The Secret Invasion (1964) User Reviews

Better than you'd think

[frankfob · 7/10 · 14 March 2002]

Although producer/director Roger Corman is known for his "economical" pictures, this World War II actioner belies its $600,000 budget (small by conventional Hollywood standards, but an epic for Corman) and is a well-acted, tightly directed, enjoyable not-quite-so-little picture. The story of a group of misfit Allied soldiers sent to rescue an important Italian general who has been imprisoned by the Nazis, Corman makes good use of the Dubrovnik, Yugoslavia, locations and a cast consisting of much better actors then he usually got, especially Mickey Rooney, Stewart Granger and Henry Silva (in an outstanding performance as a taciturn, deadly killer who isn't quite as cold-blooded as he seems). Even Edd Byrnes is far less annoying than usual, and turns in a good job. The action scenes are very well handled, the picture looks much more expensive than its budget would indicate, and it actually garnered some of the best reviews of Corman's career up to that time, and deservedly so. It's a good one (and compares favorably to "The Dirty Dozen," which it preceded). Check it out.

Good Little War Movie

[SgtSlaughter · 7/10 · 15 August 2003]

Cheapie director Roger Corman brings us this low-budget, high-octane thriller. THE SECRET INVASION was shot in Yugoslavia and released by United Artists in 1964.

In 1943, British intelligence sends five convicted criminals into Yugoslavia to rescue an Italian General and convince him to turn his troops against the occupying Nazi forces. This story was essentially copied a few years later by director Richard Conte in OPERATION CROSS EAGLES, which has a similar look and feel but doesn't hold a candle to this film's characters or action scenes.

Corman's ensemble cast is made up of several familiar veteran actors. Raf Vallone is the leading criminal, who actually wants to earn his amnesty. Mickey Rooney (AMBUSH BAY) is great fun as an Irish demolition expert who can blow up just about anything. The ever-annoying Edd Byrnes doesn't give too hoots about the mission and even attempts to escape to a German PT boat almost immediately, but has come to his senses near the end. Master of disguise William Campbell doesn't trust silent killer Henry Silva (PROBABILITY ZERO), who he thinks is trying to botch the mission. An older Peter Coe (TOBURK) also appears as the Partisan leader, Marko.

Working with a low budget, Corman is surprisingly able to create a high number of suspense scenes and well-done action sequences. One plot aspect has the team keeping time by snapping their fingers when their enemy captors lift their watches. This allows them to time escapes perfectly, springing surprises on the Nazis. During the final battle, the old cliché of killers disguised as hooded monks comes up but is defied as one rips off his disguise; and Granger leads a pack of German attack dogs astray by ripping off his own bandage and allowing them to track his blood as he bleeds to death. The action scenes are excellently filmed, too, making great use of location photography to heighten the suspense. One long, drawn out sequence set in the hills of Dubrovnik involves hundreds of extras, lots of very loud gunfire, excellent explosions and some fine quick cutting. All of this makes the action even more nail-biting, as you never know who will live to the end and who won't.

The film boasts a great Hugo Friedhofer score which adds the perfect mournful touch to a scene involving a dead baby; and just the right rousing action theme for the combat portions. Cinematography is top-notch, with fine camera angles capturing emotions and action perfectly. Even on the small screen, the film has been pan-and-scanned with utmost care so you don't lose as much as you usually do.

I saw this movie on the Encore! Network. It has been excellently cared for, with accurate flesh tones, sharp images all around (Vallone's eyes are a clear blue even from far away). MGM has done a good job recently, digitally remastering a number of their old films (perhaps for future DVD releases?) such as ATTACK ON THE IRON COAST.

This is one of those rare war films which packs the most material possible into its' low budget. The characters are strong, the action spectacular and the suspense truly nail-biting. Corman's unorthodox twists make the far-fetched plot a little more acceptable. This is a 2-hour, no-intelligence-required action fest you'll not want to miss.

7/10

Good war drama

[blanche-2 · 7/10 · 23 July 2009]

Stewart Granger, Raf Vallone, Mickey Rooney, William Campbell,Edd Byrnes, and Henry Silva are part of "The Secret Invasion," directed by Roger Corman. Vallone, Rooney, Campbell and Silva are prisoners who are brought in as part of a mission to free an Italian general, who was about to turn on the Nazis and turn his army over to the allies and is now being held by the Nazis. Granger, as Major Mace, is put in charge of them. If they don't die, they will win their amnesty.

