutely classic!
And yes, as several reviewers have noted, the stunning scenery and beautiful cinematography in this film would greatly benefit from a widescreen DVD treatment. So, how 'bout it, I want my DVD!
Expect much of the usual MacLean storyline in this film as a handful of agents, plan gone awry, destroy a large contingent of the German Army while challenged by double agents in their midst. Much like "Force Ten from Navarone" and " The Guns of Navarone," a World War Two buff might wonder why so much of the Wehrmacht was located somewhere other than the front. No matter.
The cinematography is excellent and the locations stunning in Winter beauty. The film's musical score by itself is wonderful. The DVD release is very high quality. By the way, the soundtrack CD is also available. It's the perfect thing to listen to on a snowy day.Back when I was a teenage Alistair MacLean fan, I remember staying up all night reading this novel, which was actually adpated from the film (MacLean wrote the movie first!). It was probably MacLean's most exciting book: non-stop intrigue, obfuscation and action, and it is a replica of the movie. So that tells you what to expect here. Plus, we have the added pleasure of watching the screen's oddest couple of all time in Richard Burton and Clint Eastwood. Burton, in an action movie for a major change, does a great job with his fight scenes, and carries the twists and turns of the plot with aplomb. Eastwood, little more than a hired assassin here, is at his steely and cool best, straight out of Leone's Italian westerns. Throw in a couple of sexy female agents, incredible stunts on a cable car, plenty of machine gun fire, explosions, car chases, and a stirring, heart-pounding music score, and you have the perfect Saturday afternoon popcorn movie. What more could you ask for? You'll be on the edge of your seat the whole time, continually asking, "What the heck's really going on here?"
Read Best Reviews of Where Eagles Dare Here
As far as World War II action films are concerned, they don't get much bigger & better than this nail biting, thrill a minute, nearly three hour ride into espionage, escapism & excitement !!From the pen of Alistair McLean came the book...and then director Brian G. Hutton has done a superb job in truly capturing onscreen the pulse pounding thrill ride of the novel. The movie is like a grenade with the pin pulled out...you never know when the next explosion is coming !
Clint Eastwood (Eastwood said "Let Richard do the talking") and Richard Burton (Burton said "Clint acts with a type of dynamic lethargy") lead a group of Allied paratroopers on a daring raid to the Schloss Adler in Bavaria to rescue an American general held prisoner high in it's snow covered towers. However, all is not what it seems...the commandos are dying one by one and it soon becomes quite obvious that there is a traitor in the ranks. The film then becomes an exercise in espionage and double cross as Eastwood & Burton seek to ferret out the truth behind every man's identity....but not before Burton totally confuses Eastwood to the point where Clint remarks "Major, right now you have me about as confused as I ever hope to be !"
The movie is filled with incredible stunts, fiery shootouts and battle sequences as Eastwood & Burton seem to lay waste to regiment after regiment of German troops trying to stop their mission. Just suspend your disbelief (just like the cable car), and sit back and enjoy good old fashioned, grand scale entertainment.
Over the thirty years since this movie first came out, I must have watched it dozens of times...and I can't see myself tiring of it in the future either ! Just when the heck is it finally going to come out on DVD with a few extra goodies thrown in ??
If you don't own a copy of "Where Eagles Dare"...what are you waiting for...a true "must have" movie for any fan of big screen adventure films.
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This movie, filled with drama, action, and a complex plot that will make your head spin, has it all. Richard Burton is dashing as the cold plotting secret agent who is leading his team on a mission to save D-Day from disaster. Clint Eastwood, here little more than a teenager, is wonderful as the somewhat befuddled American army ranger who cannot figure out why he is even on the mission.Any attempt to go into detail about the story would ruin some of the fun. Suffice to say that you will be riveted both by the action and the performances. One note though, Burton's monologue is amazing.
If you like WWII movies and have not seen this one, you don't know what you are missing.
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