BootDigest Such a frustrating disappointment

LouHomey From my favorite movies..

JinRoz For all the hype it got I was expecting a lot more!

Geraldine The story, direction, characters, and writing/dialogue is akin to taking a tranquilizer shot to the neck, but everything else was so well done.

ma-cortes Awesome , tense warlike movie with memorable images and outstanding acting by some well-known faces . This is a splendid film that succeeds largely because of particularly nice interpretations , it deals with a daring breakout from inescapable Scottish concentration camp carried out by Nazi officers incarnated by a good star cast and magnificently realized by Lamont Johnson . It's partially based on facts adapted by William Norton from a bestselling written by Sidney Shelley titled ¨The Bowmanville break¨ . The continuous escapes have caused the British staff ordered 'putting all the rotten eggs in one basket' as the officer prisoners are reunited into a special concentration camp called McKenzie , being commanded by a hard-drinking Major Perry (Ian Hendry) who efforts to stifle riots of the wily Nazis . Irish Intelligence captain named Connor (Brian Keith) , a special troubleshooter , is sent by General Kerr (Jack Watson ) to Scotland for resolving conflicts in the problematic camp . Connor suspects astute captain Schlueter (Helmut Griem) of being the mastermind behind the scheme about a mass escape and he is supposed to stop the action . It deals with hard preparatives of a diverse group formed by Doenitz's U-boat officers and Luffwaffe air officers and soldiers mounting a dangerous getaway from a barbed-wired and strongly controlled camp . The most part of the film concerns on the elaborated process of secretly digging an underground tunnel and the last one deals with spectacular breakout and effort the approx. twenty and some escaped prisoners throughout Scotland trying to make their bid to freedom .This exciting story contains thrills, intrigue, tension, excitement galore, entertainment and lots of fun . Suspenseful WWII drama about a concentration camp from a German point of sight , it packs exceptional plethora of prestigious actors as British as German incarnating the motley group of POWs , all of them giving good acting and support , as Helmut Griem as U-boat Squadron leader who plans the massive breakout as Ian Hendry as serious Major and of course a sensational Brian Keith whose character , an arrogant Intelligence officer is sent to foil the getaway attempts . The picture belongs to a genre that has given classics as ¨The great escape¨, ¨Stalag 17¨, ¨Escape from Colditz¨, ¨Escape from Sorbibor¨ and many others . Colorful, atmospheric cinematography by Michael Reed , Hammer Production's usual ; it is shot in Ardmore Studios, Herbert Road, Bray, County Wicklow,Ireland ,Santa Monica, California, USA ,Turkey and photography being perfectly remastered . Excellent production design and art direction with evocative sets from concentration camp and barbwire . Rousing and lively soundtrack by Riz Ortalani . This well executed motion picture is well directed by Lamont Johnson . Rating : Two thumbs up , essential and indispensable watching , a real must see for its strong characterizations and interesting issues .

thinker1691 During the War years, many a soldier were given specific instructions concerning their duties. After the war, just as many came under the scrutiny of justice. The Nazis were grossly mistaken when those accused of atrocious war crimes against humanity sought the protection of obeying explicit or direct orders. In this film " The McKenzie Break " German navel officers in a P.O.W camp are given secret orders to help 28 submariners escape and return to duty. As such they begin causing an inordinate amount of trouble for the English guards, to the point that general Kerr (Jack Watson) is puzzled by their antics. Unable to fathom the reason, Captain Jack Connor, an intelligent officer (Brian Keith) {supurb acting} is given tactical command over the camp run by Major Perry (Ian Hendry) to ascertain the reason. While there, Connor engages in mind games with Captain Willy Schlueter (Helmut Griem) a German Submarine commander. Time is short as Schlueter must complete an underground tunnel, before Connors' amasses enough evidence to prosecute his adversary for murder or deciphers the secret codes in the letters he confiscated. When the escape is prematurely forced, both men struggle to complete their assignments. Although not on the caliber of The Great Escape, this movie nevertheless gives a stirring and dramatic performance to excite audiences and the cast renders a good account of themselves. A top notch film which has since become a military Classic. ****

Robert J. Maxwell Basically the story of a duel of wits between a German submarine captain (Helmut Griem), ranking officer in a Scottish POW camp, and an Irish captain in the British army (Brian Keith) who is sent to administer the camp and investigate the reasons for the POWs riotous behavior. It develops that Griem is organizing the escape of 28 submariners because Germany needs experienced crewmen. The escape is successful. It leaves poor Brian Keith behind. Until the very end, that is, when the escapees are discovered boarding a U-boat off the Scottish coast and, alerted by Keith, a British patrol boat interferes with the escape. The U-boat submerges with most of the escapees aboard already, but it leaves Griem and a few others behind in their rubber boats. Keith, watching the events from atop a cliff, is given the last words. "Well, Willi, it looks like both you and I are in the ****house." Interesting film in which nobody really wins. One or two dozen German sailors manage to get away, but to what? Another U-boat patrol? After May, 1943, those patrols were suicide missions. And it's unusual to see Brian Keith, as a genial, quiet, thoughtful Irishman outwitted by a ruthless German like Griem. And he IS ruthless. Unnecessarily ruthless. One of those dedicated Nazis who kills his comrades without compunction in order to ensure the success of his mission. The role is really pretty retrograde, harking back as it does to the Gestapo spies of the 1940s. Other than his tendency to humiliate and kill such skanks as homosexuals, Griem, with his handsomeness and overall Aryan quality, exudes a good deal of charm. He and Keith listen to a recording of Beethoven's third symphony. "Toscanini?" asks Griem. Keith nods and comments with a smile, "Furtwangler did it better." (Furtwangler was not only a German conductor, but a German conductor who played footsies with the Nazis.) The thrust and parry extends to prison yard scenes as well. There's quite a bit of action.It must have been filmed in Scotland. I don't blame Griem and the rest for wanting to escape from there. Whew. What dreary weather -- clouds, rain, constant dampness and chill. Not to blame the DP. The atmosphere is perfectly captured in the photography.Anyway, is this story "based on fact," as they say? If so, it leaves a couple of questions unanswered that wouldn't otherwise be necessary to ask. Eg., where did they get the truck for hauling "explosives"?

Robert D. Ruplenas I'm always interested to see neglected movies that appear to have good credentials, but in this case the film's neglect appears justified. Evidently based on some actual incidents during WWII, the film just doesn't connect with the viewer for some reason that it is not quite clear to me. One very likely reason is that - in the print I saw on TCM, anyway - none of the scenes where the Germans talked among themselves were given titles. This interesting directorial concept - to let the non-German speaking viewer just guess from "context" what the Germans are saying to each other - is, in my book, an utter flop and helps to lock the viewer out. Also, the way the movie begins - just dropping us into a very confused situation without much setup - is disorienting. Brian Keith is pretty good here, but the reputations of "The Great Escape" and "Stalag 17" will not be challenged by this flick.