L'ouragan vient de Navarone

I sort of like the pairing of the cunning Shaw and smart aleck Ford in this return to the "Guns of Navarone" saga with both stars on a deadly mission to blow up a bridge and save the day. It moves at a quick pace and has an array of wonderful characters,including the always durable Edward Fox as the explosives expert with a sharp and witty tongue. The quality of the film is not so good as we seem to be in a bit of haze for a large portion of the film, but an entertaining film nonetheless.

If you love the "Guns Of Navarone" as one of the greatest, and more importantly most literate WWII action films of all time, then this "sequel" is really going to cause some painful moments, and I wouldn't recommend watching the two films back-to-back under any circumstances. Owing to the fact that it took original "Guns" producer Carl Foreman a decade to get the "Force 10" film project off the ground, Gregory Peck and David Niven were both Social Security eligible by the time the film was ready to go, and that meant we'd have to see a new cast. And for the most part, despite the borrowing of footage of the first film's climax at the beginning you might as well watch this film pretending the first one never happened. The "Nicolai" connection to the first film is weak and barely explored, and we probably could have done without that plotline altogether. And whereas "Guns" was deadly serious in tone, filled with some rich character studies and literate exploration of the moral questions that get raised even when fighting a good cause, "Force 10" is really more of an escapist war film, punctuated with moments of light comedy, and with no depth whatsoever in the characters and script. If one is willing to accept the film on that level, then it can be enjoyed as an entertaining diversion, but no more. It is interesting to see Harrison Ford in his first post-Star Wars role working alongside the great Robert Shaw in his last film, and Edward Fox appears to emulate most of David Niven's mannerisms quite well. Carl Weathers though, was an annoying distraction and the scene where he demanded "answers" while the enemy was approaching was just plain dumb.

By it's very title though, "Force 10" is always going to have the problem of it's magnificent predecessor hanging over it. Too bad the sequel possibility wasn't cashed in on sooner when Peck, Niven and Quinn could have still done their parts (I always hoped they'd lead a new mission to rescue Anthony Quayle!)

I actually saw this movie before I saw "The Guns of Navarone", and I have to say, I prefer "Force 10". It seems like it always comes on TV on a rainy Saturday afternoon, and I'll always get sucked right in. I've probably seen it about 10 times. Despite some laughable special effects, and otherwise dated production value, this war movie packs a good action punch. Not many WW2 movies are set in Yugoslavia, and that's one of the interesting elements of the film. The story itself is a classic "Against the Odds" type affair, involving a covert Allied mission with a dual purpose. The great Robert Shaw is a standout, and a young Harrison Ford shows why he eventually became the superstar he is. Rousing music, tense action sequences, shootouts, knife fights, bombings,rescues,deceit and trickery make "Force 10" a lot of fun.

Oddly enough I have never actually gotten around to watching the 1978 war movie "Force 10 from Navarone". Why? Well, I guess because the title never really caught my fancy, or because it is war movie from 1978.

But I was offered a chance to sit down and watch a remastered version of the 1978 movie, and of course I took the chance and time to do so. Especially as I saw that the movie was starring none other than Robert Shaw and Harrison Ford.

Turns out that this was actually a good war movie, with a combination of interesting storyline, action and some good old fashioned double-crossing. So yeah, I was entertained by what writers Alistair MacLean, Robin Chapman and Carl Foreman had managed to put together with Guy Hamilton at the director's chair.

The movie also had some good appearances from the likes of Carl Weathers, Michael Byrne and Richard Kiel.

One thing I really liked about the movie was the fact that people were speaking their native and respective languages. There is nothing more cringeworthy than watching German soldiers in World War II movies speak English with a thick, fake German-imitated accent.

I had actually been missing out on a good and entertaining World War II movie with "Force 10 from Navarone", shame on me. And I must say that it was really nice to see Shaw and Ford in the leads in a movie such as this, and they carried the movie quite well.

My rating of "Force 10 from Navarone" is a six out of ten stars.

FORCE 10 FROM NAVARONE...I don't know what to say apart from the fact that I enjoyed it as a kid, and I'm looking forward, in years to come, to sitting down with my son (now 2) and watching it with him. With the exception of the original Navarone, and WHERE EAGLES DARE, FORCE 10 is far-and-away the greatest book-to-movie translation in it's genre. The critics got it wrong, they always do!(How many people saw Titanic because they said it was so great? They didn't mention the steam coming from a decorative smoke stack, or the digital watches, did they?!)

FORCE 10 generally has a good feel about it, it isn't too serious. Shaw, as he'd proved with JAWS and THE STING, was the contender for one of the greatest British actors ever, only Burton or Olivier have been close to that title. With the recent success of Shaw's JAWS and, obviously, Ford's STAR WARS, it was prime casting...no question.

Don't take it to seriously, and with the fast-paced story, Top-Notch cast and brilliant Ron Goodwin score...you should really enjoy it, if you like the genre! Roll on six or seven years time, my son is in for a treat!!!