Sunday, December 16, 2012

Review of "WHERE EAGLES DARE"




Richard Burton and not-yet-senile Clint Eastwood infiltrate a mountaintop Nazi fortress, get valuable information about traitorous spies, and return to England.

Oh, and they kill Nazis. They're quite good at it (at one point Clint dispatches a radio operator with such nonchalance, he seems like a psychopath.) The Nazis shoot at the two heroes, throw bombs, kick them and punch them--all with little or no effect. Between the two of them, Clint and Richard jump into freezing water, go through a car crash, jump from one cable car hundreds of feet in the air to another, and with all that happens, literally the most severe injury they suffer is that Richard scrapes his hand while closing a door. On the other hand, their bullets bring down Nazis with amazing accuracy. Yeah, the unrealism is funny, but they're killing Nazis, so it's exciting.

The plot is complex. It took a couple of viewings to understand all that goes on, but it's worth figuring out. Plausible - no. But lots of fun.

There are a couple of plot flaws (as when they waste time climbing under a bridge to place dynamite instead of putting in inconspicuously on the side), but those are minor.

The music is stirring and memorable, though not too sophisticated.

Confession: I watched this while sitting in front of the TV, not while working out. But it revved me up so much, I've seen about six times. The phrase 'oldie but goodie certainly fits. It's a great adrenalin stimulator. Without a doubt, it deserves +++++. It will raise your pulse as much as a sprint. If you see it, let me know what you think.

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