The Eagle Has Landed

Unconventional WW2 flick from 1977

Michael Caine is outstanding as Colonel Steiner, an untamed German paratroop commander, who's covert mission is to go to Britain and kidnap Winston Churchill whilst on a retreat. The Germans are helped by Irishman Liam Devlin, played by Donald Sutherland, who essentially paves the way for their operation at a coastal hamlet (shot in Cornwall and Berkshire, England). Jenny Agutter plays Devlin's near-jailbait romantic interest in the quaint village, while Larry Hagman and Treat Williams play American officers, the former foolishly gung-ho. Robert Duvall and Donald Pleasence are also on hand as Nazi officers.

As you can see from the plot, this is an unconventional WW2 picture. It doesn't feature the typical major battles or stereotypical characters and situations of most war flicks. Both Caine and Sutherland shine in their roles, especially Caine as the fearless Steiner. Memorable moments abound.

The film runs 2 hours, 11 minutes, but feels shorter.

GRADE: B+/A-

Following an animated staff meeting with Hitler, there's a suggestion put forward that the Nazis try to kidnap Winston Churchill. Spymaster Admiral Canaris (Anthony Quayle) thinks it's a dangerous idea, but Himmler (Donald Pleasence) wants it investigated. To that end, the admiral recruits "Radl" (Robert Duvall) to find a man who might be able to lead a team to get the job done. We've already met "Col. Steiner" (Michael Caine) and know he's a bit of a maverick, so "Radl" does a deal with him that will accomplish the task and save "Steiner" from a lively firing squad. It seems the Prime Minister is soon to visit a quiet country manor house near the Norfolk coast so this is their chance. The soldiers adopt the identity of British soldiers and work with the nearby villagers whilst laying the groundworks for their plot. A chance accident, though, reveals their identity to the villagers and things turn decidedly dangerous. Can the villagers find a way to warn the outside world? Caine does fine with this drama, and Donald Sutherland also delivers quite well as the IRA man who will do just about anything to see the British lose the war, but the rest of the cast rather underwhelm - especially the rather soporific "Molly" (Jenny Agutter) and curiously cast Jean Marsh. Quayle, Duvall and Pleasence barely feature at all and the denouement, though not quite what we were expecting, still can't quite enliven this rather over-scripted and far-fetched story. It's watchable enough, though, Caine sees to that - but just not quite the sum of it's parts.