Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #23650 in VHS
• Released on: 1994-12-07
• Rating: NR (Not Rated)
• Formats: Black & White, Closed-captioned, NTSC
• Original language: English, German
• Number of tapes: 1
• Running time: 102 minutes

Customer Reviews

a simple example of existential angst
i saw this movie when i was eight years old, back in the 70's. even at that age, it became clear to me what war and sacrifice meant. although this story is very simple, that of a convicted- criminal-turned-escapee-turned-hero, it stuck with me until the time i became a philosophy major at university. this movie became for me one of the best examples of what existential angst is about. errol flynn's decision at the end may have been expected (as movies during that time were supposed to be resolved), but his split second of indecision confirms the title of the movie.

there are more exciting and more realistic war movies available, but this one exhibits human-ness and the internal conflicts that occur in oneself during a war, may it be a world war or an individual war. as a matter of fact, there are minimal "fight scenes" in this movie. yet, the movie showed me what war is really about. true sacrifice, not the one made obligatory, but voluntary. if you watch the movie seeking a highly dramatic scene of indecision, you won't find it. the true meaning of this movie, just like most things in life, is found in a split second. i recommend this movie to those who seek meaning in adversity... even if it means losing oneself...literally and figuratively.

It's Not Just The Glory That's Uncertain
Set in World War II, Errol Flynn stars as a French thief saved from the guillotine by a British air raid. Captured later by famed police inspector Paul Lukas, they end up in a small French town where 100 civilians have been captured by the Nazis to be used as hostages until a bridge saboteur turns himself in. Flynn, facing imminent death for his crimes, decides to be a hero and confess to sabotaging the bridge, thus freeing the 100 captured men. But confessing to a crime he didn't commit proves to be more difficult than expected.

If the story sounds far-fetched, it is, and the film doesn't make it seem anymore plausible. There are a lot of big loopholes in the screenplay, not to mention that the main character does not make sense, being inconsistently written and acted by a tired looking Flynn. The supporting cast of Lukas, Jean Sullivan as the village girl he loves, and Lucile Watson as her employer, do what they can with such poor material.

Director Raoul Walsh usually does a great job of pacing his films and providing enough action and character development to keep viewers engaged. But not this time. There's very little in the way of action or tension, and Flynn's character is hard to figure out or to like. This is easily one of Flynn's weakest Warner Bros vehicles.