THE COCKLESHELL HEROES is a decent example of a men-on-a-mission war movie, presided over by an interesting cast of famous faces and with a true story hook for added intrigue. This WW2-set tale is about some important German ships moored on the river in Bordeaux and the British plan to send ten men up the river in canoes to attach limpet mines to the ships to sink them. Anyone who's a fan of suspenseful modern war films like MAX MANUS: MAN OF WAR will enjoy this one too. The emphasis is on sneakiness here as the marines must go in quietly to avoid getting captured; I won't spoil what happens, only to say it treads the fine line between documentary-style realism and excitement.
Although I normally don't like films that take a long time to get to the 'meat' of the story, I didn't mind it with THE COCKLESHELL HEROES because the training sequences are fun to watch. I particularly loved the 'test' undergone by the heroes in which they must make their way across England undercover; plenty of laughs ensue. Plus, the constant battle of wills between Jose Ferrer (who also directed) and the reliable Trevor Howard is never less than watchable.
Cast-wise, the likes of Anthony Newley and Victor Maddern stand out, and there are plenty more familiar faces around including David Lodge, Peter Arne, John Van Eyssen (of Hammer's Dracula), Percy Herbert and even Christopher Lee in a small role. This isn't really a guns-blazing type movie but the high humour quotient more than makes up for the lack of action; my favourite scene is the one where David Lodge goes A.W.O.L. to take care of family business.
Although I normally don't like films that take a long time to get to the 'meat' of the story, I didn't mind it with THE COCKLESHELL HEROES because the training sequences are fun to watch. I particularly loved the 'test' undergone by the heroes in which they must make their way across England undercover; plenty of laughs ensue. Plus, the constant battle of wills between Jose Ferrer (who also directed) and the reliable Trevor Howard is never less than watchable.
Cast-wise, the likes of Anthony Newley and Victor Maddern stand out, and there are plenty more familiar faces around including David Lodge, Peter Arne, John Van Eyssen (of Hammer's Dracula), Percy Herbert and even Christopher Lee in a small role. This isn't really a guns-blazing type movie but the high humour quotient more than makes up for the lack of action; my favourite scene is the one where David Lodge goes A.W.O.L. to take care of family business.