Force 10 from Navarone (1978)

Director:

Guy Hamilton

Writers:

Robin Chapman (screenplay)
Carl Foreman (screen story)

Release Date:

8 December 1978 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Drama | War

Tagline:

The Odds Against Them Were 10,000 to 1...But What the Hell!

Plot:

During World War II, several oddly assorted military experts are teamed in a mission to raid and destroy a bridge vital to enemy strategy.

Plot Keywords:

Partisan | Nazi | Yugoslavia | Female Nudity | Decapitation

Cast

Robert Shaw	...	Maj. Keith Mallory
Harrison Ford	...	Lieutenant Colonel Mike Barnsby
Barbara Bach	...	Maritza Petrovich
Edward Fox	...	SSgt. Dusty Miller
Franco Nero	...	Capt. Nikolai Leskovar (as Lescovar)
Carl Weathers	...	Sgt. Weaver
Richard Kiel	...	Capt. Drazak
Alan Badel	...	Maj. Petrovitch
Michael Byrne	...	Maj. Schroeder
Philip Latham	...	Cmdr. Jensen
Angus MacInnes	...	1st Lt. Doug Reynolds
Michael Sheard	...	Sgt. Bauer
Petar Buntic	...	Marko
Leslie Schofield	...	Interrogation Officer 1
Anthony Langdon	...	Interrogation Officer 2 (as Antony Langdon)

Also Known As:

Alistair MacLean's Force 10 from Navarone (USA) (poster title)
Force Ten from Navarone (International: English title) (alternative spelling)

Runtime:

118 min | 126 min (restored version)

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

4-Track Stereo

Certification:

Argentina:Atp | Peru:PT | Iceland:12 | Australia:M | Finland:K-16 | Netherlands:12 | Norway:15 | Sweden:15 | USA:PG (Certificate #25070) | Singapore:PG | UK:A (original rating) (cut) | UK:12 (2005 re-rating) | UK:15 (1986-2005)

Filming Locations:

Jersey, Channel Islands

Company:

American International Pictures (AIP)

Trivia:

This was the last film completed by Robert Shaw.

Goofs:

Continuity: The exterior shot of Mallory and Barnsby entering the dam shows Barnsby pulling the door outward. The interior shot shows him pushing the door in.

Quotes:

Mallory: [inside the Partisans' cave Mallory wants to talk to Petrovitch alone to tell him he needs to kill Nikolai] May I talk to you personally, sir?
Maj. Petrovitch: You are talking to me personally.
Mallory: No I mean alone.
Maj. Petrovitch: No. The People's army does not conduct military business in secret.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Asylum: (#1.4)" (1996)

Not Great, But Decent Follow-Up

This is a pretty solid World War II movie, a belated followup to the very successful (and, yes, better) "The Guns Of Navarone." This time a force, mostly British soldiers but led by a young American colonel (Harrison Ford) is sent over to Yugoslavia to blow up a bridge the Nazis use. In addition, two other Brits (Robert Shaw and Edward Fox) go along on another assignment to kill a double agent. Well, half of the team is shot down before they even reach their destination as their airplane is crippled. They are killed in air-fire or upon landing on the ground. That leaves just a small group, the above-mentioned stars of the movie plus an addition, Carl Weathers (of "Rocky" fame) picked up on the ground, and the double-agent (well-played by Franco Nero) who is assigned to go with them after he is "cleared" of charges.

Anway, this re-assembled team goes on to complete their mission, or at least attempt to and are thwarted numerous times by sabotage. I won't give away the ending.

Overall, a good story and definitely worth a rental and possibly a purchase. The DVD transfer was a bit grainy at first but got better as the film went along.....as the story did.