The first of several key World War II star-studded movies that hit cinemas in the 1960s, for which you can count the likes of THE GREAT ESCAPE and WHERE EAGLES DARE among them, this adaptation of Alastair MacLean’s best-selling novel has been a fixture of UK television schedules for decades – and still thrills with it’s two hours plus running time.
Mallory (Gregory Peck) is assigned by indirect boss Jensen (James Robertson Justice, Sir Launcelot Spratt in the DOCTOR films) to climb the wall of a Greek island called Navarone with a team of saboteurs (David Niven, Anthony Quinn, Stanley Baker, James Darren).
Their target are two massive radio-controlled guns out to sink six destroyers who are coming in a few days to take 2,000 Allied prisoners off the nearby island of Kheros. Mallory and Co have to infiltrate the complex where the guns are, but their mission is beset by the German garrison stationed on Navarone, as well as other unforeseen challenges…..
A tremendously enjoyable and old fashioned in-camera action film, with no CGI as it didn’t exist, plus a great symphonic score by Dimitri Tiomkin.