We go back to the WW II well with the 70s (somewhat) star-studded movie, The Eagle Has Landed (1976)
This film, the final one directed by John Sturges (The Great Escape and other action classics), feels more like a movie from ten years earlier with its collection of English and American stars playing Germans. For a twist, we have an American playing an Irishman, complete with a dodgy accent and red hair. I read that Richard Harris was originally set to play this character which would have been better, I'd think, Michael Caine sounds like he always does and is occasionally allowed to chew the scenery.
Donald Pleasence does a slimy Himmler and Treat Williams even shows up. Robert Duvall is almost convincing as a German officer. I don't know what kind of accent he was trying to do. Top cheesy honors, however must go to Larry Hagman as the cartoonish American army commander. I was rooting for the Germans to blow his annoying character up.
The whole thing comes together well in the last third but has periods where the movie gets borderline boring. A wartime heist movie, even one as ridiculous as this, needs to have more pop. However, it was satisfying to see the priest throw a punch at Donald Sutherland's Devlin character. I have to suspect that this was just a money gig for Sturges who by all accounts just wasn't into directing movies any longer. Still, decent fun for a WW2 movie.
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