User reviews

Paul Wendkos is an average director at best, but has the ability to turn a potentially terrible movie into a satisfying action flick. "Attack on the Iron Coast" is yet another low-budget entry in a series from Oakmont Production, and although it presents nothing new, but holds attention so well that the clichés are easy to overlook.

John C. Champion's script is a fictional takeoff on a real WWII event, much like his earlier and much worse "Submarine X-1". This time, the story is based on Mountbatten's raid on the dry dock at St. Nazaire, in which a ship laden with explosives crashed into the repair dock and destroyed important German repair facilities.

Lloyd Bridges ("A Walk in the Sun") plays Major Wilson (a takeoff on Lord Mountbatten), who's first commando mission in France turns into a shambles. But he is given a second chance when he plans an even riskier operation to destroy the German repair dock at LeClair (Ste-Nazaire). The only problem is that Captain Franklin (Andrew Keir, "Lion of the Desert") is opposed to the mission from the start, and the two must cooperate as the mission is a joint Army-Navy operation.

This film is really a mixed bag. What's good is really, really good and what's bad is really, really bad. Lloyd Bridges gives a sincere performance as Major Wilson, but his character isn't developed as much as I would have liked. We're treated two a two-dimensional hero who doesn't have any weaknesses; he brings to mind John Wayne's Colonel Kirby of "The Green Berets". His conflict with Franklin is the core of the movie and provides enough tension that the German enemies aren't needed until the final act.

The German characters are disappointing. We're treated to some very shallow characterizations which bring to mind the worst excesses of "Hogan's Heroes". The officers sit and watch dirty movies and become sated on fine wine and liquor while their subordinates bring in urgent reports of an approaching enemy ship. This is very unfortunate, because both George Mikell and Walter Gotell are very capable German actors who have had very good roles in the past - chiefly, "The Guns of Navarone", where they acted together in 1961. This really let me down. It would have been wiser to exclude German characters altogether and dwell on the commandos some more.

The action sequences are withheld until the final 20 minutes or so of the film and range from well-crafted to laughable. Scenes of British commandos dashing about in alleyways and dockyards are excellently staged and well-shot, even if they're very generic. The scenes of British minesweeper in the bay, however, feature some of the worst miniature work of the period. It's obvious that this feature had a low budget, because they aren't many extras or realistic explosions in the entire film.

Wendkos manages to keep things interesting by moving his camera fluidly and often shooting from high or low angles, giving the audience a unique perspective on the dialogue or action. The sets are all-top notch and the exteriors are very well-decorated. The German dockyard is expansive and really has a fresh, authentic feel to it and the various British war offices are equally believable.

"Attack on the Iron Coast" is nothing more than a routine, satisfying 90-minute film. There is nothing fresh and unique about it, but some fair acting and fast pace keep it engaging.

I just wanted to point out, that this movie is indeed based on an actual event, the raid on St. Nazaire. The former flush decked WWI Destroyer "Campbeltown" was converted to look like a german "E-Boat" and was loaded with explosives, and rammed into the "Normandie" dry dock. The operation was code named "Operation Chariot", and commenced on March 28th, 1942.

The minute I started watching this I knew I had seen it before. The Trevor Howard film The Gift Horse had been made about the same incident at the French port of St.Nazaire.

The occupying Germans are using St.Nazaire as a dry dock facility for their fleet and the British Admiralty would like it destroyed. A commando raid might do the trick, but the British are stretched thin and little or no support can be given.

When it does get approved there is friction between Canadian commando commander Lloyd Bridges and Andrew Keir captain of the minesweeper taking the commandos in.

If you've seen The Gift Horse than you know what happens. The Gift Horse is factually more true, but Attack On The Iron Coast has its merits.

This is a good action WW2 film.

Just wanted to add further to the comment about this movie being based on Operation Chariot.

The purpose of the raid was to disable the only dry dock on the French coast that was large enough for the German battleship Tirpitz, sister ship to the Bismark. During this stage of the war, this was a very important consideration as the Tirpitz could of created a great deal of havoc if it where to get into the North Atlantic and attack the vital convoys that where keeping England in the war. The actual raid was a success. The dry dock and associated equipment was damaged so thoroughly that it no longer was a viable option for the Germans to risk their last battleship in the North Atlantic.

