Remember when Australian made a lot of these? Alas, it's a time gone now. This is a worthy version of the famous Operation Jaywick - that's a back handed compliment in a way but it can't be helped.
Part of the problem are the true facts - it was an amazing achievement, would have been terrifying, and it's great to see a tale of special ops where the Aussies are the heroes (even if led by a Brit)... but it doesn't change the fact that there's an awful lot of crouching down in a boat, guns loaded but not fired, waiting... it's hard to make dramatic.
Peter Yeldham does as good a job as anyone could - maybe it would have helped with a more exciting director than Don Crombie behind the camera, although he does a workmanlike job. I think also the material doesn't quite suit the four hour treatment.
Still, there's lots to admire - a superb cast (Paul Rhya left me a little cold with his actor-y work as Lyons but top work comes from John Hargreaves, Chris Morsley - what happened to him?, Tim Robertson, John Bach - a great action hero - Bill Kerr, Cameron Daddo, David Wenham, etc), beautiful photography, terrific theme song from Pete Best. And it's got this wonderful melancholic aura over it because you know most of the characters went and died in Operation Rimau shortly afterwards.
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