The Mckenzie Break
by Lamont Johnson
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DVD Cover Information
Actor: Brian Keith, Helmut Griem, Ian Hendry, Jack Watson, Patrick O'ConnellDirector: Lamont Johnson
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Original Language), Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono; French (Original Language), Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono; English (Subtitled); French (Subtitled)
Format: Anamorphic, Color, DVD, NTSC, Widescreen
Picture Format: Anamorphic Widescreen, 1.85:1
Running Time: 106 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2000-01-18
Audience Rating: PG (Parental Guidance Suggested)
Studio: MGM (Video & DVD)
Movie Reviews of The Mckenzie Break
Movie Review: Taut and exciting POW movie
Summary: 4 Stars
Most POW movies set during World War 2 take place in German or Japanese run camps in which the prisoners are Allied troops.This one rings a deft variation by being set in a camp for German POW's in Scotland .The inmates are from all branches of the German military including a crack U-Boat unit .When a young Luftwaffe pilot (Horst Janson)is murdered the camp commander Major Perry(the ever excellent Ian Hendry) appoints a former crime reporter Captain Jack Connor (Brian Keith)to investigate the murder .He finds that the killing is linked to an elaborate and ingenious escape plan masterminded by U-Boat leader Kapitan Schlietter(Helmut Griem)a dyed in the wool Nazi who runs the camp as a microcosm of Nazi society .There is singing of party and military songs ,miltary drill and anti-Semtic and anti-gay sentiments abound .
The movie is blessed with an intelligent and literate script from William Nolan and the direction by the under-rated Lamont Johnson is right on the money.The acting is universally fine with strong turns from Keith and Griem in particular
It is worth noting the a key point made in the movie -namely that in any situation of confinement the guards can only run a prison with the tacit consemt or complicity of the inmates .When that is lost the potential for escape and violence is greatly increased
The movie is taut and exciting building to a nail biting climax and it should be a lot better known than it is
Summary of The Mckenzie Break
Brian Keith leads an acclaimed international cast in this poignant and powerful WW II drama fraughtwith action, suspense and the haunting reality of war. Keith stars as Captain Jack Connor,a fast-talking, hard-drinking, tough-as-nails Irishman assigned to investigate an impending escape by a group of German POWs led by the charismatic Kapitan Schleutter (Helmut Griem). The camp commander (Ian Hendry) has been unable to contain the prisoners, but Connor's brash and unusual approach solves the problem...for a while. In a race against timeand with growing animosity from the commanderConnor surpasses even his own previous unorthodox methods when he devises a scheme so daring that it will either make him a hero or prove to be the most fatal mistake of his career.McKenzie is a remote, understaffed POW camp in Scotland, where an assortment of German fliers, U-boat men, and soldiers are being held prisoner. The restive POWs stage a well-orchestrated uprising in which they essentially take over the camp. When word of the prisoners' siege gets back to British military higher-ups, they assign rogue Irish officer Captain Connor (Brian Keith) to get to the bottom of things. The Germans have been receiving orders directly from Berlin that call for 28?of the submariners to escape and return to the Deutschland's U-boat fleet. The Germans are led by Schl?tter (Helmut Griem), an intelligent, articulate graduate of the Hitler Youth; they have devised an elaborate tunnel and a plot to take them to the Scottish coast, where they will rendezvous with a U-boat to take them back to Germany. The hard-drinking Connor learns of the plan, and stakes his career on letting the Germans escape and tracking them down. Keith is excellent as Connor (though his Irish brogue comes and goes), locked into a three-way battle of wills with the determined Schl?tter and the stuffy, by-the-book CO of the camp. The movie's pace and suspense swell as Connor's gambit plays out and the Germans make good their escape plans, all set against the breathtaking scenery of rural Scotland. With intelligent, believable characters and tough direction, this is a sorely neglected World War?II POW drama that compares well with better-known films such as Stalag?17 and The Great Escape. --Jerry Renshaw
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