Force 10 From Navarone

Starring:Robert Shaw, Harrison Ford, Barbara Bach, Edward Fox, Franco Nero, Carl Weathers, Richard Kiel, Alan Badel, Michael Byrne, Philip Latham, Angus MacInnes, Michael Sheard, Petar Buntic, Leslie Schofield, Anthony Langdon, Richard Hampton (II), Paul Humpoletz, Dicken Ashworth, Christopher Malcolm, Nick Ellsworth
Director: Guy Hamilton
Studio: MGM (Video & DVD)
Product Type: DVD

Amazon.com

Generally underrated by critics, this 1978 sequel to the famous Guns of Navarone finds a miscellaneous group of commandos and spies trying to hinder the Nazis by destroying a bridge between them and the partisans. The story (based on a novel by Alistair MacLean) has nothing to do with the first film, but it is a tightly woven and entertaining piece with sharp performances and delightful character alliances. Director Guy Hamilton (Goldfinger) brings his trademark eye for handsome vistas to the canvas as well, so this is hardly the shoddy and dull knockoff many reviewers have previously suggested. No classic, perhaps, but a lot of fun. --Tom Keogh

Description

Robert Shaw (The Deep, Jaws) and Harrison Ford (The Fugitive, Air Force One) star as fearless World War II commandos in this thrilling follow-up to The Guns of Navarone. Directed by Guy Hamilton (Goldfinger) and adapted to the screen by Robin Chapman (screenplay) and Academy AwardÂ(r) winner* Carl Foreman (screen story), it's a large-scale action-adventure saga with "remarkable special effects" (Los Angeles Times), a powerful cast and "one hair-breadth escape after another" (Newsweek). In the darkest days of World War II, Hitler's armies are storming through Europe, annihilating all opposition in their path. But US Colonel Barnsby (Ford) plots to strike a crippling blow to the brutal Nazi forces. To succeed, he'll need the help of the most skilled and lethal soldiers in the world: the Force 10 squad, fresh from itstriumphant mission at Navarone. *1957: Adapted Screenplay, The Bridge on the River Kwai

Customer Reviews:

Excellent.......2007-04-06

A great "popcorn" movie. Hadn't seen this in nearly 30 years (saw it in the threatre with Dad back in '78). Anyway, great cast, good action, visually captivating - fun movie to watch if you don't get carried away with nitpicking every detail.

Better than I remember it!.......2007-02-09

You know, when I first saw this movie many years ago, I was so disappointed - it was such a lame exercise in low quality film making after the superb Guns of Navarone.
However, watching it now, and trying to divorce it from any connection with the original, it really is a much better film than I gave it credit for.
The most obvious difference is that this restored version really does change the whole quality of the transfer, making the scenery stand out the way it should. The widescreen presentation really makes a huge difference over the pan and scan TV version.
But the whole `boys own' adventure nature of the movie is more fun than I remember it too.. and that is the crux of it really - the movie is intended not to be any deep character study, but to capture some of the fun of Maclean's novel. Sure, there is no Gregory Peck and he is keenly missed, but Robert Shaw is great casting as the laconic hero of the novel, and who can forget him delivering that last line as the camera pans back at the end of the movie, when you think all has been accomplished?
Edward Fox is a little grating as a Niven replacement, but really the casting reaches absurdity with Carl Weathers - he might have been popular back in the 80's, but now he looks incredibly out of place in this sort of movie. Harrison Ford looking spookily young, plays his part straight and true, if uninspired, and as if that was not enough we have the always excellent Franco Nero as the ? bad guy, and Barbara Bach as a Partisan member - although it's something of a stretch to believe that they had such beautiful Partisan members getting down and dirty with the fighting while keeping that long hair immaculate, but its all part of the necessary suspension of belief required to get into the spirit of the movie.
No, it's not a classic, but its darn good boys own fun. Well worth a budget purchase for a Saturday afternoon.

Terrible Movie.......2007-01-27

It's hard to believe that great actors like Harrison Ford & Robert Shaw can't save this terrible movie ! One of the worst ever made !
If you want to see a great war film buy "The Guns of Navarone" !!!

