Operation Crossbow (1965) User Reviews (69)

Could have been Bond in WWII

[louiss · 7/10 · 26 May 2001]

Exciting WWII adventure spy thriller resembles Bond films of the sixties. Elaborate underground German rocket base reminds me of a Ken Adem set.

Sophia's early demise is a startling shock which adds credibility to the film as a thriller. The best of Peppards three war film trilogy. Also look for Anthony Quayle playing against type as a nazi out to stop Peppard. Great fun.

Undeservingly ignored WWII spy-thriller

[pete36 · 8/10 · 11 January 2003]

I remember seeing this movie as a kid and pretty bored I was, but having recently caught it on the BBC I was surprised how good it really is.

Movie's basic outline concerns the development of the German V-1 and V-2 weapons and the subsequent allied attempt to infiltrate the underground factories at Peenemünde, where most of these these so-called `Vergeltungswaffen' ('revenge' weapons) were assembled

Richard Anderson is the British government top official who puts a team together- Peppard, Kemp and Courtenay- posing as Dutch engineers volunteering to work for the Reich.

As the spystory itself is undoubtedly heavily fictionalised the rest is pretty historically accurate. Movie has an elaborate script featuring a plot full of twists and loopholes. instead of relying on big battle scenes or derring-do. Which is probably the reason why it was a bit ignored by the public and critics alike on its release. Moviegoers were expecting some straightforward war epic as "The battle of the Bulge", "The Heroes of Telemark" or "Von Ryan's Express", all released in 1965, with plenty of action but seriously lacking in the historic credibility department.

(spoiler ahead) Actors are solid but watch out for Anthony Quayle as an unusually shrewd German counterintelligence officer and the fact that some of the main stars get killed halfway the movie. Special effects in recreating the V-weapons and their subsequent effect on London are, definitly for that time, very well executed.

There are several subplots, one involving Sophia Loren, but most interesting is the one with famous female Nazi test-pilot Hannah Reitsch (Barbara Rütting), as what must be only time she is personified on the big screen. Movie claims she actually had to test flight the V1, which was a not more then a flying bomb but the Germans first wanted to use it as some sort of semi-kamikaze contraption, with the pilot bailing out at the last minute. After several killed pilots they wisely opted for a simple unmanned version. These were launched en masse at London and other already liberated European cities. Incidentally, the biopic `The Glen Miller Story' (1954) has an important scene with Miller's orchestra playing while being under attack of several V1's. Quite another beast was the V2, a real ballistic missile and a 'wonder' weapon if there ever was one. It was capable of going up in to the stratosphere and remained undetected by radar and reaching speeds of up to 2 mach and at that time impossible to detect and to shoot down. A few hundreds were launched and did some important damage to major supply lines (especially the vital Belgian port of Antwerp) but never seriously endangered the allied offensives. The later ICBM's carrying nuclear warheads are all based on the V2.

(major spoiler ahead) Finally the produces must have realised they had tot put some action sequences in it to justify the star cast and budget resulting in a very Bondlike action sequence trying to prevent, with the help of Bomber Command, a test flight of an improved V2 capable of reaching New York (!).

The British actually bombed Peenemunde several times, which seriously delayed construction time and was instrumental in moving almost the whole plant underground (as most German heavy industry after 1943).

British Director Michael Anderson is best-known for another WWII tale `The Dam Busters', also the SF-epic `Logan's Run' and the TV-series `The Martian Chronicles' He was active until 2000,still turning out the occasional TV-movie.

George Peppard and Jeremy Kemp would team up again next year in the spectacular `The Blue Max' this time not involving rockets but WWI flying crates.

See OC in its original Cinemascope format. Sadly the BBC choose to air in the so-called 'pan-and-scan'version, seriously harming the colour and perspective.

If you like this try `The battle of Britain'.

I gave it an 8.

excellent film--interesting topic,...but what's with Sophia Loren?!

