Raid on Rommel

Raid on Rommel
Directed by Henry Hathaway
Produced by Harry Tatelman
Written by Richard M. Bluel
Starring Richard Burton
John Colicos
Clinton Greyn
Wolfgang Preiss
Danielle De Metz
Music by Hal Mooney
Cinematography Earl Rath
Edited by Gene Palmer
Distributed by Universal Pictures
Release dates
  • February 12, 1971
Running time
 98 minutes
Country United States
Language English

Raid on Rommel is an American B movie from 1971, directed by Henry Hathaway and set in North Africa during the Second World War. It stars Richard Burton as a British commando attempting to destroy German gun emplacements in Tobruk. Much of the action footage was re-used from the 1967 film Tobruk and the storyline is also largely the same.

Plot

Libya 1943, British Army Captain Alex Foster allows himself to be captured by a German convoy transporting British prisoners. Once integrated with the prisoners, Forster plans to take over the convoy with the help of the prisoners and redirect it towards the Libyan port town of Tobruk. On the way they notice an anomalous concentration of German tanks, and they surmise that there must be a fuel depot hidden nearby. The high-ranking officers become guests of Field Marshal Erwin Rommel and see a map telling where the fuel depot is. They make excuses, leave, blow up the fuel dump and head for Tobruk where they destroy a coastal battery and escape to awaiting Royal Navy warships.

Cast

Reception

The film was poorly received by critics. It has a 24% rating on Rotten Tomatoes.[1] Many would say the film was not as exciting as Hathaway's past action films. The absence of subtitles seriously affects the understanding of the film's plot.

In 2006, the BBC's Radio Times wrote: "It says a lot for Richard Burton that he was able to plumb the depths in dreary Second World War action movies such as this one, about a British officer releasing prisoners to attack Tobruk, without doing any apparent damage to his career. Even the usually dependable director Henry Hathaway falters in this flawed effort that was originally meant for TV".[2]

References

  1. ↑ "Raid on Rommel". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 23 June 2012.
  2. ↑ Radio Times review 29 January 2006

External links