‘Brilliant’ war film starring Michael Caine now on BBC | Films | Entertainment

A war film featuring a star-studded Hollywood cast and adapted from a 1970s novel has been hailed by cinema enthusiasts as “authentic”, and it’s currently available on BBC iPlayer. The Eagle Has Landed stars Michael Caine, Robert Duvall, Donald Sutherland and Jean Marsh, and is based on Jack Higgins’ 1975 novel of the same name.

The film follows German intelligence officer Max Radl in 1943 as he devises a plan to abduct Winston Churchill during a visit to a small English village. Colonel Kurt Steiner (Caine) commands a squad of disguised paratroopers, assisted by Irish operative Liam Devlin. The operation, initially proceeding smoothly, is compromised when a soldier’s uniform is exposed during a rescue attempt, alerting American forces.

Released in 1977, whilst the film may not have impressed critics or secured any Academy Awards, it did strike a chord with war film enthusiasts. Film ratings platform Rotten Tomatoes features numerous positive and negative reviews, collectively contributing to the picture’s 71% rating.

One review stated: “Its a brilliant lazy afternoon war film packed with actors you recognise and a wonderful performance from Larry Hagman.” Another commented: “A Good cast makes way for a decent Second World War film.”

A third wrote: “This is as much a thriller as a ‘war movie’. It has great characters, a wonderful soundtrack and has an authentic vibe throughout. Suspect negative reviews are from gamers. This film requires thought and attention to fully enjoy. The book is Higgins best and is a really enjoyable read.”

“A powerful beginning, great build-up, an interesting side-story to keep us interested and great finishing action sequences make for a World War II movie that is well worth seeing,” said a fourth.

Another drew attention to the stellar cast, commenting: “Michael Caine and Robert Duvall are two of my favorite actors of all time and yet somehow, Donald Sutherland totally steals the show. Awesome story out of the WW2 era. Not your typical boring war movie either.”

However, not every reviewer was won over, with some finding the film a challenging watch. One viewer posted: “A missed opportunity for such a great cast. Many of the situations are hard to believe, especially the ones that had to do with personal relationships. I can’t express how women are portrayed in this movie.”

Another was scathing in their assessment, writing: “A terrible 1970s bit of hokum with some excruciating performances (none more so than Donald Sutherland). It’s all so utterly pointless. For a decent 1970s World War II film try A Bridge Too Far.”

A third remarked: “One of the weaker entries in the WWII-caper sub-genre. Michael Caine does give a great performance as the ‘noble Nazi’, but Donald Sutherland is downright painful to watch. He’s a pot o’ gold away from being a stereotypical Irish caricature.” One viewer quipped: “A great film to watch whilst drunk, only then does the plot make sense!”

The Eagle Has Landed is available on BBC iPlayer.

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