The levels of commitment vary among the men. The organizer, Rocca (Vallone) is a brilliant man who is dedicated to the mission, while Simon Fell (Byrnes), a forger, is not and tries to escape. Mickey Rooney plays the munitions expert, a cheerful Irishman, and Henry Silva plays an assassin, Durrell, who, although quiet, has feelings that run very deep. Saval (Campbell) doesn't trust him.

While this is a derivative movie, it's filled with action, some good characters, sadness, and violence. Corman paces it well. On a side note, because I know German, the German spoken was perfect and, unlike Das Boot, easy to understand.

Corman made this on a low budget, and the actors' performances vary as a result of not being able to fill this movie with an all-star cast. Edd Byrnes leaves a lot to be desired. I remember William Campbell from my childhood in a TV series called "Canonball" - actually, his big claim to fame is that he was married to JFK-Sam Giancana girlfriend Judith Exner. Granger, Vallone, Rooney and Silva are excellent as are the members of the German cast.

Good drama, good war story.

A shorter, cheaper, better version of THE DIRTY DOZEN

[Bob-45 · 4 August 1999]

An army major leads a rag-tag band of convicts on a daring mission behind enemy lines. THE DIRTY DOZEN, you ask? No, THE SECRET INVASION, a solid Roger Corman programmer released two years earlier, with a talented cast led by Stewart Granger, Mickey Rooney, Raf Vallone, Ed Byrnes, William Campbell and Henry Silva. Far less predictable than DOZEN, this film has some dynamite performances (Byrnes, Rooney and Silva are especially good), great action, and some surprising plot twists. See it!

Knocking The Axe Out Of The Axis

[bkoganbing · 6/10 · 25 May 2011]

Roger Corman got his largest budget to date and distribution through United Artists for The Secret Invasion. Even though the story is a combination of The Dirty Dozen and The Guns Of Navarone, it's all delivered in nice style.

Heading the mission is Major Stewart Granger and the time is during those days just before the Allies invaded Italy proper having already landed and occupied Sicily. He gets himself a choice team of criminals of varying kind all with certain specialties. His team includes Raf Vallone, Edd Byrnes, William Campbell, Mickey Rooney, and Henry Silva. With Granger that makes it a half a dozen.

These six are to go into occupied Yugoslavia and kidnap a popular Italian general. Remember at this point in time Mussolini had already been overthrown and the Allies were conducting negotiations with Field Marshal Badoglio to take Italy out of the Axis orbit. Command broke down in the Italian Army and Badoglio dragged his feet somewhat. So this was a move in Yugoslavia where the Italians had considerable troops.

Things didn't quite work out for Granger and the rest of his half dozen no more than they did for the Allies and Badoglio. Still the mission is completed kind of and a few actually survive to tell the tale.

Best in the cast is Mickey Rooney who adopts a nice Irish brogue as he plays an IRA man who's good with explosives. Like the rest he's fighting for a pardon if he gets back from Yugoslavia. He looks like he's having a great old time in the part. Given his last name you'd think the Mick would have played more Irish types in films. But remember he was born Joe Yule, Jr. quite Jewish.

The Secret Invasion will not be one of Roger Corman's cult classics, it had too big a budget for that. Still it's an enjoyable film, war film fans will like it.

Before the Dirty Dozen....there was Secret Invasion

[nomoons11 · 6/10 · 29 July 2010]

Now Secret Invasion isn't in the same league as The Dirty Dozen in terms of Production, but for its low budget, it's worth a watch. 3 years before the Dirty Dozen, Secret Invasion was first in the "Prisoners who get a 2nd chance so they hand pick 5 to carry out a secret mission" fighting the Nazi's storyline. Of course in here there are only 5 but for what you get, it's an entertaining yarn.

Whats great about this little war movie is the actual settings in Yugoslavia and Croatia and not some Hollywood sound stage. Real landscapes and authentic people from the area make a decent watch. If you happen upon this little title, grab it and watch, you'll probably like it.

