The Eagle Has Landed (1976)

"By this time next year pigeons are going to be crapping on statues of you across the whole damn state of Nebraska.", 17 November 2005

The German's hatch a plan to kidnap Churchill. Using a local citizen sympathetic to the German cause and an IRA operative, the Nazis move a group of specially trained commandos into England disguised as Polish paratroopers. But their cover is quickly blown while on maneuvers when one of the German soldier's true identity is revealed after he jumps into a canal to save a little girl. It's up to some U.S. National Guard troops stationed nearby to root out the Nazis and save Churchill.

It's hard for me to put a finger on it, but there's just something about The Eagle Has Landed that's not quite right. I've narrowed it down to a couple of things that really distract from my overall enjoyment of the movie. The first is obvious – Larry Hagman's performance as Col. Pitts. To be blunt, he's terrible. For whatever reason, John Sturges had Hagman play his character as comic relief. It's completely out of place and really harms the mood of the movie. A "straight" performance would have been much more preferable.

The second thing I find distracting about the movie is very difficult to explain, but it has something to do with the overall look of the film. Other than a few shots of gore as the American soldiers are being hit by bullets, much of the movie has a cheap, made-for-TV look to it that also takes away from the tone of the movie. It's not as "gritty" looking (for lack of a better word) as it should be. The battle scene doesn't look as real as it should. The soldiers look like actors.

That's not to say that I don't find things enjoyable about The Eagle Has Landed. Other than Hagman, the acting is first-rate. Michael Caine, Donald Sutherland, Robert Duvall, and Donald Pleasence give terrific performances. The plot is an interesting idea although I would have preferred more on the planning of the kidnapping. Not being much of a student of history I have no idea how much is true, but it certainly seems feasible as presented. And finally, I really enjoy the Nazi operative played by Jean Marsh. The look on her face after her cover is blown and the local priest confronts her is priceless. It's a nice moment of acting.

5/10