The Last Escape

This is a fun movie so long as you don't expect historical accuracy or a deep plot. The plot moves along nicely and is there is almost continuous action. This is basically one big long chase movie, where the British and Americans try to rescue German rocket scientists at the end of WWII before the scientists can fall into the hands of the Russians.

I could go for pages about the historical inaccuracies of this film but that would be beside the point. This movie succeeds very well at its intentions of being a low budget action film.

If you can accept this, then The Last Escape is a fun ride.

Probably one of the worst WWII action movies ever made...

Plot is minimal; characterization non-existent. Most of the movie seems to consist of two groups of men, both dressed in German uniforms, shooting each other with sub-machine guns.

The attack by Mosquito fighter-bombers seems to be footage lifted from the movie "633 Squadron". The Norwegian fjord looks awfully familiar, and so do some of the German anti-aircraft gunners.

Whitman, as leading man, is mind-numbingly uninspiring... like a poor man's Ronald Regan, only worse.

Avoid at all costs...

Set during the final days of WWII when the Allied army and Russian troops invaded Germany , there an American commando led by Lee Mitchell : Stuart Whitman is assigned a dangerous trek to enter a military base and take a scientist . As the brave commando dressed in German uniforms race against time to free a rocket scientist called Von Heineken : Pinkas Braun . Later on , they escape while are pursued both the Nazi army and Russian troops that want to take the prestigious scientific for their own purports .

Run-of-the-mill Warlike movie with nothing special , packing pursuits , crossfire , bombing , and boastful escapades . This is one of many films produced by the Brit Oakmont Production along with : "Hell Boats" , "Attack on the Iron Coast" , "The Thousand Plane Raid" , "Submarine X1" , "Mosquito Squadron" , all of them made in medium budgets and mingling stock footage here and there . As well as following in the wake of the 60s classics , such as : "When the Eagles dare" , "Navarone Guns" , "Tobruk" , "Dirty Dozen" . As always , there is the regular suicide mission to be executed by a commando to carry it out behind the enemy lines , while suffering throughout lots of obstacles , attacks , aerial bombing and other risked inconvenient dangers and drawbacks . Behind Enemy Lines ...Nothing could stand in their Way ! They lied Their Way in ....They must fight their Way Out ! .

The motion picture filmed in Munich , Bavaria, Germany , was professionally directed by Walter Grauman , though with neither much interest , nor originaly , but mere artificiality and routine , though maintaining spectacular images enough to keep things interesting . Apparently , director Grauman worked on the film's original screenplay with writer/producer John C. Champion but uncredited for such . Walter Grauman was an artisan whose works remain undervalued in USA , directing mostly TV episodes and occassionally for cinema , making the following ones : "Nightmare on the 13th Floor" , "Outrage" , "Scene of the Crime" , "Pleasure palace" , "To race the Wind" , "Are you in the house alone ?" , "The Streets of San Francisco" , "Most Wanted" , "Force five" , "Manhunter" , "Paper Man", "Lady in Cage" and directing another warfare flick in similar style : "833 Squadron" . Rating : 4.5/10 , Mediocre and so-so . Only for WWII hardcore enthusiasts and fans of the recently deceased actor Stuart Whitman who had a long and uneven career . The movie isn't a classic by any means , but not a turkey either , being a passable cool time-waster for wartime stories .

"The Last Escape" has a lot of action scaffold over very insubstantial story construction. Its derivative feel is made worse by the music, which lifts a lot of cues from "The Rat Patrol" TV series. Technical advice from a WW2 combat veteran should have been obtained and acted on.

On the plus side, director Walter Grauman coaxed decent work from his cast and camera crew. Filming among the silver firs and Norway spruces of southern Germany, instead of the ponderosa and Jeffrey pines of Idyllwild or Lake Arrowhead, was a good move. Those who like chases and shootouts in authentic locations are unlikely to be disappointed (especially if they have yet to see "Where Eagles Dare").

This looked the whole time like a made-for-TV movie, but apparently it's a big-screen production. It's really not a very good movie, and some elements were totally illogical, but it's completely typical for the time in which it was produced. One of the elements of which I speak is a formation of Soviet soldiers who were able to track the group of Americans and Brits whenever a regular radio receiver was turned on. This is completely impossible. It's possible to track a radio that is transmitting, and the Germans did that during the war to search for resistance cells sending signals to London, but a receiver doesn't send a signal, and how would they know that it's the receiver they were looking for?

Because of that and other things I have to give it only four stars, but because it's typical for what audiences would have been entertained by in 1970, I decided to generously add a star.