[planktonrules · 8/10 · 9 March 2006]

Okay, let me explain my above comment. On the cover art for the video and on many of the posters, you have images of George Peppard AND Sophia Loren. Now I am a fan of Ms. Loren's films and have nothing against her performance in this film, but she is only a minor character. She enters a scene and is dead a short time later--and that's about the size of her contribution to the movie. The advertising folks for this film should be shot, as if you are watching the movie for her, you'll be very disappointed.

Now on to the movie itself, despite the advertising, this is a war espionage film--not a romance. It's about as romantic as THE LONGEST DAY, in fact. Nope--definitely not a romance. Instead it's a film about Allied agents infiltrating the V-1/V-2 bases at Penemunde. And in this light, it is a very successful and engaging film--very similar to THE HEROES OF TELMARK and other 60s epic war flicks. In fact, it's better than Peppard's more famous war film, THE BLUE MAX, because it is NOT bogged down with a sappy romance and is pure wartime entertainment.

How the German V1 & 2 rockets where dealt with.

[thomas j-2 · 7 June 2000]

Excellent suspense movie. This one probably "disappeared among the "Guns of Navarone" imitators during the 60's. A pity, since it is worth having a look at. Some points in its favour: "Unpredictable" - characters who usually don't die in movies like this dies unexpectedly and in unexpected order (it doesn't follow the clichés). The spies sent on undercover missions into Germany are actually forced to speak German, and various ruses to cover up the accents have to be made. One negative aside though. At times it seems that two movies are being shown at the same time, a docu-drama about the actual bombings of England and a totally fictitious (albeit exciting) spy drama.

Relaxed entertainment for war films fans dealing with a espionage tale in which some agents attempt to destroy a Nazi installation

[ma-cortes · 7/10 · 10 June 2013]

Exciting WWII military thriller including a moving final and overwhelming pyrotechnics . This interesting picture packs big stars , intrigue , action packed , suspense and historic deeds . It deals with a trio (George Peppard , Tom Courtneay, Jeremy Kemp) of Allied agents are assigned by high command (John Mills , Richard Johnson , Trevor Howard , Richard Todd , Maurice Denham) to destroy a Nazi munitions installation . They attempt to infiltrate the Nazis' rocket research site. Their mission is complicated by appearing a wife (Sophia Loren) , one traitor and several dangers .

Thrilling war film in which there are nail-biting action scenes , drama , intrigue , explosion , suspenseful set pieces and almost overloaded with stars . The movie gets a simple emotional appeal , professionalism and being rightly shot . This film's title is the same code-name for the real World War II spy mission, which was code-named "Crossbow". After the Second World War, because of this movie's title, reference to these events popularized them as being "Operation Crossbow" . This blazing WWII yarn pulled the public into cinemas in droves when it was first released . Director Michael Anderson steered skillfully through its numerous twists . Despite receiving top billing , Sophia Loren only appears in a extended cameo role ; producer Carlo Ponti, Loren's husband, believed his wife's popularity in the United States would boost the film's chances at the box office and had her billed accordingly . Filmed on splashy color and brilliant cinematography by cameraman Erwin Hillier . Breathtaking as well as evocative musical score by Ron Goodwin . Excellent production design and nice special effects , for the section of the film where RAF Bomber Command raid the Peenemunde rocket research site the producers used the Avro Lancaster PA474 used by the Cranfield institute of technology . For the scene in which a street is wiped out by a V-2, the filmmakers actually destroyed a row of flats which were slated for demolition , the shot was, necessarily, done in one take.

