Leofwine_draca OPERATION CROSSBOW is a fine British WW2 thriller that's much more a resistance thriller than the gung-ho story that I was expecting. The supporting cast is exemplary and acts as a kind of "who's who" of British cinema with the likes of Trevor Howard, Richard Johnson, Richard Wattis, Sylvia Sims, and many, many others playing various peripheral or important characters. Even Patrick Wymark is on hand with a pretty accurate depiction of Churchill.The story is about the development of Nazi rocket technology and the attempts by Allied forces to halt or delay its advance. The main three characters are played by the nervous Tom Courtenay, the heroic George Peppard, and the excellent Jeremy Kemp, all of whom are parachuted into occupied Holland and forced to undertake false identities in a bid to infiltrate the institution in which the rockets are being built. The suspense is never-ending and although there isn't much in the way of on screen action this is just as gripping as if there had been. Sophia Loren is stunning in a fine role as a woman mixed up in the sabotage plot while Anthony Quayle is well cast against type.

LeonLouisRicci The WWII Wonks and Buffs can relate the Fiction vs Fact aspects of this Mid-Sixties, Big-Budget Production that had a Number of Contemporaries in the Time-Period. This one is as Good as any.The Realistic Sets and Details are Convincing and it has a Big International Cast, mostly British except for Sophia Loren in a Small but Engaging Part and Headliner George Peppard.It's more of a Spy Movie than a Typical War Action and it Blends the Genres to make for a Gripping Real-Life Story about German Rocketry (Buzz Bombs and V1 & 2). The English and German Conflict had an Urgency, displayed for Dramatic Effect in this Nail-Biter. The Film has a few Drags in Spots, but Very Few.Overall, a Handsome Production, Fine Acting, and a Story to Kill for. Entertaining for its Kind with just Enough Classic Intrigue, Action, and Suspense that makes it Hold Up to this Day.

Spikeopath A passable WWII movie boosted by star casting and a grand finale. Plot essentially is about some Allied agents planning to infiltrate the Nazis' secretive rocket factory in Holland and destroy their deadly V rockets.Much of the pic is given to character forming and painting political, army and human passion based groundwork. Unfortunately the narrative often sags and has some uneven patches that can take one out of the story line. On the plus side the finale is worth waiting for, full of suspense and heroics, while the espionage angle holds interest throughout. 6/10

glenn-aylett This is a story about an attempt to destroy a factory making V2 flying bombs. Partly based on fact as these weapons and factories existed, but the plot where a group of agents are sent to Germany to destroy the underground factory is fiction.Basically this is a so so film. It's also confusing as the cast switch between English and German with no warning, Sophia Loren's appearance as George Peppard's love interest in a German hotel and her sudden execution seem pointless, and parts of the film are slow moving.However, this is compensated for by some excellent sets and action at the end. The flying bombs look very convincing and the scenes where they land on London look very realistic, particularly where a street is blown apart. Also the underground factory where the rockets are being assembled could pass for a set out of Bond( obviously the money is well spent on this) and the gun battle between Peppard and a group of scientists and SS men is pretty exciting, as is the final scene where a dying Peppard opens the roof of the factory so the RAF can destroy it.Yet is there anything that memorable about the characters. George Peppard isn't that memorable as the leading man, Sophia Loren seemed to be there as eye candy( mind you, I never thought much of her acting skills), Richard Todd is wasted in a minor role, and Anton Diffring is on hand to play, you've guessed it, an SS officer. Only Anthony Quayle as a half British Gestapo man seems to be the only character that stands out.I would say persevere with Operation Crossbow as the last half hour is excellent, but it is slow in places and the characterisations aren't very good.