This is a tender, generous movie that likes its characters and presents them as real people, full of flaws and strengths.

an ambitious but ultimately ineffective debut endeavor.

The joyful confection is coated in a sparkly gloss, bright enough to gleam from the darkest, most cynical corners.

Through painfully honest and emotional moments, the movie becomes irresistibly relatable

A famous film signed by J. Lee Thompson, with many great names. I've seen it many times. When I was a teenager I liked it. Watched once again in May 2018, I did not like it so much, it is too slow, too long, too monotonous, too exaggerated. It's nice to see Anthony Quinn again, back to Greece, being Greek again. As for the "great" Gregory Peck, as far as I'm concerned, like Clint Eastwood, he was just another American with a big carrot in his ass, always.

Released in 1961 and directed by J. Lee Thompson from Alistair MacLean's novel, "The Guns of Navarone" is a war/drama/thriller about an Allied team who go undercover to take out two gigantic German antiship batteries deployed in a massive cliffside bunker on the island of Navarone, Greece. Gregory Peck stars as the leader of the team with David Niven co-starring as a demolitions expert. Anthony Quinn is on hand as a grim, embittered Greek. Irene Papas and Gia Scala are two locals who join up with the group at the midway point. This is a very good World War II adventure more akin to the undercover spy mission of "The Eagle Has Landed" (1977) than conventional WWII flicks, like "Battle of the Bulge" (1965). While watching, I couldn't help discerning similarities to MacLean's superior "Where Eagles Dare," which came out less than eight years later. "Where Eagles Dare" (WED) is outstanding whereas "The Guns of Navarone" (TGON) is solid. For instance, the score of WED is one of cinema's all-time best; not to mention the entire opening sequence; and the action-packed finale as well. Moreover, TGON has some blatant flaws, like the dated score, lame miniatures, obvious indoor sets and two dubious fight scenes (the knife fight in the boat and the "duel" with the German officer); and the final act is decidedly low-key compared to the ultra-thrilling WED. Nonetheless, "The Guns of Navarone" is a must-see early 60's war adventure.The movie runs 158 minutes and was shot in Greece with interiors shot in England. Additional scenes were shot in Dakar, Senegal (cliffs), Zacatecas, Mexico, and Iversion Ranch, California.GRADE: B

The Guns of Navarone is one of the greatest war movies ever made. Its almost ironic that its intended as a anti war movie. but it doesn't serve well as one. Instead it shows us the brutal nasty side of war. the Plot is basic. There are a thousand men trapped on the island of Kheros. In order to get there they must pass by Navarone. The Germans have two large guns planted there hidden by the cave and mountain of Navarone. Each rescue attempt is shattered by these guns. Only one attempt is left. Captain Keith Mallory is recruited along with his old Partner from the resistance in Greece Colonal Andrea Stavros. a skilled fighter. Plus Dusty Miller a gifted man with explosives. And a few other skilled fighters. the plan Get as close to Navarone as possible hook up with the resistance and destroy the guns. not so easy when a traitor lurks among you.Guns was intended to be anti war but in the end became one of the greatest War and action movies of all times . Peck serves the film well with a dark brooding manner. Niven gives Miller a sarcastic edge but maintains a moral edge as well . All the other actors serve their roles well making this a solid memorable movie worthy of being called classic.

A team of army specialists are assembled with the task of infiltrating a German held Greek island. Then they have to destroy the mighty twin guns up in the hills that blight the British operations on the Aegean waters. Adapted from the Alistair MacLean novel, it's directed by J. Lee Thompson and stars Gregory Peck, David Niven, Anthony Quinn, Anthony Quayle, Stanley Baker and James Darren. Music is scored by Dimitri Tiomkin and cinematography by Oswald Morris. Watching it now it seems oh so very formulaic, but it was rarely the norm back than for war films to always follow this brand of high end adventure staples. The makers take a bunch of men from the various social spectrum and thrust them together for an impossible mission. We have the stiff backed guys with moral reasoning at their core, the rough and tumble men, all face fuzz and machismo seeping from every pore, and a young baby faced youngster blossoming into a man by the day. They will be put through the mangler at regular intervals, faced with scenarios to test their metal, all while the group view each other with suspicions of motives and reasonings. Here the character sub-plots, their hang-ups and frets, do not bog down the fun or the excitement, they enhance the narrative. We also get two ladies entering the group (Irene Papas/Gia Scala), and they too add some meat into an already beefy stew. Action is a plenty, suspense equally so. While of course there's twists and turns to input some mystery and pot boiling character dynamics. Elsewhere, Tiomkin provides a robust Golden Globe Winning score, and Bill Warrington & Chris Greenham's special effects won the Academy Award in that department; they look at times a bit weak now, but who cares right? The array of screen work, matte paintings and miniatures blend superbly with the outdoor location photography, which points us to a time when film makers worked their socks off to create the magic up there on the screen. Oh and the scripted dialogue, just wonderful and beating an intelligent heart. One of the quintessential boy's own - men on a mission movies, The Guns of Navarone, still a treat over 50 years since it was first shown in cinemas, and crucially, it's still influencing other film makers as well. 9/10