Operation Cross Eagles (1968) User Reviews

B-grade Yugoslavian war action

[Leofwine_draca · 4/10 · 19 April 2016]

OPERATION CROSS EAGLES is your usual low-grade Yugoslavia WW2 movie, following a tried-and-tested formula: bring in a pair of big-name but past their prime American actors, include a ton of repetitive action to take viewers' minds off the simplicities of the plotting, and let rip.

This one was shot in Slovenia and involves a squad of soldiers being sent on a dangerous mission behind enemy lines. There's the usual twist in the storyline, but as with most things about this movie, it isn't very interesting. Western actor Rory Calhoun has a big role here, but the biggest name is an aged Richard Conte, who directs (for the only time in his career) as well as stars. To be fair, it's hardly a feather in the cap for either actor.

Action in the Aegean

[richardchatten · 5/10 · 24 March 2024]

Roy Calhoun and Richard Conte - the former with becoming flecks of grey in his hair - let rip with machine guns and blow a lot of things up in this very poor man's 'Guns of Navarone' with a high body count.

Conte wears his habitual look of concern, probably due as much to having to grapple with the logistics of directing a film than simply bearing the burden of command.

Inevitably native Yugoslavs are cast as the heavies in the form of Relija Basic - best known abroad for his role in 'Rondo' - and Rade Duricin, who looks seriously foxy in her chic little Nazi uniform; while fans of 'Stars War' might recognise Phil Brown as Uncle Owen in the later film.

The invasion of the Balkans

[bkoganbing · 3/10 · 2 November 2016]

Richard Conte and Rory Calhoun and a mostly continental cast made Operation Cross Eagles over in Yugoslavia. As united Yugoslavia under Marshal Tito was charting its own course during the Cold War western films were finding it congenial territory to do some shooting there. Also Tito himself was looking to develop a Yugoslav film industry and B picture players like Calhoun and Conte were finding it harder and harder to get work in the USA. Conte also doubled as director.

I'm sure Conte didn't like the experience of directing because he never did it again. He and Calhoun look pretty bored the expressions of actors waiting for their paychecks to clear.

The setting of the film was the underground war in the Balkans. As we well know the British and American military never heavily invested in that theater. What participation there was came from organizations like MI5 for the British and the OSS for the Americans. Sterling Hayden actually did serve in that theater as an OSS operative.

Here we are concerned with the rescue of an officer in the British army who doesn't even sound British who knows the plans of Operation Cross Eagles the planned Allied invasion of the Balkans. As we know from history that never happened there must be more to it. There is.

But Conte directed a film that needed life support. It's dull and listless and a pale imitation of Guns Of Navarone in many respects.

For fans of Conte and Calhoun only.

Average Grade Yugoslav War Pic

[SgtSlaughter · 28 June 2003]

Low-budget, low-octane "thriller" directed and starring the old-sounding and tired-looking Richard Conte.

Set in Yugoslavia during WWII, a small band of American commandos is sent to rescue an American officer from a German fortress.

The movie follows pretty much the same plot as the far superior WHERE EAGLES DARE: the commandos' mission is botched immediately by a traitor in the midst of the good guys; some rescue attempts go wrong; and the whole mission turns out to be a fake for a completely different target, thus revealing the traitor.

OPERATION CROSS EAGLES is a pretty boring and obviously low-budget flick shot in Yugoslavia, where production costs were cheap and plenty of WWII-era equipment was (and probably still is) floating around. The story is familiar and presented drearily with no innovation whatsoever. This comes as no surprise as Conte directed the picture. It's his directorial debut, and he probably couldn't do too much out of the ordinary for a first venture and starring at the same time.

The cast - especially Conte and Calhoun - don't make very convincing soldiers, as they both look to be in their early 60s, but they appear perfectly comfortable in their roles. There are no preachy speeches to deliver, or moving dialog of any kind, but neither actor is really known for that sort of work. They're just ordinary guys having ordinary conversations and sound fine doing it. Relja Basic (THE FIFTH OFFENSIVE) is on hand as a nasty German Admiral, and has enough to do in a pretty predictable part. Demeter Bitenc (THE BATTLE OF NERETVA) pops up a few times as the bad guy.

