This Land Is Mine (1943) Sabotage Resistance & Defiance In The Face Of Nazi Occupation

This review is for the WW2 Nazi occupation drama called This Land Is Mine (1943)

Hammerhead (1968) Art Loving American Italian James Bond Dances With Sexy Ladies In London and Lisbon

One of the best things to come out of a wave of copy cat James Bond-esque spy films are the saucy girls. However, kitsch value is also a high plus point, as is a story involving the strange mannerisms of a megalomaniac. So you will be pleased to know that Hammerhead excels well in these’s genres. So without further ado lets crack on and see what’s to found in this here film…

A Man Escaped (1956) Imprisoned French Resistance Fighter Seeks Liberation

Caught. Wedged on the back seat of a speeding car. Three men. Two handcuffed, one not. Maybe not enough cuffs to go around? He’s by the door. The door handle beacons. Should he make a run for it? He’s likely to be killed anyway, whatever he does. He’d chance it, go for it. No! the car is travelling too fast. At the traffic lights he’d make a break for freedom. The car speeds through. His hand taps the door handle. A tram is coming. Now’s his chance!

Deadlier Than the Male (1967) Crazy Hot Lady Assassins In Bond-Esque Caper

If you are here for Deadlier Than the Male then you are more than likely here for one thing. So without no further ado here are the assassins and the other lovely ladies.

Night People (1954) Gregory Peck And Cold War Kidnapping In Berlin

I’m a sucker for a good Cold War story. What with the recent Salisbury nerve agent attack not too far from home and all the spy drama hitting the shores again, it’s like it never went away. Well we know it never really did, don’t we? There will always be brinkmanship and contests to see who can swing their todger the fastest in the helicopter move! But you’ll be pleased to know that Gregory Peck didn’t have to resort to that special skill! Night People is set in Berlin just after the Second World War and the start of the bubbling Cold War shenanigans between UK, Russia and the United States and a host of other nations.

A Dandy in Aspic (1968) Clint Eastwood Impersonator Becomes James Bond

Think it was mainly the hair, with maybe a dash of the eyes that did it but his stance and face shaped were somewhat uncannily Clint Eastwood at times too. Never noticed it before, well it never crossed my mind when he starred along Frank Sinatra in The Manchurian Candidate but here in A Dandy in Aspic I just kept seeing Clint in Laurence Harvey’s performance. Probably just me though?

Orders to Kill (1958) To Assassinate A French Resistance Fighter!

After watching the first-rate drama The Browning Version I investigated other films directed by Anthony Asquith. With a keen interest in World War II history, his 1958 film Orders To Kill, based on a former American intelligence operative called Donald Chase Downes novel, it ticked all the right boxes for me.

Opening credits – “The central story on which this film is based is true!”

Hangmen Also Die! (1943) Operation Anthropoid Nazi Assassination

Had no idea this Fritz Lang World War 2 film, Hangmen Also Die was based on Operation Anthropoid when I went in. Having a keen interest in military history I knew of the deadly task at hand. Interestingly the BBC have a series running at the moment investigating the training of SOE’s (Special Operations Executive) that specialised in espionage, sabotage and reconnaissance. Two SOE officers excelled the special training in the UK, one Czech the other Slovak, Jozef Gabčík and Jan Kubiš. Both assigned with the task of being dropped back into their Nazi occupied home country with a deadly mission, to assassinate a high ranking Nazi leader. That Nazi asshole was dubbed The Hangman, The Butcher Of Prague, a truly hideous man who would also become know as one of the architects of the Holocaust, that beast was Reinhard Heydrich.

The Spook Who Sat by the Door (1973) Ivan Dixon, Sam Greenlee & Herbie Hancock

The Spook Who Sat by the Door is a novel by writer, poet Sam Greenlee which was published in 1969 causing quite the stir with it’s controversial political message. A satire on revolutionary reaction to civil rights in America during the sixties. A race motivated story with a direct response against the white oppression lived by African Americans in the United States. To shake things up, giving power to the people through the means of freedom fighters to push their important message across.

When Eight Bells Toll (1971) Wondered If Anthony Hopkins Could Play James Bond?

Randomly watched another Alistair Maclean novel getting the movie business after watching The Satan Bug the day before. Not realising until doing this post they were penned by the same author. When Eight Bells Toll had high hopes, with the studio and producers excitedly thinking they had a new secret agent franchises on their hands. The chance of a new James Bond style character to entertain those hungry for more stories of espionage and British secret agents taking on the megalomaniacs. Unfortunately it didn’t go to plan, though we do get one very well written , exciting thriller to watch and I have to say it’s most excellent fun.