The Last Escape

This was a fun little action/war story I saw as a telemovie today.

It stars Stuart Whitman, who I know better as the American in THOSE MAGNIFICENT MEN IN THEIR FLYING MACHINES, and is about a team taking a German rocket scientist to the allies towards the end of WWII.

It was very reminiscent of films like THE HEROES OF TELEMARK, THE WILD GEESE, WHERE EAGLES DARE, and A BRIDGE TOO FAR. The action shots were fairly well staged, especially the battle between the armaments (ie tanks, planes, guns, etc). The characters were very two-dimensional, but sustained storyline interest fairly well. Most of the plot was predictable, but the "noble" ending was rather cool and heart-warming.

Not a great classic by any means, but not a complete turkey either. I thought it was a pretty cool time-waster for a slow afternoon.

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.

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 .

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...

Watchable enough but very far from being a gripping all action war film. Set during the war but the blonde lady was wearing a hair style and a mini skirt very much of the time the film was made, 1968, the men's hair styles were also of 1968. The mud applied to the very obvious very clean vehicles was, as always, unconvincing as being dirt picked up as a result of normal vehicle use.

Strange to see Mike Baldwin of Coronation Street (UK) fame in a Nazi uniform but he had just a few lines. Plenty of colourful explosions to be admired, possibly too many. Worth a watch with the brain in neutral gear.