This movie is based on historical events , as there appears the character of Hannah Reitsch, played by Barbara Rütting , was a real-life person . Reitsch was a German aviatrix and at one time Adolf Hitler's own personal pilot. During the Battle of Berlin, Reitsch attempted to persuade Hitler to escape from the city in a small lightweight Fieseler Storch airplane . Furthermore , appears Duncan Sandys, a character in this movie played by Richard Johnson, was a real-life person ; Sandys was Chairman of the British War Cabinet Committee for the Defence against German rockets and flying bombs , he was the son-in-law of British wartime prime minister, Winston Churchill and was wounded during the Second World War in Norway in 1941 which resulted in him having a permanent limp . The motion picture was professionally directed by Michael Anderson . He was a craftsman with reputation for making a variety of commercial and amusing films , it's well demonstrated in ¨Operation Crossbow¨. His films from 1953-58 were all quite well received , his cycle ended with the best of them , the suspense , thriller ,¨Chase a crooked shadow¨ . Latterly resident in Canada , he has continued to direct , mainly in lower-profile projects and TV adventure movies . Anderson has filmed all kind of genres as cinema as TV ; such as Adventure : ¨Around the world in 80 days¨ , ¨Doc Savage¨ , ¨The sea Wolf¨ , ¨20.000 leagues under the sea¨ ; Sci-Fi : ¨Logan's run¨, ¨The martian chronicles¨ , ¨Milennium¨ ; Thriller: ¨The Quiller Memorandum , ¨Dominique is dead¨ , ¨The naked edge¨ , The wreck of the Mary Deare¨ , ¨Murder by phone¨ and Wartime : ¨Battle hell¨, ¨Shake hands with the devil¨, Damm Busters¨ and of course , ¨Operation Crossbow¨ .

Outstanding cast in a top sabotage thriller

[Leofwine_draca · 7/10 · 1 December 2016]

OPERATION CROSSBOW is a fine British WW2 thriller that's much more a resistance thriller than the gung-ho story that I was expecting. The supporting cast is exemplary and acts as a kind of "who's who" of British cinema with the likes of Trevor Howard, Richard Johnson, Richard Wattis, Sylvia Sims, and many, many others playing various peripheral or important characters. Even Patrick Wymark is on hand with a pretty accurate depiction of Churchill.

The story is about the development of Nazi rocket technology and the attempts by Allied forces to halt or delay its advance. The main three characters are played by the nervous Tom Courtenay, the heroic George Peppard, and the excellent Jeremy Kemp, all of whom are parachuted into occupied Holland and forced to undertake false identities in a bid to infiltrate the institution in which the rockets are being built. The suspense is never-ending and although there isn't much in the way of on screen action this is just as gripping as if there had been. Sophia Loren is stunning in a fine role as a woman mixed up in the sabotage plot while Anthony Quayle is well cast against type.

Entertaining WWII thriller

[bensonmum2 · 7/10 · 31 July 2009]

Operation Crossbow is a solid espionage thriller set in WWII. The plot concerns the British/Allies attempt to get saboteurs inside German rocket facilities. The British have taken huge hits from the V1 and the other Allies rightly fear the more deadly V2. Three candidates are selected, given credentials allowing them to pose as Dutch engineers, and sent off to infiltrate and help destroy the Reich's most secret weapons development program.

Not being a WWII scholar, I'm not sure how historically accurate Operation Crossbow really is. But really, who cares? Operation Crossbow was never meant to be a scholarly work – it's a piece of fluff entertainment. And for the most part, it succeeds at being entertaining. While the movie may get off to a slow start, the action and suspense of the third act make up for most all of the films perceived shortcomings. The film's finale in an underground Nazi rocket facility is very reminiscent of James Bond and just as thrilling. And even if the movie does get off to a slow start, I found the bits about Nazi test pilot Hannah Reitsch interesting. Most of the cast is excellent. With few exceptions, George Peppard and the rest of the cast turn in fine performances. There are some nice special effects sequences worth mentioning. In particular, the bombing of London was very well handled. The only significant complaints I can come up with involve Trevor Howard and Sophia Loren. Howard's not necessarily bad in his role, but his character, the eternally pessimistic Professor Lindemann, is so annoying I wanted to wring his neck each time he popped-up on screen. As for Sophia Loren, she's a wonderful actress and I enjoy most of her work, but in all honestly, Operation Crossbow would have been a tighter, more enjoyable movie without her. Her character brings ZERO to the movie and her scenes are not important to what came before or what comes after. Her screen time is limited to 15 or 20 minutes that only serve to kill the film's flow. She may get top billing, but that's for her name only. Still, even with these flaws, I've always enjoyed Operation Crossbow and can easily rate it a 7/10.

