Scanialara You won't be disappointed!

FuzzyTagz If the ambition is to provide two hours of instantly forgettable, popcorn-munching escapism, it succeeds.

TrueHello Fun premise, good actors, bad writing. This film seemed to have potential at the beginning but it quickly devolves into a trite action film. Ultimately it's very boring.

Mandeep Tyson The acting in this movie is really good.

JohnHowardReid The title here is a bit of a come-on, as there is actually very little action and the script is inclined to be slow-moving. Also Paul Muni's character is not supplied with a direct motive for the commandant's murder. True, there is some tension, but less talk and more action would have helped. Fortunately, the movie starts well. The first ten minutes are really great. True, director John Farrow tries hard to keep building up suspense despite the handicaps of stilted dialog and miscasting in crucial roles - for instance, instead of playing the sadistic German commandant, George Macready plays the local schoolmaster! Actually, Alexander Knox would have been ideal in this role, but instead he is cast as the vicious German captain! This odd miscasting is shown up when it's Knox who says the chaplain's prayer before the commando raid, and Knox again who supplies the off-camera propaganda plug at the film's conclusion about corruption in high places.Paul Muni tends to overact and is often indulgently shown in close- up where his penchant for eye-rolling gets full rein. Sir Cedric Hardwicke is surprisingly stiff as the admiral and Anna Lee makes a rather colorless daughter. Despite making a strained attempt to speak and look like a hearty Norwegian, Ray Collins, comes across strongly as the tortured Bergerson, but Lillian Gish plays his wife with an over-theatrical technique that approaches caricature. Oddly enough, the most convincing performance comes from Flying Officer Robert Coote (though don't let this billing confuse you. Coote was a professional actor who had been making movies since 1931!)The script is inclined to be slow-moving. The title, for instance, is a misnomer as there is very little action apart from the climactic raid.

wes-connors In 1939 Norway, peace-loving widower Paul Muni (as Erik Toresen) attends the wedding of a fisherman friend. There, he dances with leading lady Anna Lee (as Judith Bowen), daughter of visiting English admiral Cedric Hardwicke. She returns to England and Mr. Muni stays behind, only to witness wicked Adolf Hitler's Nazi forces invade his country. After the Germans demonstrate the expected brutality, Muni becomes a Norwegian resistance leader...This pedestrian World War II propaganda story is not complimented by its own rewards. The Canadian filming location is lovely and the cast inviting. Especially noteworthy is the big screen return of legendary Lillian Gish (as Hilda Bergesen) after ten years focused on stage work, but in too small a role; Ms. Gish only punctuates how "Commandos Strike at Dawn" adds up to so much less than it should. There is certainly enough here, however, to recommend the film.****** Commandos Strike at Dawn (12/30/42) John Farrow ~ Paul Muni, Anna Lee, Lillian Gish, Cedric Hardwicke

SnorrSm1989 It is easy to overlook COMMANDOS STRIKE AT DOWN as just one out of many, many other propaganda-films against Nazism made in Hollywood during the war. In fact, this seems to be pretty much what has happened, because despite starring Paul Muni, the for his time unusually versatile and complex actor, and co-starring the legend of the silent screen Lillian Gish (I wish she was given more screen time!), this film rarely gets any mention at all, even in discussion of the aforementioned performers. Yet, among the films of this kind I have seen, this one is, despite some obvious short-comings, by far one of the most exciting, touching and enjoyable.The film covers the story of a few Norwegian people deciding to actively fight against the occupation, Eric Toresen (Muni) being among them. As is to be expected, Muni is the strongest aspect of the film, as he is always able to make the best out of what he's got to deal with; unlike many of his contemporaries, Muni never leaned towards a particular screen image, choosing instead to examine his character for each situation he had to encounter. He never expresses the different emotions that erupt from his character through one particular viewpoint; anger and joy is evoked to various degrees, always depending on the circumstances. The result is that, although there's never any doubt about our sympathy towards Ericson as an honest, good-natured man, he comes across as being quite complex at the same time. In a propaganda-film of this kind, it could be expected, perhaps even accepted, that the definite hero of the film gets sugarcoated throughout, but I never felt that way about Ericson which should say a lot about Muni's talent as an actor.The ability to show various aspects of conditions in this film is not solely thanks to Muni, however. There is one fact which Norwegians are not fond of talking about, but which I, being a Norwegian myself, think would be pointless to avoid mentioning here; during World War II, most Norwegians never dared to speak up against a Nazi. Hitler had given special orders to treat Norway nicely as long as the people didn't protest, and for the most part my country responded to this by not protesting at all. There were only a few like Ericson who eloped to England in order to fight the war from there. In a film like this one, one could expect such aspects of the story to be overlooked, but to my amazement it did occur at least once that even an anti-Nazi suggested to give up the fight, and enjoy the "good things" he expected to get under an occupation.Also as mere entertainment, COMMANDOS is pretty good; California landscape makes pretty well up for the absence of accurate "Norwegian fjords," and there are quite a few touching scenes, especially the one involving Ericson hiding from Nazis in a well with his daughter. There are some instances of overly theatrical dialogue, which doesn't come as a surprise considering how quickly these films were made. All in all, however, COMMANDOS STRIKE AT DAWN holds up well, both as a reminder and as entertainment.A final note -- it was an absurd experience to me hearing the Norwegian national song being sung in American!

blanche-2 "Commandos Strike at Dawn," from 1942, is another propaganda that demonstrates the spirit of the Norwegians and their commitment to resistance. This one is directed by John Farrow, with a screenplay by a man whose name would become synonymous with long novels, Irwin Shaw, and stars Paul Muni, Anna Lee, Lillian Gish, Cedric Hardwicke, Alexander Knox, George MacCready, Ann Carter, Rosemary DeCamp, and Ray Collins.Based on a story by C.S. Forester, "Commandos Strike at Dawn" tells the story of more victims of Quisling, citizens of a small town that is taken over by the Nazis. After Eric Toresen (Muni) sees a friend murdered and another one (Collins) severely beaten, he gets some of the townspeople to form a resistance group. When he realizes that the Germans are preparing for a huge air strike against England, he is determined to get the information to the right people in England and join the fight.Very good film, if a little slow in spots. Muni gives an excellent performance as the bold Toreson, and Ray Collins, Lt. Tragg of Perry Mason, is cast against type as one who vocally opposes the Nazis, and he is very good. This was probably his favorite role, as it's so different from his standard tough cop or crooked politician role. Lillian Gish doesn't have much to do, sadly, as his wife. Neither does Anna Lee, as the daughter of a British military man (Hardwicke) who falls for Muni.Someone commenting here said that this film, and probably by inference, Edge of Darkness, exaggerates the role of the underground in Europe, that most Europeans were passive during the war, afraid of reprisal. That may have been true in some areas - Germany most definitely - but that was not true in France and Norway, both of which had formidable resistance movements. Some people don't like bullies.