A gripping Second World War drama depicting the brutality of the conflict has been celebrated as ‘top notch’ by cinema enthusiasts, and it’s available to watch on BBC4 this evening.

Where Eagles Dare, which hit screens in 1968, is a WWII espionage thriller following Allied special forces, commanded by British Major John Smith (played by Richard Burton) and American Lt. Schaffer (played by Clint Eastwood), as they parachute into the Bavarian Alps on a mission to liberate a captured U.S. General from the Nazi fortress Schloss Adler, only to uncover that the operation is an elaborate double-cross designed to expose a mole within British intelligence, complete with false identities, double agents, and a dramatic getaway.

The picture stands apart from typical wartime offerings, with admirers commending its groundbreaking action set pieces and stellar performances from Hollywood icons Richard Burton and Clint Eastwood.

On the film review platform Rotten Tomatoes, one five star review said: “A ripping yarn. Nothing more, nothing less. Just enjoy it and ignore the pretentious so called ‘critics’.”

Another viewer added: “Wow Richard Burton is a Badass! ! ! As cool as Clint is, this is 100% Burton’s film. He is awesome in this. Never seen him like this before. The stunt work is top notch along with a great soundtrack. The plot is so witty and clever with twists and turns the entire way.

“What’s also amazing is for its hefty runtime not once did it feel too long. It jumps right into the action very quick, builds tension and sustains it and has a great action packed final 45 minutes that never feels over the top. I was so surprised by how good this was. Everyone should give this a try once! An All Time Classic!

“This film is perfect,” said another viewer, reports <a href=”https://www.mirror.co.uk/tv/tv-news/classic-war-film-two-huge-36542568″ rel=”Follow” target=”_self”>the Mirror</a>.

A further fan added: “Clever and exciting action-adventure movie about an elite special forces team infiltrating a Nazi German mountaintop fortress, while trying to root out a traitor within their own ranks. Exemplifies the old action movie cliche of the ‘gun with the endless bullets’ better than most.”

The film’s thrilling sequences also garnered praise, with one individual saying: “I watch yearly along with Kelly Heroes and Patton. Great film from the war genres of the late 1960’s. Burton and Eastwood are good pairing along with widescreen filming.”

Another added: “Clint Eastwood as well as Richard Burton provide very good performance. You don’t have to be scared from that 2 hours 38 minutes of runtime, it doesn’t seem like that when you watch it. This is a real old-school action movie, I strongly recommend it to everyone!”.

“The most action-packed WWII movie of the 60s. Incredibly well-done even for today’s standards!” exclaimed another. A third enthused: “The best war movie ever! Entertaining and with a plot with great suspense, you don’t expect. No boring at any point. Can see again and again..”

Where Eagles Dare airs on Thursday 15 January on BBC4 at 10pm.

SOURCE: EXPRESS