Rugged WWII actioner concerning about an experienced Major and his misfit commando

[ma-cortes · 5/10 · 24 August 2010]

This exciting and so-so war movie produced by Gene Corman packs thrills, suspense , plot twists , lots of action sequences and climatic ending , but doesn't quite hang together. Passable warfare film follows a group of convicts soldiers played by all star cast who undergoes assignment against the promise of free pardons. It deals with Major Mace (Stewart Granger) , a tough commandant , he assigns a motley team(Mickey Rooney ,Raf Vallone , Edd Byrnes, Henry Silva, William Campbell) for a dangerous mission whose aim is to free an Italian General (Enzo Fiermonte) . As Stewart Granger training an outfit of rebels and misfits soldiers for a risked assault in Yugoslavia where they contact partisans. The commando must participate in a suicidal mission, the first to wipe a Yugoslavian little town and after an assault over a strong position located on Dubrovnik , Croacia, where is imprisoned the Italian General. Each member of the squad keeps time by rhythmically snapping his fingers so the kidnap can be coordinated . They wreak havoc and kill Nazis to earn the respect of military higher-ups in an exciting final .

This low-budgeted and appropriate runtime warfare film concerns about an incredible lesson of courage set in WWII . This flag-waving film packs frantic thrills, perilous adventures, relentless feats , and buck-loads of explosive action and violence . The noisy action is uniformly well-made, especially deserving of mention the rip-roaring final scenes on the mountains and battle at Dubrovnik city . Fine location cinematography by Arthur Arling and powerful musical score by Hugo Friedhofer . Serious and rough Stewart Granger is good as leader of the motley pack together thwart the the Nazi schemes, as well as the largely secondary cast with particular mention to Henry Silva and Raf Vallone who finish developing a sincere friendship . The film belongs to Commandos sub-genre operating beyond enemy lines whose maximum examples result to be the classics as ¨Dirty dozen¨(Robert Aldrich) , ¨Guns of Navarone¨ (J.L. Thompson) , ¨When eagles dare ¨ (Brian G Hutton), ¨ and ¨Kelly's heroes¨ (Hutton) and other movies that were made during the 60s and 70s regarding wartime adventures about special forces in risked missions .

The motion picture is professionally directed by Roger Corman . After his period realizing poverty-budget horror movies as ¨Swamp woman, The beast with a million of eyes, Attack of the crab monsters , Undead¨, then came the cycle of tales of terror based on Poe as ¨ House of Usher, Pit and pendulum, The raven , Tales of terror, The masque of the red death ¨ , and meanwhile Corman made this passable war film that achieved limited success.

An almost forgotten Roger Corman project.

[michaelRokeefe · 6/10 · 16 June 2009]

Producer/director Roger Corman actually comes up with a very commendable war movie on his typical "B" budget. This is a pared down preview of THE DIRTY DOZEN. Five criminals, all with a special skill, are given the chance at a pardon on the condition they participate in a near suicide mission. British Intelligence smuggle the five into Yugoslavia to make a commando raid on a Nazi headquarters, where an Italian officer is being imprisoned. The British feel rescuing the general will influence him to have his army fight with the Allied forces.

Interesting and diverse cast featuring: Stewart Granger, Henry Silva, Raf Vallone, Edd (Kookie) Brynes, Mickey Rooney, Spela Rozin and Peter Coe. Filmed in Yugoslavia and Croatia.

1940's characters in 1960's costumes

[liggett-00649 · 4/10 · 21 October 2021]

First thing I noticed was the clothes. Kind of hard to take a movie serious when the first scene is all wrong for the time period it was set in. Just went downhill from there. Not a movie I'd ever recommend.

3.5 out of 5 action rating

[scheelj · 6/10 · 19 November 2012]

See it- Raise your hand if you like a rousing World War 2 suicide mission movie. Well here's one you may not have even heard of. A team of soldiers with special skills attempt to tunnel into a Nazi fortress to break out an Italian prisoner of war. When things go wrong, they must use their skills to make one last desperate attempt to accomplish their mission. Great action scenes include a rooftop gunfight, the hijacking of a Nazi boat, and a long escape/battle through the Balkan mountains. Unfortunately, like all good B-movies, it has its share of corny moments. For instance one of the soldier's special skills is forgery. It's kind of hard not to chuckle when the soldier, after being tortured, says with a straight face, "It's okay, they didn't hurt my writing hand." This war film has no huge movie stars, but familiar faces include Stewart Granger, Raf Vallone, Mickey Rooney, and Henry Silva. 3.5 action rating.

