Ora X - pattuglia suicida

HOUR X: SUICIDE PATROL, despite the title, has to be one of the most boring Italian WW2 flicks out there. That's despite a cast containing some of the most familiar Italian genre actors out there, and a plot - concerning the Nazi invasion of a Greek island and an allied effort to destroy their radio, behind enemy lines style - that promises excitement.

The opening of the film is pretty special, a riff on THE DIRTY DOZEN as each of the patrol are introduced in turn. Actors include the ubiquitous Luciano Catenacci and former muscleman Gordon Mitchell, the latter playing a hilariously tough sergeant. It's a pity that the lead was played by Pierre Richard, who displays a singular lack of charisma; I think Mitchell would have been much better in the part.

Sadly, the middle of the film is where this gets deathly dull, involving a plot with some monks that just goes on forever. We get endless scenes of unimportant characters wandering around until the Nazis eventually realise something's up, leading to an expectedly downbeat, 'war is hell' climax. HOUR X: SUICIDE PATROL is very much the inferior movie and an entirely forgettable entry in this packed sub-genre.