The Night Of The Generals Reviews

great idea, great cast, poor execution

As a devotee of many of the cast of this movie, I was excited to rent it. Peter 0'Toole reunited with Omar Sharif (Lawrence of Arabia), and Omar Sharif reunited with Tom Courtenay (Dr Zhivago). Actors and films I adore. Seemed like a great idea for a plot to, a serial killer movie with a backdrop of WW2. The movie starts well and is notable for, what still seems brave to me, portraying Nazi characters in a sympathetic light. Do not misunderstand me, this isn't a Nazi sympathizing movie, but it is rare to that the characters are dealt with pretty normally in that it's almost secondary that they happen to be Nazis. Unfortunately the film dwells too long on a subplot that adds little depth to the film about power struggles within the Nazi party which somehow overbalances the original story, this then means the ending feels rushed. Also the film lacks the twists of a Murder Mystery and the factual detail of a war movie.

Having said that it's worth seeing if only as a curio. Crying out to be remade.......I think the confused state of this review is symptomatic of the films identity crisis....

A promising film that fails to deliver ...

This is a very original and exciting concept for a film, but ultimately it disappoints. That it does so is for a number of reasons - Peter O'Toole's General Tautz is wooden to the point of ridicule; the time lapses are rather difficult to follow; and it has, unexpectedly, aged rather badly. Overall this is a promising film that ultimately fails to deliver.

JPL.

Night of good viewing

Having seen this before a number of years ago I was looking forward to seeing it again and wasn't dissapointed to find it as good as I remembered it. Peter O'Toole is fantastic, while Omar Shariff, Donald Pleasance and Tom Courtney all put in strong performances. Even my wife who isn't really a fan of this sort of movie admitted she was riveted from start to finish.

best from the past

one of the few films that i can watch probably each 12 months.great cast,great story,great film.

A Masterpiece

A cast to be amazed by, a real whos who. A WWII spotters festival and a story that will keeped you glued to the tube!

Brilliant..

Still has a gripping charm to watch after all these years. Peter O'Toole is just magic. Great war time thriller.

Gets itself a tad confused....

A very respectable cast and nice big budget carry this film through. O'Toole in particular is outstanding as one of three German generals under investigation during the war for the serial killing of prostitutes.

Alas, this film tries to tell two stories and not one. The other story is the plot to assassinate Hitler, and the film seems unable to decide whether to tell that story in its own right or to make it a subplot to the other. The result is that it seems to get rather confused with itself!

Worth seeing for the performances. Just don't expect too much from it, then you won't be disappointed.

A VERY GOOD FILM

This is a very good film and well worth renting. The acting from Peter O'Toole is superb

The Night of the Generals

Has surprising authenticity and a cast straight out of the top division. Compelling viewing which did not disappoint for a moment.

[Highly rated reviewer]

What Were They Thinking?

An international cast of renowned actors fight to deliver the most outrageously misjudged performance. The winner is Tom Courtney for his diffident, cowardly womaniser, though it's close, and the competition fierce..

Inept on just about every level, though script and editing deserve standout recognition, this unfocused film is way too long, and not quite weird enough to be fun.

Thud.