It was also a very costly mission. A bombing raid that was supposed to provide a diversion actually had the opposite effect and alerted the Germans. The losses incurred where described as appalling, with most of the commandos killed, wounded or captured. To reflect the importance of this raid, 5 Victoria crosses and 68 additional awards where handed out to the some of the 600 particpants. Only the battle of Rorkes drift saw more Victoria crosses awarded for a single action.

Lloyd Bridges and Andrew Keir play WWII commando leaders who lead a group of soldiers on a suicide mission to destroy a Nazi naval stronghold on the French coast by means of a dead ship turned into a live bomb . As the valiant soldiers sailed it down the throat of the enemy . They carry out their risked assignment while keeping their activities hidden from outsiders and German airplanes . At the end , they arrive in the enemy port commanded by Nazi officers : Van Horst (Walter Gotell) and Captain Strasser (George Mikell) . The Germans had a number of reinforced submarine pens, but the target of the actual attack was the dry dock facilities . It was called ¨The St Nazaire Raid¨ or ¨Operation Chariot¨ that commenced on March 28th, 1942 , it was a successful British amphibious attack on the heavily defended Normandie dry dock at St Nazaire in German-occupied France during the Second World War.

World War II war film loosely based on the Operation Chariot , an attack on the Iron coast in St Nazaire . It's a fictionalized recounting of the known mission on St Nazaire , here called LeClair (Ste-Nazaire) with a sustained and predictable story , although partially based on true deeds . Acceptable acting from Lloyd Bridges and Andrew Keir as two commanders who take on a strong battle of wits . The film progresses with Commander Major Jamie Wilson/Lloyd Bridges -takeoff on Lord Mountbatten- training the crews of the ships , even though the crew lacks faith in his command abilities . He must overcome tensions with his antagonist Captain Franklin/Andrew Keir . This and the 1952 film "Gift Horse" are based on the same World War Two raid carried out by British forces on the locks of the French port of St Nazaire in 1942 . The highlights of the movie are the violent as well as exciting fights of the crews who successfully fend off an final attack at St. Nazaire or LeClair . And thrilling scenes at the final when the ship penetrates the highly armored stronghold , nets in the port , and explosives blow up under the dry dock . It includes stock WWII , especially when show up some planes , the clips of the diversionary air raid were taken from the film The Dam Busters (1955) . Atmospheric cinematography by Paul Beeson , Walt Disney's usual cameraman, though an alright remastering is necessary . Being filmed on location , shooting was filmed in Gaddesden Place, Hemel Hempstead, Hertfordshire,Millwall Dock, Millwall, London, England, UK (French port of St. Nazaire) and St Katharine Docks, London, England, UK . Good and enjoyable musical score by Gerard Schurmann , though parts of Ron Goodwin's score from Squadron 633 (1964) were used without credit.

The film was produced by Oakmont production , a company exclusively dedicated to warfare films (Submarine X1 , Hell boats , Mosquito Squadron , Thousand plane raid , Last escape) . The motion picture was professionally realized by Paul Wendkos who displays enough spectacular images to keep things interesting . Apparently, director worked on the film's original screen story with writer/producer John C. Champion but is uncredited for such . Wendkos whose works remain undervalued in USA directed various TV series and some films as ¨Guns of the Magnificent Seven¨ , ¨Cannon for Cordoba¨, ¨Gidget¨, ¨The Flight¨, ¨The legend of Lizzie Borden¨ and ¨Hell boats¨

