Review of The Eagle Has Landed (1976) by Frank R — 09 Sep 2009
This espionage actioneer takes place in 1943 when Hitler decides to dispatch an elite group of German commandos to England to capture his greatest enemy Winston Churchill. Michael Caine heads sixteen Germans who bail out over the coast and rendezvous with a double-agent working in the village where Churchill plans to spend a quiet weekend.
Donald Sutherland plays an IRA gunman who poses as a marsh warden to help German colonel Kurt Steiner (Michael Caine) and his men. John Sturges, who directed THE GREAT ESCAPE and NEVER SO FEW, maintains a brisk pace throughout this 134 minute war movie and the momentum never flags.
Once they reach England the commandos occupy the village and seal it off. What they don't count on is one of the villagers escapes to warn a nearby base where a complete cretin of an American military officer (Larry Hagman) is in command.
The American colonel organizes an attack and the Germans riddle the hell out of them. British actor Donald Pleasence is a dead ringer for Himmler. The ending is a knock-out.
This review of The Eagle Has Landed (1976) was written by Frank R on 09 Sep 2009.
The Eagle Has Landed has generally received positive reviews.
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