During the war years, Hollywood made a bazillion war films. Compared to the rest, "Commandos Strike at Dawn" is better than average. However, what keeps it from being a great film is the dialog...which could have been better. What I mean by this is that the actors try to sound Norwegian...but come off much more like they are acting and putting on a broad accent instead of being believable Norwegians. My wife was shocked, as she'd always heard what a brilliant actor Paul Muni was...and she thought he and the other actors were awfully broad...and I would agree.
The story itself is a very good in that unlike many war films, this one portrays the Germans as being vicious...but not cartoonish as many films portrayed the enemy. Tough, believable and a good story....and improved considerably by a rousing finale. It's very good....but is at its best when it's not trying to be too faux Norwegian.
The story itself is a very good in that unlike many war films, this one portrays the Germans as being vicious...but not cartoonish as many films portrayed the enemy. Tough, believable and a good story....and improved considerably by a rousing finale. It's very good....but is at its best when it's not trying to be too faux Norwegian.