Tense, but not too realistic

[NewInMunich · 6/10 · 5 March 2005]

I saw the movie on TCM and was gripped by the well built tension until the gripping end. Basically a good story, how the courage and self sacrifice of English volunteers defeated the terror of the V2 rockets posed on England and the further proceedings of the war. I saw it a 2nd time and had to wonder about some holes and a lot of strange additions to the straight forward story :

1. Celebration of German engineering and especially German Fighting Womens Courage (impersonated by B. Ruetting) to make that terror weapon work (she flies it, to work out constructional weaknesses, although 4 pilots have died before trying the same) along with wasting some familiar faces (P. Henreid, H. Dantine 2. Careless of the British Secret Service (or any organization putting together this mission) - They give voice to only one "mad" scientist (Trevor Howard in a terrible role), who denies any such possibility as a V2 to exist (Mad because he doesn't believe what the Germans could do because he can't pull it off). This adds nothing to the story, as the facts overrule him without any loss of time - They make an open hearing for candidates, so that the German infiltrator can pick on the volunteers easily later - They are picking candidates against biographies of people, they did not double check carefully, putting unbelievable danger on their volunteers 3. Unlikeliness Despite all the holes, the volunteers get into the heart of the V2 production and can get access to critical areas (Germans secret service obviously adopting the level of quality of their British counterparts. 4. Sophia Loren as a dutch housewife in search of her husband in War Germany ? Even more likely to make G. Peppard an Italian to make ends meet. S.L. is a beauty as always, but adds nothing to the story but playtime. But with a husband as Exec Producer, it needed to stay in the family.... SPOILER AHEAD 5. The British bombers in their night raids were far from being so precise to hit a sub terrain factory with necessary precision just because somebody leaves the lights on... E.O.S. What is good next to the tension : - Tom Courtenay as the young volunteer willing to sacrifice his life for a false accusation instead of giving up his comrades - Anthony Quayle cast against type as a double agent and overall the tension build up to the great fireworks finale. O.K. Movie, better not to be viewed twice.

Masterpiece WW 2 film

[kenandraf · 9/10 · 28 July 2002]

Masterpiece WW 2 film.Excellent production and attention to detail.Good spy story with great cinematography and cast performances.Good visuals on the German V-1/V-2 efforts.Not too much Holywood watering down of storyline.Nice short performance by Loren.One of the top 50 best WW 2 movies ever.One of the top 250 best movies ever.Only for WW 2 spy movie fans who don't mind seeing London get blasted a bit and for big fans of the lead actors......

All star cast but some how forgotten

[andrewjones888 · 7/10 · 18 October 2011]

Here we have a war film dealing with Nazi Germanys attempts to build and launch the dreaded V1 and V2 rockets.

Lots and lots of superb well known faces here and quite a few more that ended up on the cutting room floor by all accounts.

The good: Tells the story from both perspectives on one hand we have the dying Nazi war machine trying to build wonder weapons to bomb its way to victory and then we have Richard Johnson and John Mills desperately trying to launch bombing raids and spying missions to foil them while getting little help from ignorant Trevor Howard.

Some good little plot twists such as the identity of man Tom Courtney assumes being wanted by the police which seals his fate due to another bit of bad luck. The fact the Germans really do speak German does help it to carry more wait rather than a load of actors talking with a silly accent. Keeps the tension going well for the most part and you do feel quite sorry for George Peppard and Jeremy Kemps characters as it dawns on them they will forfeit their lives for the mission.

