Commandos (film)

{{Infobox film

| name = Commandos

| image = Commandos-italian-movie-poster-md.jpg

| alt =

| caption =

| native_name =

| director = Armando Crispino

| writer =

| screenplay = {{plainlist|* Lucio Battistrada

Armando Crispino
Menahem Golan
Stefano Strucchi
Dario Argento}}

| story = {{plainlist|*Don Martin

Artur Brauner}}

| based_on = {{Based on|A short story|Menahem Golan}}

| producer = {{plainlist|*Alfonso Sansone

Artur Brauner{{cite web|url=https://www.filmportal.de/en/movie/himmelfahrtskommando-el-alamein_ea43d4a728255006e03053d50b37753d|work=Filmportal.de|title=Himmelfahrtskommando El Alamein|accessdate=September 12, 2018}}}}

| starring = {{plainlist|*Lee Van Cleef

| cinematography = Benito Frattari

| editing = Daniele Alabiso

| music = Mario Nascimbene

| studio = {{plainlist|* P.E.C.

C.C.I.
CCC Film}}

| distributor = {{plainlist|*Columbia Filmgescellschaft mbH}}

| released = {{Film date|df=y|1968|11|19|Italy|1969|8|8|West Germany}}

| runtime = 112 minutes

| country = {{plainlist|*Italy

West Germany}}

| language =

| budget =

| gross =

}}

Commandos a.k.a. Sullivan's Marauders is a 1968 Italian-produced war film starring Lee Van Cleef and Jack Kelly and directed by Armando Crispino. The film is set in North Africa but was shot in Sardinia.{{Cite web |title=Commandos film review - The Grindhouse Cinema Database |url=https://www.grindhousedatabase.com/index.php/Commandos_film_review |access-date=2023-08-01 |website=www.grindhousedatabase.com}}

Dario Argento is credited as co-screenwriter.

Plot

The film is set in the middle of World War II, and in the deserts of Africa, Sgt. Sullivan puts together a group of Italian-Americans into disguise as Italian soldiers in order to infiltrate a North African camp held by the Italians. Sullivan, along with Dino, was one of three that survived from the Pacific War against the Japanese, although Lieutenant Freeman was killed in his last mission. Their Captain in charge of the mission, Captain Valli, has several soldiers with special training.

Cast

Lee Van Cleef as Sgt. Sullivan
Jack Kelly as Captain Valli
Giampiero Albertini as Aldo
Marino Masé as Italian Lt. Tomassini
Götz George as Oberleutnant Rudi
Pier Paolo Capponi as Corbi
Romano Puppo as Dino
Ivano Staccioli as Rodolfo, Radio Man
Marilù Tolo as Adriana
Joachim Fuchsberger as Oberleutnant Heitzel Agen (called "Professor")
Heinz Reincke as Unteroffizier Hans
Helmut Schmid as Sergeant Miller
Otto Stern as Sergeant Braumann
Pier Luigi Anchisi as Riccio
Gianni Brezza as Marco
Duilio Del Prete as Bruno

Release

Commandos was released in Italy on 19 November 1968. It was released in West Germany as Himmelfahrtskommando El Alamein in several cities on 8 August 1969.

Reception

In a contemporary review in the Monthly Film Bulletin, Richard Comb commented that the conclusion of the film was "the kind of meaningless apocalyptic moment much favoured when international producers get together to meditate over mutual insanity in war", and that Commandos was "rife with such rhetoric, interspersed with all the action cliches of the war movie and fitfully jerking its line with type" {{cite magazine|title=Commandos|magazine=Monthly Film Bulletin|year=1972|volume=39|issue=456|pages=68–69|first=Richard|last=Combs}}