Attack on the Iron Coast
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Movie Reviews of Attack on the Iron Coast
Movie Review: Commando Classic
Summary: 4 Stars
This is your better than average Commando flick. Based on the historic raid on St. Nazaire the film attempts to re-construct somewhat loosely the events surrounding this raid. I would say it is certainly several cuts above your Guns of Navaronne fair which is pure fantasy. This film is a no-nonsense affair, with 92 mins. of pure planning and action. This is not a dull view. The planning and character clashes leading up to the actual raid keep the interest. The inter-service rivalry that hurt many British combined operations early in the war is nicely handled. The Commando training and combat sequences are realistic and beleiveable. Above all this is a realistic film. Nothing is fantastic here. St. Nazzaire (Le Clair) was a German submarine pen as opposed to surface ships port. Viewers use to hi-tech Hollywood fare today may find the special affects somewhat ameturish, but the historical intent is there, which is not often the case with more recent films. All in all a worthwhile and interesting film to watch providing a good study for British Commando operations during the earlier part of the War. RecommendedMovie Review: Typical Bare-Bones MGM DVD of a Mediocre Movie
Summary: 3 Stars
CONCERNING THE DVD:
This DVD is a familiar bare-bones MGM package, thrown together for a bargain price. What we get is a nicely restored 1.66:1 widescreen version of the movie with a serviceable 2.0 Mono sound mix. Special features include subtitles and the original theatrical trailer. Nothing to write home about, but I doubt the film has ever looked or sounded this good, and it's nice to see MGM releasing older, lesser-known titles such as this.
CONCERNING THE FILM:
(my own review from www.angelfire.com/film/eurowar)
Paul Wendkos is an average director at best, but has the ability to turn a potentially terrible movie into a satisfying action flick. "Attack on the Iron Coast" is yet another low-budget entry in a series from Oakmont Production, and although it presents nothing new, but holds attention so well that the clichés are easy to overlook.
John C. Champion's script is a fictional takeoff on a real WWII event, much like his earlier and much worse "Submarine X-1". This time, the story is based on Mountbatten's raid on the dry dock at St. Nazaire, in which a ship laden with explosives crashed into the repair dock and destroyed important German repair facilities.
Lloyd Bridges ("A Walk in the Sun") plays Major Wilson (a takeoff on Lord Mountbatten), who's first commando mission in France turns into a shambles. But he is given a second chance when he plans an even riskier operation to destroy the German repair dock at LeClair (Ste-Nazaire). The only problem is that Captain Franklin (Andrew Keir, "Lion of the Desert") is opposed to the mission from the start, and the two must cooperate as the mission is a joint Army-Navy operation.
This film is really a mixed bag. What's good is really, really good and what's bad is really, really bad. Lloyd Bridges gives a sincere performance as Major Wilson, but his character isn't developed as much as I would have liked. We're treated two a two-dimensional hero who doesn't have any weaknesses; he brings to mind John Wayne's Colonel Kirby of "The Green Berets". His conflict with Franklin is the core of the movie and provides enough tension that the German enemies aren't needed until the final act.
The German characters are disappointing. We're treated to some very shallow characterizations which bring to mind the worst excesses of "Hogan's Heroes". The officers sit and watch dirty movies and become sated on fine wood and liquor while their subordinates bring in urgent reports of an approaching enemy ship. This is very unfortunate, because both George Mikell and Walter Gotell are very capable German actors who have had very good roles in the past - chiefly, "The Guns of Navarone", where they acted together in 1961. This really let me down. It would have been wiser to exclude German characters altogether and dwell on the commandos some more.
The action sequences are withheld until the final 20 minutes or so of the film and range from well-crafted to laughable. Scenes of British commandos dashing about in alleyways and dockyards are excellently staged and well-shot, even if they're very generic. The scenes of British minesweeper in the bay, however, feature some of the worst miniature work of the period. It's obvious that this feature had a low budget, because they aren't many extras or realistic explosions in the entire film.
Wendkos manages to keep things interesting by moving his camera fluidly and often shooting from high or low angles, giving the audience a unique perspective on the dialogue or action. The sets are all-top notch and the exteriors are very well-decorated. The German dockyard is expansive and really has a fresh, authentic feel to it and the various British war offices are equally believable.
"Attack on the Iron Coast" is nothing more than a routine, satisfying 90-minute film. There is nothing fresh and unique about it, but some fair acting and fast pace keep it engaging.
Movie Review: Seems to take place in "real time"!
Summary: 3 Stars
Well, perhaps that's a little harsh. But this movie does seem to take forever to get going. The characterization is essentially purposeless and to no effect. The scenes between the Lloyd Bridges character and his wife border on the painful. "Just finish it!" she says (or something to that effect), referring to the mission he's working on. . . What, does she think her husband is about to bring the whole war to an end? Like there wouldn't be more fighting for him after this mission?
Then there's an interminable sequence where Bridges' ship crosses over to France. That's the bit that seems to last forever. I remarked to my wife that it did seem to take place in real time. A cigarette lighter exchanges hands a couple of times -- again to little or no emotional effect on the viewer.
The actual fighting scenes are just OK. The commandos land to take out the guns firing at the ship as it enters the harbor. But they must have landed in the wrong county, because the ship is almost crashed already before they succeed in silencing them.
I'm really considering selling my copy of this DVD. I may keep it for my son. I probably would have enjoyed a movie like this when I was 10, despite all its flaws.
Movie Review: DULL WAR FILM
Summary: 2 Stars
Attack on the iron Coast is one of those WWII action commando, suicide mission films Like "Guns of navarone" and "The Dirty Dozen" but without the stellar cast and intelligent scripts..not to mention without the action. Lloyd Bridges is Captain Wilson who leads a team of Canadian commandos on a deadly mission to blow up a strategic dock and thus preventing it's use by German ships. The goal is to take a ship filled with explosives and basically crash it, setting off the explosives. It's evidently based upon actual events.
Problem is it simply isn't exciting, or thrilling enough to pull it off. The first part of the movie we get the standard training of the team stuff but this cast certainly won't be confused with Charles Bronson, Donald Sutherland, or Telly Savales. In fact with the exception of Bridges, none of the other actors are household names. Bridges himself does a poor imitation of Lee Marvin's character from The Dirty Dozen as the bad reputation officer given a chance to redeem himself.
The effects are cheese and the action sequences really weak. This film is a total pretender!
Movie Review: Iron coast attack poor showing
Summary: 1 Stars
This movie plays during world war two, and that's the ONLY reason it's labeled a war movie. The real theme seems to be more in the psychiatric area as the main character struggles with a previous failure that killed many while leading his men into battle again.
It might be a good movie in some catagory (although I doubt that), but a war movie...... no.