BREAKTHROUGH (1979) ¢ ¢ 1/2
D: Andrew V. McLaglen
Richard Burton, Robert Mitchum, Rod Steiger,
Curt Jürgens, Michael Parks, Helmut Griem,
Klaus Löwitsch, Werner Pochath, Veronique Vendell
World War Two action (and a sequel to Sam Peckinpah's "Cross of Iron"), with a haggard, hollow-eyed Richard Burton in the role originally played by James Coburn. It opens with the Germans being chased out of Russia by the Red Army, and Burton's character, Sgt. Steiner, being arrested for assaulting his commanding officer. Somehow, instead of a court martial, Steiner gets a 14-day leave, which he decides to spend in Paris. (How he gets to Paris from the Russian Front is never explained, but maybe that's asking too many questions.) Next thing you know, he's back with his old unit, because they're in France, too, now, and the American cavalry is advancing, led by Col. Robert Mitchum. And on and on. So, yeah, credibility's a little low - toward the end, Burton's character acts in a way that would get any soldier in any army shot immediately - but it's fun to see Burton and Mitchum in a movie together. Andrew McLaglen's no Peckinpah, but he delivers the formula goods, which in this case is mostly a matter of directing traffic, making sure here's plenty of ammo, and blowing stuff up.
