Eagles Over London (1969)

Director: Enzo G. Castellari

Starring: Frederick Stafford, Van Johnson, Francisco Rabal

More info: IMDB

Plot: When Nazi saboteurs murder several of his soldiers and steal their identities, British Army Capt. Paul Stevens (Frederick Stafford) leaps into action on the home front to stop the stealthy spies before they can disable British defense installations. But as he and air marshal George Taylor (Van Johnson) go on the hunt, they discover that the German plan was more devious than they suspected.

My rating: 7/10

Will I watch it again? Yes!

When I watch a Euro-anything (EuroSpy, EuroWar, Euro/Spaghetti Western, etc) I go in with plenty of excitement and anticipation yet expect the worst. I'm usually satisfied but with this one I was pleasantly surprised. The budget is considerably more than most, especially for Italian standards of the day. There's a SHITLOAD of extras, some great location shooting, bridges being blown up, German fighter planes strafing a massive retreat on a beach, the works!



But what really struck me was the neat story, the suspense and intrigue and the camerawork. Holy shit were there some cool ass camera moves, and not just showy shit, either. There were some fantastic shots where the camera would move from one side to another, twisting and covering the actors' movements seamlessly and almost magically. Yeah, it brought attention to itself on more than one occasion but it was fantastic and it added to the whole spectacle of the film. The shots where the camera left the cockpit of airborne planes and moved around the outside were most impressive. It's the kind of shots you are seeing these days but are done digitally. You damn sure don't expect this from 1969!


And the splitscreen work is amazingly different!





If I do have a beef, it's the same beef I have with sooooooo many WWII flicks and that's the stereotypical 'good' Nazi. You know, the one who doesn't like what's going on and does the right thing in the end (or something to that effect)? I know they existed but it's such a cliche and I wish they'd stop it as that lousy plot device is still used today.


Anyway, back to this fantastic WWII flick...check it out. Netflix it if you digs this kind of movie. If you liked BATTLE OF BRITAIN (1969) then you will love this one. I think it's a lot more entertaining. It's got plenty of action and intrigue to keep you entertained for a couple of hours. It really is one of the best EuroWar films out there and it deserves to be seen.