Battle of the Commandos (1969)

Director: Umberto Lenzi

Starring: Jack Palance, Wolfgang Preiss, Thomas Hunter & Curd Jurgens

More Info: IMDB

Tagline: They Challenged the Devil... and Won!

Plot: The story focuses on a band of British ex-cons, who are recruited by Scottish Colonel MacPherson (Jack Palance) to clear a path for British commandos through a minefield off the Normandy coast on the night of June 4th, 1944. When the commando force is ambushed by a German PT Boat, MacPherson becomes obsessed with taking on their mission: destroy a huge railroad gun which threatens the imminent Allied landings, which happens to be commanded by his nemesis, Colonel Ackerman (Wolfgang Preiss), much to the dismay of his men.

My Rating: 7/10

Would I watch it again? Oh, yeah!

And here's the second of three Italian WWII pictures I watched this week...and it's fun! I'm a huge Palance fan to begin with so toss him into a cheesy Italian WWII picture and I'm all over it. Fortunately, it's quite good despite the low rating on IMDB.


The oddest thing about the film is Palance plays a Scot, so hearing him with a Scottish accent is a odd and fun. He's got a beef with the general who's maneuver got all but two of Palance's men killed on their latest mission. Palance's German counterpart, Col. Ackerman was the one who did the killing. The opening of the film has Palance burst into HQ all huffing and puffing, making his way to the general's office. When he gets to the general's secretary who says he can't see the general, Palance slams the guy's forehead and goes in anyway. Classic.


The general's slick. He's got a new mission for Palance who's got a huge "Fuck You" for the general. The general name drops Ackerman as someone who'll be in the vicinity of Palance's mission. Sold. Now he needs a team and there's no one around but these criminals. It sounds like THE DIRTY DOZEN (1967) but it's not. Sure, it's a men-on-a-mission with criminals but that's about where it ends, really. There's no training - just the mission, an unexpected change of plans and Palance's need for revenge.

Palance's nemesis, Nazi baddie Col. Ackerman (Wolfgang Preiss)

Hey, kids! It's Curd Jurgens! You know, the villain in THE SPY WHO LOVED ME!

There was a choice bit of dialogue when the sole American of the bunch is alone with a "lady". The gang had come across a French farmhouse inhabited by a young woman and an older man, her lover. He's shot trying to escape and they take her with them. Anyway, the Yank is alone with her and he wants to know the story on the older man...


Janine: Have you ever been so hungry that you faint from the pain of the cramps in your stomach? I have.

Burke (Hunter): You'd better get out of here.

Janine: No. Listen to me. The first time, it was not like it was in books. It was not romantic. No lovely moonlight. No beautiful words. He was a pig, but I knew afterwards he'd give me a dozen tins of food.

Burke: And then?

Janine: Eating becomes a habit.

Nice...

It's fun. I enjoyed it. I was never bored once. I found Palance to be fun and his mission filled with plenty of action thrown in; enough to certainly feel like you got your money's worth.


Oh, and Marcello Giombini's score with its lighthearted marches just didn't work for me. It's the kind of score that asks the question, "Did you even see the film?"



Don't look for historical accuracy or much of an attempt to make this film stand up to the scrutiny of a larger budget, more detail-minded production. I'm not looking for that in a picture like this. I'm just looking to be entertained and BATTLE OF THE COMMANDOS did just that. Thank you Umberto Lenzi. Thank you Jack Palance!