When an American general's plane is forced down over Nazi Germany, it falls to "Smith" (Richard Burton) to lead a crack team into the depths of the Wehrmacht to get him out before a dose of scopalamine elicits the truth about the plans for an allied invasion of Europe. No sooner do they land, though, when things start to go wrong. With one of their number not even surviving the parachute drop into the snowy forest, "Smith" finds himself relying more heavily on American Ranger "Schaffer" (Clint Eastwood). The two have never met before this mission, and the latter man is frankly quite puzzled as to his inclusion on this British operation in the first place. The general is being held in the "Schloß Adler" high atop a rocky outcrop accessed only by helicopter or cable car - and there are thousands of troops stationed nearby. It's soon clear that someone in his team has dubious loyalties, and things becomes distinctly more perilous as they have to survive the hostile environment of the cold, avoid the pursuing soldiers and infiltrate the castle - where an even more deadly series of challenges await his dwindling group. Alistair MacLean was always quite good at adapting his novels for the screen in a way that alerts the audience to certain facts before the characters, and here that works effectively to create an action-packed adventure that is charismatically led by Burton and the engagingly laconic Eastwood and full of duplicity and betrayal with plenty of lovely pyrotechnics and a denouement that keeps us guessing right until the credits. There's a strong supporting cast with the malevolent SS "Von Hapen" (Derren Nesbitt) and Mary Ure's resourceful "Mary" adding a little extra depth to a story that flies by for 2½ hours.
