Force 10 From Navarone (1978)

Director: Guy Hamilton

Writer: Alistair MacLean (novel), Robin Chapman (screenplay)

Cast: Robert Shaw, Harrison Ford, Barbara Bach, Edward Fox, Franco Nero

Synopsis: Generally underrated by critics, this 1978 sequel to the famous Guns of Navarone finds a miscellaneous group of commandos and spies trying to hinder the Nazis by destroying a bridge between them and the partisans. The story (based on a novel by Alistair MacLean) has nothing to do with the first film, but it is a tightly woven and entertaining piece with sharp performances and delightful character alliances. Director Guy Hamilton brings his trademark eye for handsome vistas to the canvas as well, so this is hardly the shoddy and dull knockoff many reviewers have previously suggested. No classic, perhaps, but a lot of fun. --Tom Keogh