Disc Details
Special Features:	Widescreen anamorphic format. Chapter selection. Cast and crew bio and filmography. Winston Churchill bio.
Video Format:	Anamorphic Widescreen (2.35:1) [SS-DL]
Languages:	English (Dolby Digital 2.0)
Subtitles:	None.
Captions:	Yes
Casing:	1-Disc Keep Case

The plot concerns a Nazi mission to kidnap Winston Churchill. The war is winding down and Hitler is desperate for some kind of edge. The insane plot is hatched up by Heinrich Himmler (Donald Plesence) and sent to Col. Max Radl (Robert Duvall) for a feasibility study. It turns out that there just might be a good opportunity to carry out the mission. Of course, Col. Radl must find the right man to lead the mission.

Col. Kurt Steiner (Michael Caine) is the leader of a commando parachute company. He and his men have been imprisoned for intervening on behalf of a young Jewish girl on her way to the death camps. The Germans don't really want to execute these men as they are top soldiers and Germany's manhood has been severely depleted. Steiner puts it to his men and they agree to take the mission in exchange for pardons. They will be aided by Liam Devlin (Donald Sutherland), an Irish IRA member who wants to see England defeated at all costs. Steiner and his men parachute into the small coastal town in Northern England where Churchill will be vacationing. History buff know how the movie ends, but that is no reason not to see the fun thriller. I'll reveal nothing more of the plot so as to not ruin your viewing experience.

The acting is good. There are no Oscar caliber performances, but the cast is fun to watch. Other cast members include Jean Marsh as a British spy, Jenny Agutter as a horny girl stuck in a small town, Larry Hagman as an American National Guards Colonial who wants to fight, and a young Treat Williams as an American Sergeant who is dating the local Vicar's sister played by Judy Geeson.

Picture Quality: 7/10
There are numerous specks and scratches during the first 10 minutes of the film. They are especially noticeable over the credits. This appears to be the fault of the source material. While the DVD was digitally mastered, it wasn't remastered! (Aren't they all digitally mastered!) Other than the artifacts present at the beginning of the movie, the picture is fine. Nice lush photography of beautiful English country side.

Sound Quality: 6/10
The 2.0 surround sound is OK. It is flat at times. There are problems with the balance. At times I would have to turn up the volume to hear a scene which was perfectly audible a moment before.

Menu: 6/10
The design is flat. Nice use of sound, but the images are bland. It is easy to navigate. The chapter selection menu is a bit quirky and difficult to navigate.

Extra Features: 4/10
The Churchill bio is informative. There is a lot of reading. The same goes for the cast and crew bios. The problem is the "olive drab" background on each of the screens. It makes it hard to read the words.

The Final Word:
I have always enjoyed this movie. I'm sure there are a lot of WWII movie fans out there who do too. Worth the price of admission. Especially since Artisan priced it at the perfect vanilla DVD price: $14.98.

Rusty White