There's enough cheap action going on to keep you interested, but not really glued. Nothing exciting and cool happens; but nothing utterly bad-looking happens, either. One long airplane strafing scene gets really, really monotonous and I seriously almost fell asleep. The cinematography is pretty slapdash, the music score is nothing special and the scenery doesn't do Yugoslavia justice.

Add to all of this a really stupid climax, which you don't even expect to happen when it does! And it's over so fast! I wasn't paying attention and had to rewind the tape to catch what happened. The story just abruptly ends and the movie is basically over. No loose ends to tie up or anything.

I saw this on an easy-to-find, out-of-print American NTSC video. It's pan and scan (the film was probably shot that way) and the colors are worn and very dull. There are plenty of typical scratches, speckles and such floating about. It's an average-quality video release of an average quality movie.

RATING: 5/10

Run-of-the-mill commando movie in the Sixties style with thrills, action-packed and explosions

[ma-cortes · 4/10 · 1 January 2022]

It opens with a prologue : ¨In World War II the fighting that raged in the Balkans was both vicious and bizarre. A War in which an occupied people waged a constant struggle against forty elite Nazi divisions. A War in which more than two millon of the population were killed. The courageous battle fought by these underground fighters and the handful of allied soldiers who fought beside them, forced Germany to siphon precious and badly needed troops from the lines of africa, Sicily , Normandy and Stalingrad¨. This exciting and so-so war movie packs thrills , double-agents , suspense , plot twists , lots of action sequences and climatic ending , but doesn't quite hang together . Ordinary warfare film follows a group of soldiers who undergo a risked assignment . In this thrilling war drama set in Yugoslavia during WWII, a soldier being dropped into the Balkans on a secret mission behind enemy lines . Unfortunately , his arrival was revealed to the Nazis by a traitor . Needing more men he latches onto Rory Calhoun and his underlings who are just leaving the country after blowing up an oil field . With the help of some partisans the men look to free a downed officer who is carrying information on an up coming invasion by the allies. As a small band of courageous commandoes are sent to abduct an important German commander in exchange for an American general being held in a German fortress . As our two heroes : the Italian Richard Conte , and the American Rory Calhoun must rescue a U. S. Army officer , this one is a very essential military , because of he knows the details of the imminent Allied invasion of the Balkans . Unfortunately, thing go wrong when a betrayal takes place .

Average WWII movie with decent but really miscast actors , rudimentary effects and it involves ambushes, arms , ammunition , and planes . The plot is plain and simple , as a small band of brave commandoes are sent to kidnap an important German commander who knows the Operation Cross Eagles in exchange for an American general being held in a German fortress . It displays breathtaking battles with big explosions , chaos , hell , suffering , mayhem and heroic feats . This low-budgeted and appropriate runtime warfare film concerns an incredible lesson of courage set in WWII . This flag-waving film packs frantic thrills , perilous adventures , relentless combat action , and buck-loads of explosive action and violence . The noisy action is uniformly well-made, especially deserving of mention the attack on an impregnable fortress . The motion picture was regularly directed by Richard Conte . Rating : 4.5/10 , a routine war fillm , being the only film directed by Richard Conte .

This one belongs to a group of films made in the 60s , 70s , set in WWII Yugoslavia , most of them were co-productions, such as : ¨Kozara¨ (1962) by Veljko Bulajic , ¨Battle of River Neretva¨ (1969) by Veljko Bulajic with Yul Brynner , Orson Welles , ¨The Secret Invasion¨ (1964) by Roger Corman with Stewart Granger, Raf Vallone , Edd Byrnes, Mickey Rooney , ¨The Fifth offensive or Battle Sutjeska¨ (1973) by Stipe Delic with Richard Burton , ¨Partizani or Hell River¨ (1974) with Rod Taylor , Adam West , ¨The Courageous¨ (1983) with James Franciscus , Steve Railsback , Edward Albert . In these films Yugoslavia and its marischal Joseph Tito often used to provide army soldier-extras , costumes , weapons , fighter planes , tanks , trucks and other vehicles they had access to .

