A 1957 jaunty WWII yarn which takes place in Crete from Emeric Pressburger & Michael Powell. Dirk Bogarde stars as a British commando who hatches a scheme to kidnap a German officer, played Marius Goring, & deliver him to Cairo. Banding together a mix of Grecian freedom fighters led by him & another British commander, played by David Oxley, they successfully capture their prey (in an extended thrilling sequence where they have to pass endless checkpoint tolls in a commandeered car). From there, they have to make it to the shoreline at the other end of the island before the ever increasing horde of German soldiers close in on their location. Never downbeat or especially violent, this adventure caper coasts on its endless charm & witty repartee as the outnumbered fighting unit use their innate sense of the land to gain an advantage. Co-starring Cyril Cusack (who I remember from the 1984 version of Orwell's 1984) as a particularly smelly member of the troop, future Alfred for Tim Burton's Batman, Michael Gough as another Greek fighter & Christopher Lee as a German officer.
Review of Night Ambush
