Operation Crossbow (1965)

Entertaining WWII thriller, 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.

7/10