The plot of "From Hell to Victory" had real possibilities. But the plot is the only good thing about this film. For such a large ensemble of known actors of the day, the performances are poor. George Peppard is the weakest as Brett Roson. Sam Wanamaker is the best as Ray MacDonald, but just fair. George Hamilton tries to be French as Maurice Bernard, and isn't too bad. Horst Buchohlz is almost speechless as Jürgen Dietrich. Anny Duperey and Capucine are so-so. Peppard's lackadaisical manner – a part of his usual persona, just doesn't cut it here for a soldier in combat. The screenplay is poor. It lacks life and any semblance of order. It's full of holes and choppy. That reflects also on the direction and film editing. Even the parts of actual footage or combat action from other films spliced in don't seem to work well. It was a good idea for a movie, but just needed a screenplay with some substance, some actors who could give it life, and good direction. This one isn't even good enough to keep in a war film collection.

It's 24th August 1939 and Europe is on the brink of war. However six individuals of differing nationalities-two French, two American, one Brit and a German-enjoy each other's company as they indulge in the finer of life's qualities. They promise to reunite in Paris on the 24th of August every year, although with the outbreak of war this becomes impossible. After the fall of France, each individual goes off to do their duty. It is now inevitable that cruel destiny decides each of their fates, a circumstance which changes each of their lives forever.Eurocrime and Giallo aficionado Umberto Lenzi brings us a chunk of spasmodic Macaroni Combat. Like most of it's kind, From Hell To Victory is a real hatchet job. It was made in 1979 and by this point even the Spaghetti western was dead and gone, thus it marks the end of an era in Italian cinema. Overall, a quarter of this movie is constructed with footage pinched from another Macaroni combat flick(Eagles Over London anybody?)and whilst the editing is swift the film jumps incoherently from one scenario to another. Lenzi attempts to condense so much detail into an abrupt 1hr 40mins, although personally I prefer a movie that is short and to the point. However, crucial operations such as the Normandy landings and the battle of the Bulge are carelessly brushed aside in favour of melodramatically dire lamentation. At the end of the film, George Hamilton's character sarcastically states "you're away for a few days and look at the mess of the place", although it's ironic in that the movie literally feels as if it takes place over a few short days as opposed to a few years.I did like the premise but to be honest I really just watched this film for the action, therefore I didn't feel any overwhelming emotional rapport with the characters which I think was down to the poor script. The performances were pretty ordinary. A pre A Team George Peppard gets some action hero practice by gunning down a few Germans and if I was Horst Bucholz I would be more than happy to ride in the opening hatch of an advancing tank. Speaking of action scenes, From Hell To Victory contains some darned fantastic ones. I was thrilled by the riotous firefights(now I know where Tarantino gets his inspiration)and the movie climaxes with a cracker of a battle scene!. Lenzi really threw his entire weight behind the visuals which turns this sequence into the movie's trump card. Tight cuts and frenzied camera-work build suspense as gargantuan explosions scar the battlefield and machine gun fire tears through the air. The hoards of M-41 Walker Bulldog tanks grinding across the landscape were also really cool, even if they were horribly anachronistic. The region 2 DVD transfer is average at best, with faded picture and screechy audio.From Hell To Victory is an uneven war drama which goes from being boring to exciting and vice versa, but the action sequences seal it's fate as a thoroughly enjoyable movie. 8/10

I agree with all of the other comments about this sorry movie. But I was watching it with an eye to accuracy. There were a couple of very outstanding goofs! There is a scene during the early occupation of France by Germany where a German soldier is telling an American woman that she cannot leave France. Why? Because today is December the 8th, and we are at war with America, he told her.Wrong! Germany did not declare war on America until December 11. (Historical footnote: Germany never declared war on any country it invaded. The one nation it declared war against, the US, it never invaded!) Later in the film during the sabotage raid on the munitions factory in Holland, a bomber was supposed to keep the Germans busy by dropping bombs all around the area. Funny thing, though, the plane never had a bomb bay door open, but the bombs kept falling anyway. I'm no expert on types of planes, but was there a two engine bomber with only a two man crew?

Apart from the German and Allied uniforms in this film, there's not much else to it. I mean, come on, they painted German markings on British spitfires and funnily enough the Brits looked like they were flying Curtis fighters (US-made). And the whole sequencing of the air battles looked so fake, as if from a 1930s film. And some of the air shots looked like they were done in a studio with arm-sized aircraft models!! Did anyone remember the tank battle as well at the end. The 'German' Panzers were actually American Patton tanks, built around the late 40s. It just looked so amateurish and cheap when you compare it to a film like a Bridge too Far, made ten years earlier (and which I concede had a much bigger budget). I mean, why bother with air and tank battles when you can't even make them look half realistic? The other thing i noticed was that all the explosions that were supposed to be stopping the 'Panzers' actually exploded beside or in front of the tanks, and yet the tank would come to a grinding halt!! Ridiculous.But I'll admit the military action not involving tanks and aircraft looked decent enough (such as when Peppard infiltrates enemy installations to plant explosives, etc.) But overall the acting was wooden, mainly from the main actors. The only good performance was from George Hamilton who played 'Maurice', a French commando. Peppard himself was ok, but he did have a better acting scope than this which was not utilised.Overall, 3/10.