Genre Adventure · Drama · Thriller · War

Directed by John Sturges

Written by Tom Mankiewicz · Jack Higgins

Music by Lalo Schifrin

Produced by David Niven Jr. · Jack Wiener

Production company Associated General Films · ITC Entertainment

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I watched The Eagle has Landed free on YouTube in 4K HD which made it look modern and clear. I enjoyed the experience and wanted to share my thoughts on the movie.

The plot is rather simple however, there is a selection of subplots at play which does leave the movie feeling a bit out of its depth. The Nazis are planning to infiltrate England and kidnap Winston Churchill on his way through a small English town. Michael Caine is part of the crew and is playing a bad guy Nazi. It’s not the first time he’s played the bad guy and he did a good job. On a side note any movie with Caine is guaranteed to be worth the viewing time and has been proven to boost the money that the movie makes in sales.

For a movie from 1967 it holds up well in terms of direction, camera angles, lighting and scenes and sets. Costumes and makeup/special effects are good with a nice selection of explosions and shooting. My own personal preference is toward the older movies because they were better than what is being produced today. They are more gritty, real. They don’t rely on CGI for gunfights or dogfights. I think it was a good choice casting Robert Duvall as the bad Nazi who schemed the whole idea to kidnap Churchill. his acting is rather mysterious, dark and brooding.

As a war film it’s fairly easy going but not 100% accurate. I got vibes of the Dirty Dozen but the film is not in the same category. The clear shots allow it to appear easy to watch. I enjoyed it. Donald Sutherland brings the IRA into the equation, don’t ask me how this works but it does.

This is a really short review because I don’t want to spoil anything. It’s a must watch war movie classic set in England. Similar movies include; The Great Escape, Where Eagles Dare, The Dirty Dozen and The Guns of Navarone.

4 stars