The Bad: Sophia Loren flouncing about with 60's hair and make up,she was added just to get a bigger audience. The scenes with her in are not needed and slow things down. Cheap editing trick of pasting in real war footage of aerial bombings and AA guns! Why do they do it? it never works and looks naff when you go from film quality to grainy footage some of it not even colour!

One or two less than convincing models but we are talking early/mid 60's here so fares fare. Gearge Peppard was OK but the part needed more,to me he was out shone by Jeremy Kemp when they had scenes together.

All in all a good film with lots of fine actors telling the story of another dark chapter of world war two.

A lot better war film than the over hyped Guns of Navarone.

Too Talky In the Middle Bogs Down 'Thriller'

[ccthemovieman-1 · 5/10 · 1 July 2006]

This World War II movie starts off strong with an interesting story about the Nazis experimenting with rockets and showing some of the problems they had in getting them to work. (This was before anyone had done this.)

Meanwhile, the British suspect something is up regarding this experimentation and send some spies to find out. Unfortunately, from that point the film begins to lag and is way too talky until the action-packed finale. There is simply too much time wasted in the middle of this film, which has an outstanding cast, by the way. However, I agree with reviewer "SgtSlaughter" that is just an "average war thriller." Personally, I'd like to see a re-make of this movie.

Terrific

[Mr. OpEd · 10/10 · 26 November 1999]

This is truly a remarkable film, a thinking person's war movie. Characters never seem to end up doing what you expect them to do (or end up having done to them what you'd expect of major stars). It keeps you on the edge until the spectacular ending which is as full of action as the rest of the film is full of intrigue. Everyone from the actors to the technicians are at their best in this epic. A good double-bill would be Guns of Navarone, though frankly, this is the more believable film.

Not bad

[TurboarrowIII · 6/10 · 18 September 2014]

This film isn't bad.

It tells of a mission to destroy a Nazi rocket installation. George Peppard and Jeremy Kemp are the two men who get inside and manage to find a way to open the rocket launching doors to mark the position of the installation for Allied bombers. Although I think they both put in good performances I preferred them in The Blue Max made just after this. Anthony Quayle is also good as a Nazi. Tom Courteney bravely holds out under torture from Quayle and his thugs and ends up getting shot without revealing any information. Sophia Loren doesn't have much of a part but she is good as the ex wife of the character Peppard is pretending to be. She also surprisingly gets shot by Lilli Palmer because although Peppard thought he had found a way to save her Palmer knows that the mission is too important and too many peoples lives depend on it to be able to trust Loren.

The final part of the film is tense where Peppard and Kemp have to open the doors to mark the position of the installation for the bombers.

This has a star studded cast. As well as those already mentioned there are Richard Todd, Richard Johnson, Trevor Howard, John Mills and Sylvia Syms amongst others.

Not the greatest film but certainly not bad and it shows how the Allies managed to lessen the threat of the V1 and V2 terror weapons launched against England.

It Goes from Very Good to Less Than Average

[ragosaal · 5/10 · 26 October 2006]

"Operation Crossbow" is a World War II film that deals with the German's developing and launching of the V-1 and V-2 bombs over London.

This movie starts as a very good project. The fist part shows in one side the German's efforts to perfect the flying bombs and start to use them (they succeed) and on the other the British intelligence work to detect where the construction plant is in order to destroy it. The plannig of the mission that will infiltrate men under false identities in the place and mark it for bombardiers to do the job is also entertaining.

But somehow as soon as the guys succeed in entering the underground protected place the film just drops and turns into a cheap an less than average product with action scenes with no imagination at all and a total lack of impact and thrill.

Another major flaw is George Peppard's casting in the leading role; he looks dull and doesn't show the presence and charisma the character requires. Even worse, he is surrounded by excellent European supporting performers that remark his limited acting, such as Anthony Quayle, Trevor Howard, John Mills and an excellent Lilli Palmer, just to name a few.

If you like World War II based stories you'll probably find this film interesting and perhaps enjoyable. But nothing more than that. A pity.

