An American patrol has to cross behind enemy lines by skis in order to blow up an important railroad bridge. The task is made harder by conflicts between the platoon's veteran sergeant and its inexperienced lieutenant and by constant attacks by pursuing German troops. This is a very average war film. We follow a small group of soldiers on skis.<br/><br/>For low budget, this works very well. Of course, what Corman and others call low budget is still much more than most of us will ever get our hands on.<br/><br/>We get the story of 5 men, but it soon becomes 4, so 4 characters are followed through. They stray just slightly off the common stereotypes, but not much. We have the leader and second in command at some odds, with a split between the other two men aligning with the two leaders.<br/><br/>We get the excitement of the film feud with the two other men as well, much as minor characters cajole each other in films like "Escape From Fort Bravo" and "Warpath". This one has the Norhterner-Southerner reference, and we feel either both will perish, or both will survive.<br/><br/>The uniforms and vehicles are different, and the scenery makes this unique in war films. Not a great film by any stretch, but not close to the worst. During the war in Europe a small band of allied soldiers moving through enemy territory on skis tries to steer clear of the enemy as they try to complete their mission of blowing up a train bridge.<br/><br/>By the numbers Roger Corman film notable for its winter setting. Its also is a minor legend in that the attacking German army was played by the local high school ski team. Its an entertaining little film that over comes its been there and done that feel simply because of its snow bound setting. Frankly I remember the film simple because of the snow. Worth seeing simply for that reason.<br/><br/>6 out of 10
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326 weeks ago