Lackluster World War II Melodrama Modeled after "Where Eagles Dare"

[zardoz-13 · 4/10 · 30 July 2010]

Tough guy actor Richard Conte calls the shots on the only film that he directed during his career, "Operation: Crossed Eagles," a half-baked effort that scavenges most of its complicated plot from the brilliant Richard Burton & Clint Eastwood epic "Where Eagles Dare." Whereas "Where Eagles Dare" took place in Bavaria, "Operation: Crossed Eagles" occurs in Yugoslavia. Lieutenant Bradford (Richard Conte of "The Godfather") and his men land on the beach for a secret mission, They must rescue a U.S. Army courier. The courier is special because he knows the details of the imminent Allied invasion of the Balkans. Unfortunately, a double-agent informs on Bradford and alerts the local German commander, an Admiral (Relja Basic of "The Fifth Offensive"),of the Nazi fleet about a scheduled landing. The Germans ambush Bradford's command and wipe out everybody but Bradford. Later, an enemy plane strafes the watery shallows around a fleeing Bradford, but a machine gunner on the ground brings the German airplane down. The aircraft crashes and bursts into flames. Earlier, Sgt. Sean McAfee (Rory Calhoun of "The Hired Gun") and two men destroy a German fuel refinery. They make it back to their rendezvous and await the arrival of their transport. Imagine their surprise when they find themselves surrounded by German sailors with machine guns! They are taken by raft to a structure and Sgt. McAfee meets Lieutenant Bradford. Bradford explains that the Germans killed every man in his unit. Initially, McAfee refuses to help the lieutenant, but Bradford convinces him to assist him. They team up with the local partisans and attack the German prison where the Army courier is imprisoned. The raid fails and our heroes withdraw. Bradford and company kidnap a high-ranking German officer on his way to the German Admiral. Our heroes offer the captured German officer in exchange for their men. The suspicious German Admiral has somehow learned about the invasion of the Balkans, code-named Crossed Eagles.

This lackluster, low-budget, World War II melodrama generates little intensity. Basically, "Operation: Crossed Eagles" qualifies as a traditional war picture. First, the non-commissioned officers respect and obey their officers because their superiors do know what is best. Bradford and McAfee clash momentarily when the former demands that the latter help him. Nevertheless, the reluctant McAfee comes through to help Bradford. The plot convention that Bradford's men were shot to ribbons by the Germans before they could carry out their important mission anticipates a similar World War II movie, "Hornet's Nest," where the Germans mowed down the Americans to the last man and the only survivor, an American colonel, wound up recruiting the teenage sons of the slain villagers to complete his mission. Conte and his "Red Nightmare" scenarist Vincent Fotre present the Germans as the villains, but they are by no means wicked and evil. The German Admiral is an elegant swine because he imagines that he knows more than he does. The last minute revelation about the chief objective of the "Operation: Crossed Eagles" has "Where Eagles Dare" written all over it. The subplot about a traitor in the midst of the Americans is a little difficult to accept, but Conte and Fotre foreshadow the individual's treachery early in the action. Conte directs this shoot'em up without flair. Rory Calhoun and Conte look like they are earning a paycheck. The scenery is okay, but Conte never drums up any suspense or tension. The only people who need to watch "Operation: Crossed Eagles" are die-hard, World War II movie completists.