Gritty war film

[jamie.medhurst · 30 November 2000]

Suspenseful wartime drama with not the outcome you would expect, plenty of star names in big and smaller roles, an underated gritty war film, SPOILER ALERT! Sophia Loren fans don't be foiled by her top billing, she appears for about 15 mins and is then brutally murdered by another of the lead characters, in fact the only one who is still alive at the end!!

2.5 stars

[matt caccamo · 6/10 · 3 June 2001]

Above average spy film covering English attempts at foiling German plans for creation of "flying bomb" in midst of World War II. Tension and interest in first half hour die off as film becomes more predictable and formula-driven. Still offers splendid special effects and spy games for the right viewer. Look for real war footage used in last sequence.

Average War Thriller

[SgtSlaughter · 7/10 · 15 August 2003]

An explosive British-Italian co-production, with a first-rate "guest cast" and an awesome, action-packed finale sequence. Unfortunately, the rest of the movie is very talky and, while serviceable, lacks strong visual excitement.

The British high command must thwart German rocket development as V1s rain down on London. They send in a specialized team of commandos to infiltrate the rocket base and stop the threat at the source.

George Peppard (From Hell to Victory), Jeremy Kemp (THE BLUE MAX) and Tom Courtenay (KING RAT) are the commandos in question. The movie runs 2 hours, and the first half hour is dedicated to setting the stage. The leads aren't even introduced for 30 minutes, and they only appear in about half of the film total. Each actor does fine but is offered little material to work with. Anthony Quayle (THE GUNS OF NAVARONE) plays a British double agent who is really an evil Nazi; Richard Todd (THE LONGEST DAY) has a small cameo as a British intelligence officer; Lilli Palmer is a German housekeeper; Patrick Wymark (Where Eagles Dare) is almost unrecognizable as Churchill; and Richard Johnson (The Fifth Day of Peace) is the minister of defense.

On the bad side of the coin: Producer Carlo Ponti's wife, Sophia Loren, is onhand for a really pointless part. She plays the wife of the scientist Peppard is impersonating, and complicates matters for a time (for no purpose other than to suck up time) until she is simply taken out and shot by the resistance. She plays the sappy role to the core, but it's still a waste of talent and good looks. Trevor Howard (VON RYAN'S EXPRESS) has a horrendous role as a skeptical scientist. It's easily his worst acting role ever and you can tell he hates his part.

The action scenes are - for the most part - limited to the final act. There are some great suspenseful sequences of V1s raining down on London, but these are hampered by some second-rate miniature/animation work, pretty bad even for its day. The last 15 minutes, with Peppard and Kemp holding a huge underground factory at bay is excellently filmed. Perfectly edited, with great Ron Goodwin music, the long scene is a perfect example of how a suspense sequence should run. When the factory does go up, it's by a mere miracle - and looks fabulous. Filled with awe striking special effects including a rocket blowing up while launching; detonating jet fuel and men trying in vain to escape an exploding tomb are mind-numbing.

Turner Classic Movies gives the film proper treatment, showing it in widescreen format from a beautiful master print. Everything looks and sounds perfect. The letterboxing is necessary to absorb the scope of the big action scenes and take in the scenery which fills the screen in others. The German scenes are adequately subtitled in the bottom letterbox band.

Most critics give this film a top-notch rating and I fail to understand why. I used to think it was a superb movie until I started writing this review and realized there's nothing really great about. Even as an action movie, it lacks the stunts of WHERE EAGLES DARE; the strong characters of THE LIBERATORS; and the scope of THE LONGEST DAY. It still works just fine, but it's no more than an ordinary war-action film with a good Ron Goodwin music score and little else to offer of any interest. 6/10

functional thriller

[SnoopyStyle · 6/10 · 7 November 2014]

It's 1943 Nazi Germany. The movie is split between the Germans working to built rockets and the British trying to stop them. First the Brits launch a massive bombing raid on Peenemünde. Then they send spies to infiltrate a secret rocket factory. Robert Henshaw (Tom Courtenay), John Curtis (George Peppard) and Phil Bradley (Jeremy Kemp) are parachuted into Germany given the identities of dead Dutch engineers. Bamford (Anthony Quayle) is an undercover German agent who returns to become a German security officer. Nora Van Ostamgen (Sophia Loren) is the wife of Curtis' dead Dutch identity and she wants him to sign some papers.

