DIRECTOR:

Guy Hamilton

CAST:

Robert Shaw, Harrison Ford, Edward Fox, Franco Nero, Barbara Bach, Carl Weathers, Richard Kiel, Alan Badel, Michael Byrne, Angus MacInnes, Philip Latham, Michael Sheard and Christopher Malcolm.

REVIEW:

A so-so sequel to the classic The Guns of Navarone , with a plot which doesn't really tie in too well with the original and none of the original actors. Filmed 17 years after the original, the result is a pretty muddled action flick which does no more than satisfy.

Robert Shaw (Battle of the Bulge) is New Zealand Major Mallory, and his aide Sgt. Miller (Edward Fox) are assigned to aide Colonel Barnsby (Harrison Ford) in a mission in Yugoslavia. After a long series of twists and turns involving the Germans, partisans, Chetniks and a traitor, things finally manage to go the right way.

Robert Shaw, a great actor and definitely a war film veteran from Battle of Britain and Battle of the Bulge leads an all-star cast. Unfortunately, he died before the film's completion and was never able to see it released. His role could easily be played by any mainstream British actor as it's so shallow. He does fine, but it's far beneath what we've seen him do before in JAWS et al. In support we have Edward Fox (A Bridge too Far), who seems to love his role as a happy-go-lucky Brit demolition man who's as happy as a schoolboy playing with his first firecracker. A young, very wooden, 1D Harrison Ford is on hand as the brash American who doesn't know when to leave the mission in the hands of the more experienced British commandos. Franco Nero (The Battle of Neretva) is completely wasted in the role of a 1D, incredibly stereotypical villain. His role is so pointless; it only serves to take up screen-time and push the story from double-cross to double-cross. You know he'll get killed eventually, just wonder who will kill him and when.

The supporting cast also features a number of familiar faces. Carl Weathers (Rocky) is great fun as a brash, smart-mouthed medic who inadvertently ends up accompanying the commandos on the mission. Richard Kiel (Moonraker) is equally enjoyable as Weathers' nemesis, a looming Chetnik Captain who seems to be on hand every time something goes wrong. Barbara Bach (The Spy who Loved Me) is around for a few minutes for a quick nude scene and does little else. Michael Byrne and Michael Sheard pop up as Germans during one encounter in a German encampment; and watch for Wolf Kahler as the German soldier in the supply depot. So many fine actors are on hand, and it's a shame virtually all of them are wasted in throwaway roles so beneath their talents.

The film features a number of satisfying action sequences. The biggest one is during the final act of the film, which involves plenty of diversionary attacks and exploding vehicles, climaxing with a battle between the Partisans and some German tanks and a huge dam-explosion which was filmed in miniature but looks almost completely convincing. Some of the action early on in the movie is hampered by stock footage and even an incredibly fake-looking dummy (!)

The scenery is absolutely breathtaking. Hamilton fills the camera with some stunning portraits of the Yugoslav countryside whenever he can. The hills have never been greener and the rivers have never been bluer. What a beautiful land. Cinematography is pretty standard, with a few well-done close-ups and wide shots during the combat scenes, taking in the scope of the battlefield and sheer number of Russian tanks which were rounded up for the production. Ron Goodwin's musical score is appropriately adventurous, for the film is basically one long adventure where the good guys always win and the bad guys always loose.

All in all, it's a pretty average movie. There are some great actors in really bad parts, some decent action scenes, and some great scenery. It's probably worth a look but I'd recommend THE GUNS OF NAVARONE if you have to pick one.

SGT. SLAUGHTER'S RATING: 3 Bullets

ON DVD HERE