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The McKenzie Break | Year: 1970 Classification: Action/Adventure Directed: - Lamont Johnson Actors/Actresses: - Brian Keith - Helmut Griem A solid war movie with an unusual twist! This is one of my favorite war movies, although it certainly never got the acclaim that many bigger-budget films have received. "The McKenzie Break" is the story of a remote British-run POW camp for German Kriegsmariners and Luftwaffe officers in Scotland. The Germans are of course planning an escape, led by the ruthless Captain Schlutter, (a U-Boat Captain determined to get his trained men "back into the war") competently played by Helmut Griem. Brian Keith plays the British intelligence officer given a special assignment to deal with the situation at Camp McKenzie. Of course, the notion of German POWs plotting to escape an Allied POW camp puts a unique twist on the usual POW theme, and in my opinion it works well in this film. The storyline moves along briskly and holds the viewer's interest. Bravo performances by Brian Keith and Helmut Griem carry the movie, and I felt that the cinematography and the on-location filming gave the film an excellent aura of authenticity. All in all there is a great deal about this film to like. Don't compare this one to "The Great Escape" or any other POW film, because it isn't like any of them. "The McKenzie Break" stands on its own, and in my opinion does so very well. Not The Great Escape This movie tips its hat to The Great Escape but falls quite short of it in terms of watchability and being memorable. The idea of a prison camp with rebelling German POWs was intriguing but didn't really carry itself through the movie. The mutual respect of the two main adversaries could have been a strong dynamic to play upon but it sort of fell apart quickly 3/4 of the way through. The tunnel and costume prep by the Germans was clearly inspired by the Great Escape but didn't carry the same level of excitement. The ending, though ironic, was disappointing. Complete reworking of POW genre by simply playing its rules. Although made in 1970, the era of 'The Wild Bunch' and 'Bonnie and Clyde', this is a startlingly traditional POW film as might have been made in Britain in the 1950s. Except for a couple of minor changes. The policier plot, like 'Night of the Generals', in which a crime-reporter turned officer tries to inflitrate the (literally) underworld activities of the enemy; the heroes the audience are generically accustomed to root for, as they try to escape prison and provoke the film out of its impasse into action, are really unpleasant, model Nazis. The film as a whole, which takes a British genre and marginalises the British, seems like an allegory for that Empire's decline, with its two main demolishers - the Germans and the Irish - superimposed. Rarely has downbeat been so exciting. Buy The Mckenzie Break at Amazon.com Buy posters at Allposters.com Jamster - the latest ringtones for your phone!  Search with Walhello on the Internet on The Mckenzie Break Search with the Priority Search Engine on The Mckenzie Break This page in other languages: Suomeksi | Nederlands | Deutsch
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