Review of Force 10 from Navarone (1978) by Van R — 03 Jan 2009

Everything that can go wrong for the heroesâ??does go wrong for them--in "Goldfinger" director Guy Hamilton's "Force 10 from Navarone," an above-average, atmospheric, $10-million dollar, World War II tale of espionage and adventure based on Alistair MacLean's exciting bestseller. Remember, MacLean wrote "Where Eagles Dare." Unfortunately, "Force 10 from Navarone" isn't as superlative as its source novel and many of its problems spring from the unfortunate fact that 20 years elapsed before the filmmakers brought it to get it to the screen. "Force 10" features a first-rate cast with Robert Shaw taking over the Gregory Peck role, Edward Fox replacing David Niven as the explosives expert, both of whom are joined by Carl Weathers of "Rocky" fame, Barbara Back and Richard Kiel from the James Bond movie "The Spy Who Loved Me." "The Long Ships" lenser Christopher Challis captures all this larger-than-life action with his widescreen photography. "Where Eagles Dare" & "633 Squadron" composer Rod Goodwin supplies an exhilarating as well as suspenseful orchestral score.

The instant that Robert Shaw and his commandos parachute into the Balkans, the British R.A.F. Lancaster bomber that they commandeered after a hard-knuckled fist fight with M.P.s blows up. No sooner than they land behind enemy lines than they find themselves prisoners about to be shot as spies by the villainous Nazis. Only at the last possible moment do our valiant heroes triumph over well-nigh impossible odds. They confront the same perilsâ??in a senseâ??that Hercules faced when he hacked off the Hydra's head, only to see two more heads grow back to replace the one that he'd cut off.

Aside from a decapitation scene and the sadistic beating that Richard Kiel gives Barbara Bach, "Force 10 from Navarone" is a stylized fantasy in the superb tradition of the World War II propaganda combat movies that Errol Flynn made at Warner Brothers between 1942 and 1945. Although scores of men die, bloodletting is kept to a minimum. Take the heroes: a stout bunch of lads with clenched jaws and uncompromising virtue. Or the villains: a ruthless pack of devils that outnumber the good guys 100 to one. Nevertheless, despite the suicidal odds, our resourceful heroes carry out their mission, but not without considerable trouble. Sadly, Alistair MacLean's thrilling novel loses much of its panache in Robin Chapman's script. While Chapman's script keeps most of the plot intact (yes, they destroy a bridge by blasting a dam to smithereens), he has rewritten many scenes, eliminated several important characters, and added someâ??like Carl Weather's African-American sergeant.

Director Guy Hamilton encores explosive footage from director J. Lee Thompson's "The Guns of Navarone" to remind us that "Force 10" qualifies as a sequel. The movie opens with a map to establish the geography of the setting accompanied by stirring narration: "Deep in the heart of the Aegean Sea lies the island of Navarone. In 1943, it stood poised like a knife in the Allies' side." Hamilton keeps the action crackling and never allows the clutter of the plotâ??Major Keith Mallory (Shaw) and Corporal Dusty Miller (Fox) must identify a traitor as well as help out Lieutenant Colonel Mike Barnsby (Harrison Ford of "Star Wars") and his survivor blow up the bridge. In the book, Mallory and Miller were sent in to destroy the bridge and there was no Lt. Colonel Barnsby.

To his credit, Hamilton has enlisted a persuasive cast, convincing special effects, and the actual setting of the action: scenic Yugoslavia. In his last role, Robert Shaw gives a hearty performance as Mallory. Edward Fox is simply delightful as the 'vetty' British explosives expert. When he observes the bridge that Barnsby has been sent to blow up, he observes that the force of the charges won't "seriously inconvenience" the Nazis.

"Force 10 from Navarone" is a seriously underrated World War II feature film.