The Night Fighters (1960)
"A Terrible Beauty" (original title)

In 1941, the IRA plans a campaign to coincide with the planned German invasion of England. Dermott O'Neil (Robert Mitchum) finds it easy to get into the IRA, but can he get out?

Director:

Tay Garnett

Writers:

R. Wright Campbell (screenplay), Arthur Roth (novel)

Stars:

Robert Mitchum, Richard Harris, Anne Heywood

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Robert Mitchum	...	Dermot O'Neill
Richard Harris	...	Sean Reilly
Anne Heywood	...	Neeve Donnelly
Dan O'Herlihy	...	Don McGinnis
Cyril Cusack	...	Jimmy Hannafin
Niall MacGinnis	...	Ned O'Neill (Dermot's brother) (as Niall McGinnis)
Marianne Benet	...	Bella O'Neill (Dermont's sister)
Christopher Rhodes	...	Tim Malone
Harry Brogan	...	Patrick O'Neill
Eileen Crowe	...	Mrs. Kathleen O'Neill
Joe Lynch	...	Seamus
Marie Kean	...	Mrs. Matia Devlin (the publican)
Geoffrey Golden	...	Sgt. Crawley
Eddie Golden	...	Johnny Corrigan (as Edward Golden)
Wilfred Downing	...	Quinn

Storyline

In Ireland, it's 1941 and Irish Republicans have made a tentative bond with Nazi Germany to help Ireland in its never-ending struggle with Great Britain. A small cell of IRA soldiers is recruited in one village, under the flimsy leadership of the morally and physically lame Don McGinnis. Among the new recruits is Dermot O'Neill, who wants to free Ireland from Britain, but is not as convinced of the means as are his colleagues. McGinnis, in love with Dermot's sister, who spurns him, means to prove himself through violence, even though he's not able due to his disability to participate in the raids he sends Dermot and others on. On one such raid, Dermot and his pal Sean Reilly are separated from the squad. Dermot helps the wounded Sean to safety, but when Sean returns to their village and is captured, Dermot must decide whether his duty lies with the cause, with Ireland, or with his own humanity.

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Plot Keywords:

ireland | based on novel

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Genres:

War | Drama | Action | Romance

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Details

Country:

UK USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

17 June 1960 (West Germany)

Also Known As:

The Night Fighters

Filming Locations:

Ardmore Studios, Herbert Road, Bray, County Wicklow, Ireland

Company Credits

Production Co:

D.R.M. Productions, Raymond Stross Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

90 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Color:

Black and White

Did You Know?

Trivia

First film of 'T.P. Mckenna'.

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Quotes

Dermot: Sometimes I think the I.R.A. was invented by a manufacturer of trench coats to keep up sales.

User Reviews

Could have been better

Robert Mitchum is an irish-man who joins the IRA during the WW2 era. They plan to fight the British while they're occupied with the Germans. Could have been a much better movie if the people didn't act so one- dimensional. I almost yawned a few times.

Where I saw it: Showtime Extreme (ironic, i know)

My grade: C-