One of Harrison Ford's Worst Movies.......2006-09-12

One of the biggest abortions, in terms of both quality and box office receipts, that Harrison Ford has ever starred in was 1978's Force 10 from Navarone.

This movie was the first big budget production that Ford was in after the success of "Star Wars." It was also the sequel to the popular 1961 flick "The Guns of Navarone." Both movies were based on the novels of the same name by popular action adventure writer Alistair MacLean. However, while "The Guns of Navarone" for the most part followed the original novel, the producers of the sequel decided to trash the novel that it was ostensibly based on and the end result was an ungodly mess.

From beginning to end, Force 10 from Navarone is a series of highly contrived events that are strung together in the mistaken belief that dreck can turn into gold. For instance, instead of just simply sending Force 10 on its mission to Yugoslavia in 1943, the producers of this movie would have you believe that Allied commandos would have to break into an Allied air base and steal an airplane to carry out their mission. Whilst doing so, the commandos pick up a black sergeant (Carl Weathers) who was somehow at the whites-only air base. This proves a problem for Force 10 since special forces need to blend in the countryside and local folks in order to fulfill their mission and having a black guy along for the ride does not help matters any.

Upon arriving in Yugoslavia, the commandos go through a series of improbable events that severely strain the audience's suspension of disbelief. Among other things, this movie made the huge historical error of making the Chetniks supporters of the Nazis. In real life, the Chetniks were the toughest opponents that the Nazis had to fight in Yugoslavia. At the time, the Soviet Union and Communists all over the world carried on propaganda campaigns to the effect that the Chetniks were really on the side of the enemy and that the Partisans of Marshal Tito were the only truly anti-Nazi group of Yugoslavian resistance fighters. Although Allied intelligence always recognized that the Chetniks were on our side, the Communists eventually succeeded in getting Allied politicians to drop support for the Chetniks and unreservedly support the Communist Partisans. In the years since World War II, historians have come to realize that the Chetniks were smeared as being pro-Nazis. Unfortunately, Force 10 from Navarone repeats that smear.

The movie winds up with one of the most ridiculous about-faces in movie history. The commandos decided that they did not have enough explosives to blow up the targeted bridge. Then, they decide that since there's a dam up the river, why not blow it up and cause the bridge to fall over. Only problem is that the dam is much bigger than the bridge, but the producers ignored that little problem. The producers also provided the dam with little German security with the result that the commandos had a ridiculously easy time gaining entry to plant their bombs.

All this is in direct contradiction of the novel. In the book, the mission was from the get go to destroy the bridge by blowing up the dam. Force 10 received supplies dropped from Allied planes and the Allied air forces bombed German forces to distract enemy attention from what Force 10 was up to. Also, the intrepid Greek hero from "The Guns of Navarone," Andrea, was in the novel but he is not in this movie. There is no legitimate reason why the movie could not have followed the book.

Force 10 from Navarone is pure drivel. Watch it only if you enjoy ridiculing stupid movies.

Navarone Part II.......2006-08-30

I thought I saw this movie from the very beginning. Evidently, I missed the introduction tying "Force 10" back to "The Guns of Navarone." Somewhat strange to have a sequel with none of the actors from the first movie. It should be noted that this movie is not dependent on the plot from the first film. The storyline is mostly independent from the original "Navarone" and there does not appear to be any favoring of one character over the other when it comes to screen time; therefore, no definitive hero in this story.

Force 10 already has their mission behind enemy lines in order to help the rebellion against the German advance. Robert Shaw's character is tacked on as an afterthought in order to fulfill his own objective from the Allied Command. Changes in events lead to everyone having to work together while still trying to complete the objectives of both Force 10 and Maj. Mallory with a new twist than that of the intended plan. As stated before you don't need to have really seen "The Guns of Navarone" in order to see (and enjoy) this film. A great story with many suspenseful scenes that you can enjoy with your family if you would like to.

DVD:

DVD List

DVD

DVD

The Man And The Monster

Offenbach: Orphee aux Enfers -- Lyon National

Black Magic M-66 (REGION 1) (NTSC)

DVD: Godfathers Collection - The True History of the Mafia

Girlfight