Not Very Good

[Gunn · 5/10 · 8 June 2008]

This film was a big disappointment. It lacked energy, a good cast, involvement and enthusiasm. I blame most of this on the director and an equal amount on the editor. It was chock full of bad cuts and continuity errors, e.g. the key scene where Henry Silva quiets the crying infant. Silva, Raf Vallone and a few others were the only assets to the cast. It was Stewart Granger, Mickey Rooney and above all Edd "Kookie" Byrnes whose acting was really bad. The script was very badly written and formulaic. The film might've worked with better casting, directing, and a better script, but I doubt it very much as this type of story has been told before and with more energy. Its only pluses were a decent score and excellent cinematography. All in all this was a 'bust'!

Led the way for future films??

[johnboy1260-1 · 9/10 · 31 May 2010]

I saw this one today and I was very surprised by the film. Not only does it have a theme reminiscent of the later Dirty Dozen, but there's a scene towards the beginning that smacks of the Guns of Naverone. The casting is surprisingly top notch and I was overall pleased with the entire film. Stewart Granger is Good as the troubled British officer out for revenge. I loved Mickey Rooney, who seemed to be having the time of his life as an IRA demolition expert. The other members of the cast rounded out an almost perfect ensemble with notable mention to William Campbell & Edd Byrne. The only thing I found odd about this film was the speed at which the actors found themselves on their secret mission. It seemed within 20 minutes they were introduced, trained, and already in enemy waters. Other than that, it was a solid WW2 movie with plenty of action! I HIGHLY recommend it.

A super-cheap film like "The Dirty Dozen:--though it came out several years earlier.

[planktonrules · 6/10 · 19 December 2011]

It's interesting that this film came out in 1964--several years BEFORE "The Dirty Dozen". In other words, the later big-budget film actually was a knock-off of a cheap film--and this must be a first---usually it's the other way around. However, although this also involves a bunch of prisoners having their sentences commuted in order to get them to participate in a suicide mission, it's still a pretty cheap little film and only a shadow of the later film. A very low budget, cheap sets (which look circa 1964 instead of WWII vintage), one-dimensional characters and acting that can't come close to the stellar cast of "The Dirty Dozen" will make it VERY easy to tell the two films apart! Like 1450342 other Roger Corman films, this one is very economically made. This guy has had an AMAZING record for making films that always, or almost always, made money. His one flop ("The Intruder") was actually one of his best films and his crappiest films (like "Wasp Woman") made a bundle! I am sure that this taught him the lesson to make films entertaining but don't try too hard to make great art!

The film involves this motley international group sneaking into Yugoslavia to rescue an Italian general from a German prison. That's because the man is an anti-Nazi and they want him to lead his troops into battle against the Germans. This is especially important because the Italian soldiers LOVE this guy and are very loyal to him. Once they do sneak the guy out, the film starts to get pretty silly. For every one of the group that is shot in the escape, 100 Germans dies--and the German soldiers just seem to march en masse to their deaths! And, the last 20 minutes of the film is one scene like this after another after another--with lots of mindless scenes of killing. Oh, and by the way, most of the group are killed and you see them die. What about Mickey Rooney? He just disappeared late in the film--what happened to him?! Overall, rather superficial but not terrible--but also only a shadow of the classic "Dirty Dozen".

Not very good.

[plan99 · 4/10 · 17 June 2022]

Spoiled at the off by all hairstyles and clothes being of the 1960s and not the 1940s and it was difficult to believe that the 1000s of bullets fired by the Germans killed or injured so few "goodies", the Germans in this film must the worst shots in the German Army of WWII. The characters were not particularly likeable either. Not worth watching.

Well, This Here Did Come Before 'The Dirty Dozen'

[Michael_Elliott · 13 September 2012]

The Secret Invasion (1964)

