Britain made so many war films in the 1950s that at times it's difficult to tell them apart but this one had several advantages: a really good director in Lewis Milestone, colour photography, Greek setting, and location filming on Cyprus. The story is simple, but effective: Dirk Bogarde leads a group of eight men to blow up two airfields on the island of Rhodes. There's a little bit of squabbling amongst the group (who include some comic relief working class types and exiled Greeks).
Dirk Bogarde wasn't always believable as a man of action but he does good work here - it helps that he's young and enthusiastic. The actual landing on the island and blowing up of the airfields is relatively easy but it's in the race to safety things get tricky and the film gets better and better. It's a shooting gallery plot with the Germans picking off our heroes on by one and you're not sure who is going to make it apart from Bogarde. Based on a true story, apparently. Denholm Elliot is one of the men on the mission. I really liked the final image of the survivors sitting down surrounded by empty plates for their comrades.
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