THEY WHO DARE is one of the more disappointing WW2 movies I've watched. Where the film should be tense and exciting it just sort of trudges along through the story, much like the same characters. Despite the narrative being chock-full of dramatic events, nothing in the picture is ever very exciting, and you don't end up caring much about the fate of the characters one way or the other. It keeps you watching throughout, but I was expecting to be on the edge of my seat and I never was.The story is about a squad of British commandos who arrive on the island of Rhodes with the objective of blowing up a German airfield. Their mission is full of the usual problems and complexities, and things are far from over when they finally arrive at their destination. The film is full of stunning Greek scenery and has some strong character work from the likes of Akim Tamiroff, but the plodding pace and seeming disinterest of the director works against it.Dirk Bogarde is a good choice for the youthful hero, tough and yet humane at the same time. I've always been a fan of Denholm Elliott so there's nothing to complain about there either. In addition, character actors who are usually limited to brief cameo parts in low budget movies, such as Sam Kydd and Eric Pohlmann, get bigger and better roles than usual. The story has the sting of realism to it, but at the same time remains uninvolving throughout. I've not seen any of Lewis Milestone's other movies so I can't say how much he's to fault.

I usually enjoy movies like this -- a commando raid against two German and Italian airfields on Rhodes, shot in color in a bold and picturesque setting -- but, man, this is one sluggish story. The Brits have produced some of the best war movies committed to celluloid but this isn't one of them.It's a nice team too -- Dirk Bogarde, Denhold Elliott, directed by Lewis Milestone. And you aren't likely to see period Italian warplanes like this very often.If it begins with a torpid scene in a Cairo nightclub, well, that's alright. One expects it to pick up its pace as the story unfolds. The problem is that it never does.Half a dozen men -- a British unit with two Greek guides -- are landed by submarine on the coast of Rhodes. We get to know the sub's Greek captain. And it's not just a perfunctory acquaintance, although he has practically nothing more to do with the mission. (Compare the submarine scenes in "The Man Who Never Was.") Lots of pointless joshing and cartoon drawing.On Rhodes there are moments of tension, recalling some incidents in the later "The Guns of Navarone," but for the most part we see the men stumbling along rocky trails, avoiding Italian patrols, sneaking away to visit relatives in nearby villages, carefully treading through mine fields, sitting about in caves and discussing the situation. There is some tension but very little action.Few of the scenes are artful or suspenseful. The airfields are blown up but they never seem like critical targets. A few fewer Italian bombers to attack the British in North Africa; a couple of airfields that are easy repaired. This isn't the Guns of Navarone which threaten the evacuation of troops from the Greek islands. It's not a factory in Norway manufacturing heavy water for an atomic bomb. There are two of Milestone's signature shots (panning across the faces of men about to attack) but the effort hardly seems worth it.Overall, a surprising and colorless disappointment from sources that had done better, and would do better in the future.

Not sure what I expected from this one. Dirk Bogarde is my favorite actor and I have had pleasant encounters with Milestone as well. Here the latter screws up on multiple occasions.First off the cinematography is way too light and some of the shots are rather clumsy. The script could be faltered as well. And some of the acting, especially from the one playing a character who keeps singing this awful and quite annoying tune.Mind you it's not bad. Bogarde's performance makes it worth while. But really if it hadn't been for him this would have been below mediocrity. It got a few strong moments and whenever Bogarde is on screen you nearly forget everything else that has been going on.I will not recommend this but overall it was OK. I think the casting apartment did some horrible choices though.

Off hand I can't think of a single plus point for this one other than the appearance of Gerard Oury in a supporting role. Oury continued to act throughout his life, long after he had added writing and directing to his repertoire and at least the scenes he is in here are watchable. Pretty-boy Dirk Bogarde turns in another Rank Charm School performance and leads the over-acting, encouraging the likes of Eric Pohlman, Denholm Elliot and Sam Kydd to go OTT. It's difficult to imagine that a plot like this - small team of commandos sent to Rhodes to blow up a couple of airfields - had any mileage left in it by 1954, unless you lavished more than a stick of gum on the budget and thought in terms of Guns Of Navarone. Even as a freebie with a daily newspaper it's not worth the price of admission.