** (out of 4)

Raf Vallone, Mickey Rooney, Edd Byrnes, Henry Silva and William Campbell play convicts who are given an opportunity for parole but to do so they must cross into enemy territory and rescue an Italian general who is being held hostage during WWII. By that description you'd think this Roger Corman film was nothing more than a rip-off of THE DIRTY DOZEN but it would be important to check the dates because this one here was actually released three years before the more popular film. With that said, if THE DIRTY DOZEN was a reworking or remake of this then it was certainly needed because while this film might look good it offers very little else. I was a little surprised to see how flat this movie was but I think it lacks any real emotion and a lot of this is due to the screenplay. The screenplay gives us five characters that we're supposed to care for yet not one of them grows on the viewer to where you care about their situation or really if they live or die in the end. Going on this mission with five characters that you really don't like pretty much stops this film in its tracks. Even worse is that most of them are pretty annoying and this is especially true of the Rooney character. I'm guessing he was meant to give some comedy relief but it's never funny. Silva comes off the best out of the five convicts but it's too bad he wasn't given more screen time. Stewart Granger plays the man leading them into battle but he can't really bring any added excitement to the material. For such a low budget movie the battle scenes at least look very good with the various gunfights and explosions. I also thought the cinematography was impressive but in the end this here just isn't enough to save the film.

Fun war movie with dirty dozen theme

[drystyx · 6/10 · 7 March 2007]

This is Corman's second best film. His masterpiece is "I Hate Your Guts". This one stands out second best among his other films, which are among the worst ever made. The theme is the same as the Dirty Dozen, with some better writing, and probably better acting. There are some big names in here. The characters are probably not as well drawn as in the Dirty Dozen, but the plot and the turns are better. This group goes through a lot. Henry Silva stands out in this crowd. There is a very goofy character played by Raf Vallone that really makes no sense, and for some reason he plays a large role. It would have been better if Granger had a bigger part. His part is largely understated. It has good action and some character twists, and good plot writing that even Corman can't mess up. I may be generous rating this a 7. It could rate anywhere from 4-7, but it's a fun flick to watch, so I give it the benefit of the doubt.

The theme is somewhat reminiscent of the Dirty Dozen!

[jordondave-28085 · 6/10 · 3 June 2023]

(1964) The Secret Invasion WAR

Came out three years before "The Dirty Dozen" released in 1967, which the theme is somewhat similar that has a group of five criminals sentenced to serve hard labor in prison, requested by the top to participate in a suicide mission in Europe, lead by Maj. Richard Mace (Stewart Granger). The five men who are recruited are Jean Saval (William Campbell), bomb expert Terence Scanlon (Mickey Rooney), the forger, Simon Fell (Edd Byrnes), the assassin John Durrell (Henry Silva), and finally, the organizer Roberta Rocca (Raf Vallone), part of a save situation along with other Serbian and Italian freedom fighters of an important leader named General Quadri, said to be held captive.

The Dirty Half-Dozen

[wes-connors · 5/10 · 7 June 2010]

In Cairo, Egypt, during World War II, British Major Stewart Granger (as Richard Mace) pardons five criminals from prison - "master of disguise" William Campbell (as Jean Saval), boozy Irish revolutionary Mickey Rooney (as Terence Scanlon), well-coiffed forger Edd Byrnes (as Simon Fell), close-mouthed assassin Henry Silva (as John Durrell), and educated crime lord Raf Vallone (as Roberto Rocca). The quintet agreed to cooperate in a potentially suicidal mission. They are to infiltrate a German prison, and free a general. But, the Nazis have other plans. "The Secret Invasion" is relatively bloody for its time, with good action and locations.

***** The Secret Invasion (9/16/63) Roger Corman ~ Stewart Granger, Raf Vallone, Mickey Rooney, Edd Byrnes

Dubious Patriots.

[hitchcockthelegend · 6/10 · 20 November 2013]

The Secret Invasion is directed by Roger Corman and written by R. Wright Campbell. It stars Stewart Granger, Raf Vallone, Mickey Rooney, Edd Byrnes, Henry Silva, Spela Rozin and William Campbell. Music is by Hugo Friedhofer and Eastman Color cinematography is by Arthur E. Arling.

1943 and British Intelligence send Major Richard Mace (Granger) and five convicts into Yugoslavia on a dangerous mission. They are to rescue an Italian General from German captivity in the hope that he will join the fight against the Nazis.

An army based reworking of Corman and Campbell's Five Guns West from 1955, The Secret Invasion is cheap on budget but rich on action. A sort of forerunner to Where Eagles Dare and Operation Cross Eagles, and a definite companion piece for the far superior The Dirty Dozen that followed three years later, it's a film that's hard to dislike. There's such a sense of fun about the whole thing and Corman still manages to create suspense and craft potent action scenes.

