Why is it that Hollywood doesn't make films like this (other examples include The Guns of Navarone and Kelly's Heroes) anymore because I'd really like to see another good ol' style WWII action adventure that DOES NOT HAVE AN OVERDOSE OF GRAPHIC VIOLENCE.
mmm, doughnut
-Homer Simpson
They definitely still do action films but, although the special effects are much better, it seems that they no longer do them with the same caliber of dialogue and nuanced stories.
Anyhow, just watched (grateful that Memorial Day weekend comes around each year). Nice flick.
WED is pretty graphic in parts - Smith kicks Christiansen in the face and puts an ice-axe in Barclay's arm; Shaffer shoots von Harben in the head and then shoots a woman in the back!
shareIt's filmed as if the Germans were dolls, there's no feeling of the blood and dirt of a real killing. Maybe it looks clean like that when someone is shot betwen the yes but it sure doesn't once they slump to the ground, and the German soldiers in this film are so inept they couldn't even take Luxemburg.
Compare the Jason Bourne films: Matt Damon's fighting and car racing is intensely physical and anything but easy-going or graceful. He pulls dirty punches and the camera and audio take it all in. Naturally he's not portrayed like a national hero: his own are against him.
"Richelieu's men are notorious for their complete lack of taste."
I agree with the original poster: we need more adventure movies that are actually adventurous, rather than excuses to up the CGI quotient. I blame James Cameron and Michael Bay for the descent into cartoons that action movies have become.
Would love to see more plot-driven action specatulars that aren't craptacular in execution!
Tarantino's Inglourious Basterds was a good example of doing this "kind" of thing very well!
--If they move, kill 'em!
i'd go see them.
"Hipness is not a state of mind, it's a fact of life!" - Cannonball Adderley
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Maybe because it was a british made film.
shareWell, another factor is finding source material as good as Alistair MacLean's novels. Yeah, there are other thriller writers out there, but most can't touch MacLean. His novels are filled with action, suspense, and good characters.
You could do a nice throwback to this with something like Marvel Comics' Sgt Fury and His Howling Commandos. With the recent spate of Marvel movies and the appearance of the Howlers in the upcoming Captain America film, they would be ideal for a modern take on a 60's war actioner. The series was inspired by these types of films and has the perfect elements: a group of commandos carrying out dangerous missions behind the lines, a diverse group of characters (with some disregard for actual history), excellent villains (Baron Strucker), and imaginative plots. You could also do the same with DC's Blackhawk (and add dogfight scenes) and Unknown Soldier (great for intrigue). Sgt. Rock would be doable, but it was always a more serious look at the war, better suited for drama, ala Saving private Ryan.
Tarantino's Inglorious Basterds is probably the closest we'll come to seeing a modern movie reminiscent of Where Eagles Dare, Guns of Navarone, Great Escape, Kelley's Heroes, Dirty Dozen, etc.
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