An unusual war film in unusual war settings

[clanciai · 7/10 · 22 June 2022]

Richard Conte is generally an excellent actor, but here he is also the director, and the result is not very brilliant. It's a rather commonplace superficial guerrilla plot led by CIA (Richard Conte) to liberate a British captain in Nazi captivity, and there is a lot of gun-fighting, knife-throwing, killing and plotting especially involving two pretty girls, while the acting is generally quite casual and unconvincing, especially concerning the Nazis - there is actually only one, the admiral, who makes a very poor show. The camera work on the other hand is interesting, and the scenery is quite unusual for a war movie. The music is only there for the effects trying desperately to make the feature more interesting without really succeeding. Rory Calhoun is the other actor making a decent performance, but all the others are just types and no characters. The dialog is poor, but Richard Conte tries to make the best of it, but fortunately this became the only film he ever directed. He was better as an actor.

Small little B war film that gains a great deal thanks to director Richard Conte's sense of place and knack for film acting sequences

[dbborroughs · 8/10 · 30 August 2009]

Actor Ricard Conte's only directorial effort is a standard story of the Second World War spiced up by some great directorial flourishes.

The plot has Conte being dropped into the Balkans on a secret mission. Unfortunately his arrival was revealed to the Nazi's and his men are all killed. Needing more men he latches onto Rory Calhoun and his men who are just leaving the country after blowing up an oil field. With the help of some partisans the men look to free a downed courier who is carrying information on an up coming invasion by the allies.

Its a standard plot, one that you've seen a thousand times before. What is not so standard is the way Conte films the action. Often we are high up or in locations that make you realize that these are real location and not just sets. The strafing sequence where Conte loses his men really knocked my socks off. It's a sequence that feels very real. Much of the film is like that, it feels like it been shot in a real place at a real event.

To be fair the film does have some flaws. Its a film that is clearly low budget. Some of the editing is ragged with some truly atrocious death scenes cut into other wise exciting action sequences. i won't get into the terrible day for night shooting that simply spoils the effect.

Flaws and all I really liked this breezy little film. I recommend it for those wanting a good little b film or anyone wanting a film that doesn't look like any other film.

Worth searching out

"Have you seen my Tintoretto?"

[hwg1957-102-265704 · 6/10 · 18 November 2021]

Quite enjoyed this low budget war film set in Yugoslavia with ageing stalwarts Richard Conte (and directing for the one and only time) and Rory Calhoun leading the local partisans in rescuing a captured British officer. It has plenty of action and the locations are well chosen, particularly the salt fields and the old buildings. There are a couple of unsurprising twists in the plot but it's mainly action orientated. The cast are mostly non-American and acquit themselves well. I especially liked Rada Djuricin as Fulda, the admiral's assistant with an air of jocular menace. Also liked the interesting score by Mladen Gutesa, redolent of the music of the Balkans. Not quite 'Where Eagles Dare' but pleasant enough.

Hardened men on the coast of Slovenia opposing the German occupation during WW2

[Wuchakk · 6/10 · 20 February 2024]

An American Lieutenant and sergeant (Richard Conte and Rory Calhoun) help Yugoslav guerillas in 1943 at the southern tip of the Gulf of Trieste. Their goal is to kidnap a German colonel in exchange for an American captain, who happens to possess strategic Allied plans.

"Operation Cross Eagles" (1968) was obviously influenced by "The Guns of Navarone," just on a smaller budget with a Spaghetti Western edge. The focus is gritty action above dialogue, which results in several interestingly silent sequences. It was Conte's first and last directorial effort. That's a shame because he did an artistic job and was ahead of his time with the handheld "shaky cam" look.

If you're in the mood for a flick along the lines of "The Heroes of Telemark," "Hornets' Nest," "Hell River" and "Force 10 from Navarone," it delivers the goods. While nothing stunning and too shallow, it's dynamic and has its unique appeal.

The film is short 'n' sweet at 1 hour, 24 minutes, and was shot in Piran, Slovenia, which is on the coast of the Adriatic Sea by the border of northeastern Italy. Back then, it would've been northwestern Yugoslavia.

GRADE: B-