Where Eagles Dare has been given the status of one of the best war movies ever produced. I think that statement is going a little too far, but I found the movie to be an effective war film and one of the better ones from an era in which seemingly hundreds of movies focused on World War II were released. Despite the acclaim it has received, it has received notice for historical inaccuracy. Personally I don't mind because the value of a movie is entertainment, not truth. On top of that, this story which was written by Alistair Maclean as a pet project for Richard Burton so it's a work of fiction, so history accuracy should not matter here. The movie is rather lengthy as it clocks in a tad over two-and-a-half hours, but I felt the time flew by quickly. There are plenty of action sequences and most of them are convincing and entertaining. Who wouldn't want to see Allied personnel lay waste to a bunch of Nazi scum? Despite this being a piece of fiction, I was washed over by a feeling of pleasure watching these Allied troops infiltrate a Nazi stronghold.During the war, a British aircraft was shot down over Nazi territory leaving only one survivor, an American general. The Allies are fearful because he knows all about the D-Day invasion, which holds the key to their success in achieving victory. They decide its best that he not divulge any information to the Nazis, so they plan a rescue mission. The team is led by Major John Smith (Richard Burton)-I know, such an original name right?, and his second-in-command, Lieutenant Schaffer (Clint Eastwood) who happens to be the only American in the rescue group. After the parachute drop goes wrong, it becomes clear to Schaffer that the mission is more important and more secretive than originally thought.The performances seem to be low-key despite the starpower in the main roles. You know, the one and only Richard Burton and the main famous for his manly scowl, Clint Eastwood. They all did well in their roles, even if their roles are not the best they have ever done. Burton does well in anything he does so it's no surprise he does so here. I like Clint Eastwood, and he puts his action chops to good use here. I read that he thought the screenplay was horrible and he wished to be given less speaking lines. So director Brian G. Hutton gave more of his lines to Burton and allowed Eastwood to focus more on the action. In the end, I think that worked out well.Where Eagles Dare is a very fun, entertaining movie. The movie has lots of muscle to it, but it surprisingly has a good amount of brains to it. That scene in the headquarters meeting room with Burton revealing some traitors, that was an incredible scene. Burton's character was messing around with the heads of everyone in the room, friend or foe. The action is consistent and they do a solid job. From the beginning with that parachute drop to the infiltration of the Nazi headquarters, to the grand escape with a bunch of Nazis on their heels-it was all good fun watching Smith and crew act smarter than the Nazi's. The movie itself is nothing special, but it's fun, entertaining, and a war thriller that doesn't take itself seriously. Not everything about the film plays off as rational, but does it really have to be? My Grade: A-

Dear Quentin Tarantino, I have liked some of the movies that you recommend in your interviews. But you seem to like a few turkeys. Where Eagles Dare is one of them. Yes, the title sequence with the view from the plane flying over mountains to Ron Goodwin's epic militaristic score was brilliant. Probably among the best title sequences of all time. You cannot stop humming the score even after the movie gets over. But it falls apart after that. You have the Germans who are all stupid and cannot shoot well at all. Man, the German characters were so pathetic. I cannot think of more awfully written characters in a movie. Some of the action scenes were great - especially the scenes in the cable car. Now that was a great idea. But they could have done so much with it. I hope somebody does another cable car scene based on the one in this movie. There isn't much humor or anything. The film takes itself too seriously. Parts of this film obviously inspired you to make Inglorious Basterds, Quentin. So I guess some good did come out of it. Best Regards, Pimpin. (5/10)

With Richard Burton's film career at a bit of a standstill in the mid-Sixties, he started looking for a property that would jump start things by way of a war time action flick along the lines of "The Guns of Navarrone". Going right to the source, he asked Alistair MacLean if he thought he could come up with a script built around him as the principal character, utilizing an American actor and a handful of British performers. MacLean came up with "Where Eagles Dare" in six weeks! Considering that time frame, I'd say MacLean came up with a remarkable winner, though you've got to pay serious attention to the story or you'll wind up confused with all the double crosses. Burton's character Major Smith provided a real head scratcher at one point when he claimed he was really a German general at the Schloss Adler summit, proving that an ability to think on one's feet and successfully lie one's way out of trouble can be a real life saver.I usually don't get too involved personally in most films, but I'd have to say that the roof top scare where Eastwood's Lieutenant Schaffer barely clawed his way back to safety was pretty tense. As for the action sequences, it was all very much over the top and impossibly fortunate that most everything went against the Nazis. Almost joined at the hip for most of the movie, Smith and Schaffer could do very little wrong on their way to whipping the German war machine. It almost made you feel like the real war could have ended much quicker if it had only been turned over to the screen writers.

If you're a war movie fan don't think about it just watch this movie and you won't be disappointed! For me this movie and "The Great Escape" are two of the greatest WW2 films ever made I highly recommend them both. It has a great storyline/sequence of events and the acting is great especially the non-German actors playing German characters. Clint Eastwood is great as always and this is one of Richard Burton's greatest films as well. I must also note that the soundtrack composed/conducted by Ron Goodwin is stupendous and one of my favorites. Anyway, get this movie and watch it even if you have to order a Netflix DVD!