The ensemble cast bring to life the roll call of damaged characters who are either looking for redemption, personal gain or just a crack at getting the freedom dangled in front of them. The Eastman Color is very appealing, the pic actually filmed on location in Yugoslavia, and Friedhofer provides a very effective musical score that hits the right beats for the blend of drama and sorrow that fills out the plot.

Corman inevitably has to cut some corners, such as one key character is killed off screen, not all the acting is great and veers close to being second string Spaghetti Western standard, and of course the plot is bonkers. But the flaws never stop it being worth the time of the Action War film fan. 6.5/10

Doubtful Patriots

[osloj · 3/10 · 25 April 2016]

*** This review may contain spoilers ***

Nothing makes sense in The Secret Invasion (1964). Director Roger Corman is out to lunch with the script, but the scenes are shot rather well. He's managed to scrounge up some decent actors and highly ambitious locale (the city of Dubrovnik, a Croatian city on the Adriatic Sea) but does nothing with them. He was probably filming five other movies to save money. Most of the actors are so annoying that you'd wish for their death early on. They are cardboard thugs, not emphasizing any emotion at all. Mickey Rooney as Terence Scanlon, Henry Silva as John Durrell and Stewart Granger as Major Richard Mace are just a few found in this stinker.

The Germans aren't much better since they seem to be played by idiotic Slavics and a highly annoying boneheaded commander. They can't seem to shoot very well either, having great difficulty in killing the idiotic "Secret Invasion" force. The last half just deteriorates so badly that it won't do you any good to watch it.

It's hard to tell what Raf Vallone (Italian footballer and international film actor) is saying with his heavy accent, it's even harder to tell why he's snapping his fingers throughout the film. The plot is so convoluted that you have to stop just to scratch your head. These guys take a small boat into German-occupied Yugoslavia and find a graveyard to dig a hole to the big German-occupied castle that has some Italian general. They dig a few hours, and it must be about two miles to the big German-occupied castle. Okay, brilliant guys. Then they get caught and are stuck inside and manage to kill about every German guard inside. Heck, why not send them to the Italian front to defeat the German divisions?

The ending made no sense at all either. But that wasn't really surprising. In all, I guess people who don't appreciate decent war films will love this ridiculous rubbish. Anyone with a brain will probably go get Hell Is for Heroes (1962), directed by Don Siegel and starring Steve McQueen, for the tenth time.

Quality in a low-budget precursor to "The Dirty Dozen"

[hughbetcha-25708 · 7/10 · 3 June 2021]

In 1943, a British Army major (Stewart Granger) leads five condemned criminals on a secret mission to Axis-occupied Yugoslavia. Each man, promised a pardon in return for his co-operation, has a particular talent that may turn a forlorn hope into a victory for the Allies - if the prisoners don't kill each other first.

"The Secret Invasion" may have served as inspiration for the bigger-budgeted and more famous "The Dirty Dozen", made three years later. The lesser known item of any pair always invites comparison to its rival, and "The Secret Invasion" holds up well.

Most familiar with film-study know the name of Roger Corman. Though his movies are almost universally low-budget, they are often well-made with what they had to work with; Corman himself introduced a large number of now-famous names to audiences, and has been a huge influence on many directors and producers, encouraging especially independent film-makers. This movie is typical of his better pictures, making the most of its limited funds and working with a good story.

The location shooting seizes full advantage of the setting. The movie takes place largely in the then-Yugoslav city of Dubrovnik (formerly Ragusa), on the coast of the Adriatic Sea. The solid-looking stone buildings, red-tile roofs and formidable forts of the ancient town were put to good use. In particular, there is a roof-top gun-battle that must have taken some convincing of municipal authorities; the results are exciting.

The cast is good as well, though not first-class. One certainly can't expect such a diversity in actors in many other movies. International-film star Raf Vollone, Edd Byrnes (best known as 'Kookie' from "77 Sunset Strip"), perennial villain Henry Silva, Mickey Rooney (by this time, passing from his second phase of Hollywood stardom) and character player William Campbell, all seem to be of different acting types and from different genres of cinema, and so lend an authenticity to the motley make-up of the criminal team. The performances are varied but capable.

The story is more complicated than many action-flicks boast. Italy has just surrendered to the Allies, and the Germans are ready to seize Italian positions and personnel if the latter switch allegiance from Fascism to the Allies. The major and his men must rescue an Italian general, in German custody, whose pronouncement in favour of the Allies could bring thousands of Italian troops into the war against the Nazis. But there is deception to be found both at the team's destination and even in their own numbers.

