SunnyHello Nice effects though.

LouHomey From my favorite movies..

Taraparain Tells a fascinating and unsettling true story, and does so well, without pretending to have all the answers.

Staci Frederick Blistering performances.

JohnHowardReid VIEWERS' GUIDE: The censor says, "Suitable for all". Who am I to argue?COMMENT: Although Mason again essays the role of Rommel, he makes only a few brief appearances and plays the character differently from his study in The Desert Fox. Half the time he speaks German with an English accent, and the other half English with a German accent! What is more, he comes closer to the conventional Hollywood portrait of the Nazi officer, playing Wagner in his tent and exchanging "Ve will conquer zee vorld!" dialogue with Richard Burton's sassy British POW.Of course, these changes are not directly attributable to Mason, but are the work of the scriptwriter and the director, who could not have anticipated that The Desert Fox and Desert Rats would be re-issued as a double bill. All the same, it is disconcerting.Otherwise, both writing and direction are very smooth. Richard Burton and Robert Newton are ingeniously worked into the cast, Robert Douglas makes an acceptable C.O. and there are some dinky-di Aussies on hand including Chips Rafferty, Charles Tingwell and Michael Pate (most of whose part, he tells me, landed on the cutting-room floor).The action scenes are excitingly staged, but on the whole the film is a mite disappointing. The direction is too restrained, too soberly realistic, and doesn't go all out for the grand adventure epic like Hathaway's Lives of a Bengal Lancer or Chauvel's 40,000 Horsemen that the film's publicity leads us to expect.On the other hand, the fictitious narrative involving Newton and Burton, though ingenious, is neither convincing enough nor sufficiently realistic to put the film in the semi-documentary category. So the film tends to fall between two stools. This is unfortunate as within its limits, the film does well, and successfully accomplishes what it sets out to do, namely to provide an entertaining and action-filled if fictitious narrative, set against the realistic backdrop of the siege of Tobruk.

Leofwine_draca THE DESERT RATS is something of a follow-up to THE DESERT FOX, which also starred James Mason as Erwin Rommel and covered some of the North African campaign. However the emphasis of this film is very much on the Allied forces, particularly an Australian platoon who baulk at their new captain, the Scottish Tammy MacRoberts.First off, the title is a misnomer; this isn't about the 'desert rats' but rather about the siege of Tobruk and the dedicated men who fought back against the encircling Nazi siege. Richard Burton is well cast as the heroic leader of men and brings the kind of gravitas to the part that only he can deliver. The desert-set action is quite familiar from other war films (and there are a LOT of desert-themed war films in existence) but what makes this one work is a fast pace and some good supporting cast members.Mason doesn't have a big role to play in this film although he does get to share a strong scene with Burton. The other soldiers are played by Robert Newton, the delightful Chips Rafferty, movie villain Torin Thatcher, and Charles Tingwell. The story runs the usual gamut of heroism and capture, escape and death, and builds to a suspenseful against-the-odds climax. It's certainly not one of the finest war films in existence but as war films go it's a solid enough effort.

Syl I am sure there were hundreds of films based on World War II. In this case, the Allies are in Northern Africa where they capture German Nazi Rommel. I just wanted to see Richard Burton act in this film. The location is in the desert with the oppressive heat. The Allies are fighting the Nazis. The film is a depiction of the battle of Tobruk. I don't know much about the Second World War in Northern Africa but Rommel was also known as the desert fox. The cast is fine but the story line appears to be slow moving too. James Mason is fine as Rommel. I can't compare his performance to anybody playing Rommel so he was fine to me. I hate to write that my ignorance fails me when it comes to the battlefields of any war.

manojkumar This is a very tight and compelling presentation of a heroic stand off. A classic story of so few against so many. While the movie is a good narrative,what is also captivating in this movie, is the study of different characteristics of Great Leadership. The various protagonists, Captain Tammy Roberts, the General , General Rommel and even the crusty old school teacher Tom Bartlett all display some of the characteristics of outstanding leadership. It also presents several dilemmas that leaders face and their varying responses to them.. ... Fascinating stuff! So much so,that this movie can actually be used as a 'case study' in Leadership Development programs ...