It's a fictional accounting of the real Allied operations against the German rocket weapons program. There are limited scenes of the bombings. This is mostly a scheme to infiltrate the German base. The foreign characters speak non-English with subtitles. That accounts for large chunks of the movie. Sophia Loren's role is only a supporting one. Peppard isn't introduced until after 30 minutes. It's not a tightly written movie. There is some good tension. There is a giant set of the underground rocket base. This is more functional than anything terribly exciting.

If you're chute doesn't open, change it for a harp!

[hitchcockthelegend · 6/10 · 19 November 2015]

A passable WWII movie boosted by star casting and a grand finale. Plot essentially is about some Allied agents planning to infiltrate the Nazis' secretive rocket factory in Holland and destroy their deadly V rockets.

Much of the pic is given to character forming and painting political, army and human passion based groundwork. Unfortunately the narrative often sags and has some uneven patches that can take one out of the story line. On the plus side the finale is worth waiting for, full of suspense and heroics, while the espionage angle holds interest throughout. 6/10

An Overlooked WW 11 Espionage Thriller - with a Touch of History

[russellalancampbell · 9/10 · 21 July 2015]

"Operation Crossbow" was quite a hit in its day but is not seen as being in the same league as films such as "The Guns of Navarone" or "The Great Escape". Nevertheless, it is a very worthy film on many levels.

Firstly, the cast is uniformly excellent with supporting roles taken by some of Britain's acting luminaries such as Trevor Howard, John Mills and Richard Todd. The leading man is George Peppard who plays the role with his characteristically understated charm and, when called upon, a very believable physicality. Some have been critical of the fact that Sophia Loren is billed as a co-star and has very limited screen time. However, her performance as an innocent caught up in a desperate and finally unfairly cruel situation is worth watching. So too is the performance of her killer played by Lilli Palmer who embodies the emotional control, deceptiveness, resourcefulness and cool ruthlessness required by resistance contacts whose every move was potentially their last. Bouquets to Barbara Rutting who plays the real life character of Hannah Reitsch with a steely resolve and belief that had me looking up the life story of the Nazi test pilot. She remained a dedicated National Socialist until her death and was highly critical of post-war Germany and Germans. She was appalled at the fact that German soldiers by the late 60's were allowed to wear beards and that Germany was in her words now a "nation of bankers and car builders". She won many awards for her feats of aviation after the war. Other historical figures such as Constance Babington Smith, a key figure in identifying V1 rocket sites, and Professor Lindemann, who dismissed the Nazi rocket program as being a hoax, are, to my knowledge, faithfully portrayed by Sylvia Syms and Trevor Howard respectively.

The pace of the film is another highlight. The story is told through a number of points of view including the Nazi rocketry program and its own attempts at espionage and counter espionage. Almost every scene has an element of suspense - a mini story within the story. There are also some moments of humour seamlessly laced into the drama. Well done to the editor who was faced with the complex task of melding so many story elements into a very cohesive whole.

Lastly, the action scenes and in particular the final destruction of the rocket production plant is comparable to any such "destroy the villain's lair" scene including those in the Bond series. The stunts and special effects stand up very well after almost 50 years.

Operation Crosspatch - a Grumpy Old Man's view.