The script is the weakest element of the movie. The individuals of the mission come together too easily, too soon, and the major leading them comes to trust them too soon as well, for credibility. Some members are more believable than others: Vallone's criminal mastermind seems to be anti-Fascist to begin with, and Silva's assassin-for-hire probably sees the mission as no more than another job. But motivation is lacking.

By and large, however, "The Secret Invasion" is a good, entertaining adventure movie, with more than one twist in its plot.

More Corman stink

[ksneath · 2/10 · 4 April 2009]

I've officially had it with Roger Corman... he always directed films which you think would be entertaining if not exceptional. Without fail, he's disappointed every time. It's not just the low budgets, it's the scripts, the way the story lines are handled, the acting....

This film was so bad, I couldn't make it past about 45 minutes. I can only imagine how much more bad acting, terrible direction, boring action, and stupid dialog ensue after I turned it off. Why this idiot has been so successful in his own way I'll never know.

I had to stop watching when one of the convicts holds his hands over a baby's nose and mouth and (I guess accidentally) smothers a baby while the mother stands right beside him, seemingly in another world. Somehow Corman seems to bring out the worst in the talent he works with. Please avoid this boring, stupid piece of junk.

A few notches above the average adventure.

[beatlesfavband · 10/10 · 6 June 2001]

This film is well directed by Roger Corman and has a great plot with some good twists. The Yugoslavian location filming adds to the enjoyment, there's plenty of action and the pace is fast. The top notch cast is what really puts it over. Mickey Rooney is excellent as Scanlon and provides much of the humor. Edd Byrnes, Stewart Granger, William Campbell and Henry Silva give solid performances and Raf Vallone adds an introspective quality that raises this film a few notches above the average adventure. My favorite quote is from his character, "Who will free it from us and who will free us from ourselves."

If you're not initially nuts about this flick like I was, be patient. I went to see this in 1964 with my cousin. It was my second time seeing it but her first. About twenty minutes into it I said to myself, "Boy, this is a good movie." "It is," she questioned in an unconvinced tone, but fifteen minutes later she nudged me and said very enthusiastically, "You're right! This is a good movie!"

It is also one of the first films I remember from the 60's that dabbled in graphic violence. Although there are only a few, the scenes were shocking and tense in 1964 and still strike a chord now.

The Dirty Dozen(1967), which I also like very much, may be the best known of the two but the Secret Invasion was a forerunner of the genre and in my estimation is the better film.

Not very compelling

[HotToastyRag · 3/10 · 26 November 2019]

A bunch of convicts are given a government pardon and sent into the US army to complete a dangerous mission in the thick of WWII. Stewart Granger is in command, and he has no patience for the ruffians' behavior. He'd rather be in charge of a better bunch, and with such a dangerous mission, he can only hope everyone pulls together and serves their country. Raf Vallone, Mickey Rooney, Henry Silva, Edd Byrnes, and Peter Coe are the convicts, and as they're sent to Italy, they meet up with Mia Massini, a widow with a newborn baby.

I've seen lots of 1960s WWII movies, and this one wasn't really that great. There's a fair amount of suspense and violence, but it's just not particularly compelling. None of the characters are very likable, and when you're dealing with a group of people who have nothing to lose, it's better if the audience hopes they don't lose it. Unless you really love the cast, you might want to try something else, or better yet, a WWII movie that was made at the time. Those are the best, since they were made with the frightening feeling of uncertainty. Check out They Were Expendable for a movie about people in a hopeless situation.

Been there, done that

[jaykay-10 · 1 July 2003]

A compendium of cliches, culled from many years of war dramas, and action pictures of other types: there was little that was fresh or original when this film was made, and absolutely nothing of the sort left for a viewer now. The assortment of superficial characters have turned up, singly or jointly, in Westerns, crime stories, prison picture and the like for many decades. Conflict and tension are nowhere in evidence. Battle scenes are noisy and lengthy, if you go for that sort of thing. Where else will you find characters struggling through rugged terrain, wounded, surrounded by explosions and other violence, yet emerging (dead or alive) with every hair in place (see Stewart Granger and Edd Byrnes, in particular)? The scenery is beautiful, in keeping with the astonishingly clean look of a picture about unsavory characters on a grubby mission. Here is a movie that deservedly has been all-but-forgotten.