Operation Crossbow (1965)

TOMATOMETER

——

AUDIENCE SCORE

Critic Consensus: No consensus yet.

Operation Crossbow Videos & Photos

Movie Info

This big-budget, big-studio espionage film is set in the last years of World War II. George Peppard, Tom Courtenay and Jeremy Kemp parachute into Germany, with orders to destroy the Nazis' rocket base at Peenemunde. Featuring Sophia Loren as the wife of the Nazi collaborator whom Peppard is pretending to be, Operation Crossbow failed badly in its first release; MGM, deciding that the title misled moviegoers into thinking that the picture was a "Robin Hood" derivation, cleared up matters by … More

Rating: PG-13
Genre: Drama, Action & Adventure, Art House & International, Mystery & Suspense, Classics
Directed By:
Written By: Duilio Coletti, Vittoriano Petrilli, Richard Imrie, Derry Quinn, Emeric Pressburger
In Theaters:
On DVD: Jan 10, 2006
Runtime:
Carlo Ponti Productions

Cast


as Lt. John Curtis

as Prof. Lindemann

as Gen.Boyd

as Robert Henshaw

as Duncan Sandys

as Wing Cmdr. Kendall

as Constance Babington ...

as Phil Bradley

as Frieda

as Flight Lt. Kenny

as Gen. Ziemann

as Gen. Linz

as Hanna Reitsch

as Bamford

as RAF Officer

as Prime Minister Winst...

as Col. Kenneth Post

as Sir Charles Sims

as German Technical Exa...

as Prof. Hoffer

as Air Commodore
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Critic Reviews for Operation Crossbow

All Critics (10) | Top Critics (4)

Full Review… | June 12, 2008
Variety
Top Critic

Full Review… | January 26, 2006
Time Out
Top Critic

Full Review… | May 20, 2003
New York Times
Top Critic

Full Review… | July 28, 2002
Chicago Reader
Top Critic

Takes an unlikely scenario and ends it with an explosive fantasy James Bond-like finale.

Full Review… | June 14, 2008
Ozus' World Movie Reviews

...an entertaining, genuinely exciting adventure flick...

Full Review… | January 24, 2007
Reel Film Reviews

Audience Reviews for Operation Crossbow

A real good WWII espionage film. With a host of actors and actress. Sophia Loren plays a very short part in this movie, about the shortest I've ever seen her play. The Germans are developing the V-1 Bomber and The V-2 Rocket Missile. The British must get within the German factories to provide bombing information or lost the war. Very interesting story line, with good actual footage now and then. The V-1 know as the flying Bomb a pilot less aircraft, The first V-1 was launched at London on 13 June 1944, one week after (and prompted by) the successful Allied landing in Europe. At its peak, over a hundred V-1s a day were fired at southeast England, 9,521 in total, decreasing in number as sites were overrun until October 1944, when the last V-1 site in range of Britain was overrun by Allied forces. This caused the remaining V-1s to be directed at the port of Antwerp and other targets in Belgium, with 2,448 V-1s being launched. The attacks stopped when the last site was overrun on 29 March 1945. In total, the V-1 attacks caused 22,892 casualties (almost entirely civilians). The V-2 Over 3,000 V-2s were launched as military rockets by the German Wehrmacht against Allied targets during the war, mostly London and later Antwerp. The attacks resulted in the death of an estimated 7,250 military personnel and civilians[, while 12,000 forced laborers were killed at the production of the weapons. This movie is outstanding and gets a 4 1/2 star rating.

bbcfloridabound
Bruce Bruce

Super Reviewer

½

This highly underrated war film is very similar to the guns of Navarone mode as far as the story is concerened. A group of allied soldiers are on a near impossible mission to destroy a german weapons base that is launching the dreaded V1 and V2 rockets to London. However, in many ways this film is better than the guns of navarone which was more in the popular mode of filmmaking rather than showing the real harsh realities of warfare. That is far better portrayed in this film. From the neccessary killing of a friendly Sophia Loren (just to keep the secrecy of the mission intact) right down to the end where none survive the mission although they accomplish their end. Operation Crossbow is a terrific highly underrated war movie.

Story: B+
Acting: B+
Direction: A
Visuals: C+
Overall: B+

***1/2 out of 4 stars

Hawaiianguy2991
Matthew Rodrigues

Super Reviewer

A decent WW2 spy movie. Sophia Loren is very good in her limited role. The plot is solid and could benefit from a modernized remake.

jjb3332003
Jeff B

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