Operation Cross Eagles

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Audience Member Another film from the Dog O War collection, a 10 pack British War Movies. This one has a little better audio and video then most but still has the quality of a 1940 US Film. In this one the Underground is helping getting a prisoner swap between the Germans and The Brits. Not much action though a lot of killing. 2 Stars and my watching of the Dogs O War stops here. Rated 2.5/5 Stars •  Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars 01/23/23 Full Review Audience Member Tough guy actor Richard Conte calls the shots on the only film that he directed during his career, “Operation: Crossed Eagles,” a half-baked effort that derives most of its complicated plot from the vintage Richard Burton & Clint Eastwood epic “Where Eagles Dare.” Whereas “Where Eagles Dare” took place in Bavaria, “Operation: Crossed Eagles” occurs in Yugoslavia. Lieutenant Bradford (Richard Conte of “The Godfather”) and his men land from the sea for a secret mission that involves rescuing a U.S. Army courier. The courier is special because he knows the details of the imminent Allied invasion of the Balkans. Unfortunately, a double-agent informs on Bradford and alerts the local German commander, an Admiral, of the Nazi fleet about a scheduled landing. The Germans ambush Bradford’s command and wipe out everybody but Bradford. Later, an enemy plane strafes the terrain around a fleeing Bradford, but a machine gunner on the ground brings the German airplane down. Earlier, Sgt. Sean McAfee (Rory Calhoun of “The Hired Gun”) and two men destroy a German fuel refinery. They make it back to their rendezvous and await the arrival of their transport. Imagine their surprise when they find themselves surrounded by German sailors with machine guns! They are taken by raft to a structure and Sgt. McAfee meets Lieutenant Bradford. Bradford explains that the Germans killed every man in his unit. Initially, McAfee refuses to help the lieutenant, but Bradford convinces him to assist him. They team up with the local partisans and attack the German prison where the Army courier is imprisoned. The raid fails and our heroes withdraw. Bradford and company kidnap a high-ranking German officer on his way to the German Admiral. Our heroes offer the captured German officer in exchange for their men. The suspicious German Admiral has somehow learned about the invasion of the Balkans, code-named Crossed Eagles. This lackluster, low-budget, World War II melodrama generates little intensity. Basically, “Operation: Crossed Eagles” is a traditional war picture where the non-commissioned officers respect and obey their officers because their superiors know what is best. Bradford and McAfee have a momentary disagreement before McAfee comes through to help Bradford. The plot convention that Bradford’s men are shot to ribbons by Germans before they can execute their mission anticipates a similar World War II movie, “Hornet’s Nest,” where the Americans were mowed down by the Germans and the only survivor, an American colonel, winds up using the teenage sons of the villagers to complete his mission. Conte and his “Red Nightmare” scenarist Vincent Fotre present the Germans as the villains, but they are by no means wicked and evil. The German Admiral is an elegant swine because he imagines that he knows more than he does. The last minute revelation about the chief objective of the “Operation: Crossed Eagles” has “Where Eagles Dare” written all over it. The subplot about a traitor in the midst of the Americans is a little difficult to accept, but Conte and Fotre foreshadow the individual’s treachery early in the action. Conte directs this shoot’em up without flair. Rory Calhoun and Conte look like they are earning a paycheck. The scenery is okay, but Conte never drums up any suspense or tension. The only people who need to watch “Operation: Crossed Eagles” are die-hard, World War II movie completists. Rated 1/5 Stars •  Rated 1 out of 5 stars 01/17/23 Full Review Audience Member OPERATION - CROSS EAGLES (1969) Rated 1/5 Stars •  Rated 1 out of 5 stars 02/14/23 Full Review Read all reviews

Operation Cross Eagles

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