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Operation Crossbow (1965)

Rate: 3
Viewed: 1/25

OpCross
1/25: Operation Crossbow is the kind of film that starts off okay before nosediving big time.

So, where did it go wrong? For starters, almost the whole thing is shot indoors. Had it been done outside while taking advantage of the European scenery, the outcome would've been dramatically different. The story is nothing new, having reminded me of numerous James Bond films.

The cast is decent, starting with George Peppard and Jeremy Kemp. They'll do a way better movie called The Blue Max. Tom Courtenay is added to the mix as a third wheel. Imagine being his character who's selected to do a big spy job but is summarily killed after being fingered as a common murderer in the identity-gone-wrong scheme.

Seeing that Sophia Loren received top billing because of her producer-husband Carlo Ponti, I thought she would play a big role. Yet she appears for like twenty minutes or so to set up a very talky middle before being shot just to ensure the secrecy of one spy. I didn't believe the killing at first, thinking of it done by a tranquilizer gun, and waited until the last second for any confirmation.

After what happened, I thought the movie would get better, but nope. Instead, it becomes more and more banal with repeated shots of rockets launching, invoking memories of Meteor, until finishing with a "fuck you" ending. Oddly, at some points, there's an insertion of black-and-white stock footage from the olden days. If there's anything I'm impressed with, it's the characters who actually speak German to ensure authenticity. A rarity in cinema.

All in all, Operation Crossbow may deal with espionage during WWII, but it's not a thriller by any means.