- Starring
- David Niven, Gregory Peck, Anthony Quinn
- Writer
- Carl Foreman
- Director
- J. Lee Thompson
- Rating
- PG (United States)
- Running Time
- 158 minutes
Overall Score
Rating Summary
The Guns of Navarone is one of the best adventure films ever made. Now 60 years after it was originally released, the film still holds up very well today. It may not have the classic status of Ben-Hur, Casablanca and The Adventures of Robin Hood, but it is right there with the best of them. You won’t regret taking the time to watch this one.
The Guns of Navarone follows a task team that is sent to infiltrate a Greek island held by the Nazis during World War II. Their mission is to destroy two cannons placed in a strategic position that is destroying all British ships navigating through those routes. Their mission is almost impossible: they have to scale a very steep cliff to get to the guns through mud and rain, sneak into the Nazi base without anyone noticing it and placing the bombs in strategic places to be detonated on time. It’s a hard task with a low expectancy of survival by its players, and the group take it with honors to help the fight to end the war.
The group is made up of a fantastic cast of characters performed by the best actors available at the time: the American soldier (Peck), the British (Niven), a great (Quinn) plus Stanley Baker, Anthony Quayle, James Darren as well as Irene Papas and Gia Scala. The entire cast does wonders with the film, playing off of each other with enthusiasm and energy. Watching them working together is a blast, and they perfectly complement each other. Papas and Scala as Maria and Anna are great characters, each being women who are not there just to be the lady in despair nor the girlfriend. They are part of the fight, with very distinguished roles, and they kick ass.
Thompson does wonders with the film. Clocking in at over 2.5 hours, The Guns of Navarone is admittedly a long film but it is one that never gets boring. The excitement never stops, even though the film takes its time to develop the relationships between the characters while tackling such themes as the price of heroism and what honor truly is.
The Guns of Navarone is not just entertaining but it also a thrilling experience that keeps on giving as the greatness of its narrative and characters help it stand out above most. It’s no wonder the film was nominated for 7 Academy Awards, including Best Picture, Director and Adapted Screenplay and ultimately winning for its great special effects. The film is extraordinary. To put things in perspective, Raiders of the Lost Arc was an adventure film that could have totally taken the top prize and it would have made perfect sense. The only reason it wasn’t really taken into consideration was that that year was crazy strong, with three incredible classics, The Hustler, Judgement at Nuremberg and the rightful winner, West Side Story.
In the end, The Guns of Navarone is one of the greatest adventure and war films of all time while featuring one of the greatest ensembles of all time. Add that up, get some popcorn and enjoy the ride.
still courtesy of Columbia Pictures
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