[ianlouisiana · 4/10 · 3 August 2006]

Michael Anderson fails to get a grip on this movie from the start and as a result it rolls towards the edge of the precipice of disaster gathering speed until dashes itself to pieces on the rocks below.There is simply much too much going on,too many famous faces to watch,too many locations far too much noise and no central performance to hold it together. In an era of WW2 blockbusters "Operation Crossbow" fails to stand out. 30 minutes could be trimmed off it with beneficial results,but I suspect it needed the long running time to qualify for one of those early "Single Feature" programmes.The story concerns Germany's development of "TerrorWeapons" - fortunately for us and unfortunately for them a little late in the day to have any significant military influence,although the affect on the civilian population was worrying for Churchill's government. Although the V1 couldn't hit a barn door with a banjo metaphorically speaking it was a successful psychological weapon,I remember as a very young child seeing one flying overhead on it's way to London,a threatening dark cruciform shape in the Surrey skies. The destruction of the manufacturing plants at Peenemunde was given top priority,the attrition rate amongst the slave labour work force an unfortunate by-product. If you are interested in the basic factual retelling of this event try to find "The Battle of the V1" a low,low budget production that gives you the facts without the big names and the big bangs in glorious black and white and in about half the time.And remember to spend the time you save doing something positive!

A little-known gem

[fletch5 · 8/10 · 29 November 2000]

After a pretty dull beginning, "Operation Crossbow" increases its tensions and becomes a fascinating action/adventure film set in WW2. A little-known representer of that genre, but not much inferior to "The Guns of Navarone". Lots of suspenseful moments and an interesting cast full of familiar faces.

Carlo Ponti's Flying Bomb

[wes-connors · 6/10 · 2 August 2013]

The Nazis are developing long-range rockets. Their "flying bomb" could win World War II for the Axis powers. As you might expect, the British are miffed. They send American military engineer George Peppard (as John Curtis) along with Jeremy Kemp (as Phil Bradley) and Tom Courtenay (as Robert Henshaw) over to infiltrate and destroy the German underground factory from the inside. The trio pose as dead men and arrive via parachute. There are some problems with their impersonations...

Michael Anderson skillfully directs this spy drama. The story does seem cluttered, which is not helped by a distinguished cast, all requiring their moments. The plot requires concentration. Peppard is the star, but something doesn't seem quite right in his portrayal. His character often appears to be lacking in determination - this is somewhat remedied by the script and some closing action...

Everyone else is the cast is supporting Peppard, including top-billed Sophia Loren (as Nora). Her husband Carlo Ponti produced "Operation Crossbow" and Ms. Loren is an attractive addition to the cast. An incredibly beautiful woman who can also act, Loren dominates her section of the film. Marvelously holding her own during the Loren sequence is helpful maid Lilli Palmer (as Frieda). Of those orchestrating the mission, Richard Johnson (as Duncan Sandys) plays a good part.

****** Operation Crossbow (4/1/65) Michael Anderson ~ George Peppard, Jeremy Kemp, Sophia Loren, Tom Courtenay

The ladies were better than the men

[JuguAbraham · 5/10 · 21 January 2002]

After viewing this film with a fascinating list of actors, one wonders why this film never rises above mediocrity. I confess to being a Lili Palmer fan, and I think hers was the only creditable performance along with Sophia Loren who is worth an honorable mention. The ladies (including Barbara Rutting who plays the German rocket engineer cum pilot) make the formidable line up of actors, wimpish in comparison. The direction, screenplay and editing were most unimpressive.

Impressive

[TheLittleSongbird · 13 July 2011]

Operation Crossbow was a film I enjoyed a lot. I didn't think it was perfect, some scenes drag and you can tell that Trevor Howard is not entirely interested in his role. That aside, it is very well directed, is well made with great cinematography and editing and has a brooding Ron Goodwin score. The film is talky, that I agree, but the dialogue is very good and the story compelling with on the whole with tense suspense and atmosphere, intriguing subplots and a thrilling action-packed finale. The acting is fine, George Peppard is likable, and while Sophia Loren's appearance is brief it is one along with her shocking death that is memorable. Tom Courtenay and John Mills are also well cast. Overall, an impressive film. 8/10 Bethany Cox