The film is based on real facts , these were the followings : The operation was undertaken by the Royal Navy and British Commandos under the auspices of Combined Operations Headquarters on 28 March 1942. The extra ships were along to transport all those who took part back to England after the operation. All of the 18 addition ships were sank during the attack. Other ships did accompany the attack but remained outside the area of the attack. In the actual operation the obsolete destroyer HMS Campbeltown was the lead ship in the attack. She was accompanied by 18 other smaller craft. St Nazaire was targeted because the loss of its dry dock would force any large German warship in need of repairs, such as the Tirpitz, to return to home waters via either the English Channel or the GIUK gap, both of which were heavily defended by British units including the Royal Navy's Home Fleet, rather than having a haven available on the Atlantic coast. The obsolete destroyer HMS Campbeltown, accompanied by 18 smaller craft, crossed the English Channel to the Atlantic coast of France and was rammed into the Normandie dock gates. The ship had been packed with delayed-action explosives, well hidden within a steel and concrete case, that detonated later that day, putting the dock out of service for the remainder of the war and up to five years after. A force of commandos landed to destroy machinery and other structures. Heavy German gunfire sank, set ablaze or immobilised virtually all the small craft intended to transport the commandos back to England ; the commandos had to fight their way out through the town to try to escape overland. Almost all were forced to surrender when their ammunition was expended and they were surrounded . After the raid 228 men of the force of 611 returned to Britain; 169 were killed and 215 became prisoners of war. German casualties were over 360 dead, some killed after the raid when Campbeltown exploded. To recognise their bravery, 89 decorations were awarded to members of the raiding party, including five Victoria Crosses. After the war, St Nazaire was one of 38 battle honours awarded to the Commandos; the operation has since become known as The Greatest Raid of All within military circles. The men who took part in this attack received more awards for bravery then any other operation of it's length then any other operation before or since.

I saw this movie as a double bill with Yellow Submarine as a treat with some friends for my 9th birthday, Summer 1968 in a cinema in north-eastern England. It was a very odd combination given the likely audience for The Beatles film.

My recollection of the film is very hazy, but the ending made a stronger long-lasting impact on me than the jolly Beatles romp, so I'm giving it a fairly high score. I've wondered ever since what the film was called but have just found a listing of the double-bill in the British Newspaper Archive. Now I'd like to track the film down to see what I think of it as an adult - other reviews are mixed so I hope I'm not too disappointed.

There's nothing in the film that hasn't been done before and better.

There's no dialog you can't predict. Not a single sentence where you can't finish it before the characters.

At the time it came out it was already outdated. A gung ho war film in 1968? Just as the American public turned against the Vietnam War and years after most of the public worldwide had already turned against empires and colonialism and the Cold War.

Today's audiences will mostly know Lloyd Bridges from the Airplane comedies, mocking his own tough guy image. I had a hard time taking him seriously any time he was onscreen.

Even the action scenes are by the numbers.

In late March, 1942, the Brits concoct an audacious operation to destroy the Normandie dry dock at St Nazaire in German-occupied France, which would involve 611 Royal Naval personnel & commandos in a surprise attack against an embedded German force of 5000. Lloyd Bridges and Andrew Keir star as the key officers in the raid.

"Attack on the Iron Coast" (1968) tackles what has been called 'The Greatest Raid of All' and is worthwhile if you don't mind 'B' productions with unconvincing miniatures. I liked how the flick establishes that an operation like this is 78% planning, training, traveling and anticipation and 22% dynamic execution. I'm going by the fact that the actual raid in the movie involves only the final 18 minutes of runtime.

While it can't compete with WW2 greats from the 60's like "The Dirty Dozen" and "Where Eagles Dare," or even quality ones such as "The Devil's Brigade" or "Anzio," it nevertheless gives you a good idea on what went down, not to mention keeps the memory of the bold raid alive.

It runs 1 hour, 27 minutes, and was shot at Millwall Dock, St Katharine Docks, and the London Docklands, along with studio work done at MGM British Studios in Borehamwood, northwest of London.

GRADE: B-

There's not much to say in favour of this movie, except maybe that it makes a brave effort with a weak script and a small budget. The plot is too simple and straightforward, there's absolutely no action until the final 15 minutes or so, naval and air force scenes are low-quality models, most the entire film is taken up with some rather hokey conflicts between characters, the music is often too overblown for the action. The Germans are completely inept; for a port that can service one of the largest warships in the German navy, it seems undermanned and disorganized. When the action does come, there seems no objective to any of it; soldiers from both sides are constantly popping up left and right from behind cover and mowing down a few enemies before being mowed down themselves. What was the plan of this operation, anyway? To drive a ship rigged with explosives into the port and blow up the facilities. Sure, that's clear enough. But what are all those soldiers doing running this way and that way, shooting in every possible direction with no discernible purpose to it? They seemed to be aiming at some objective or other - they did keep running, after all - but what were they trying to do besides kill whatever Germans they ran across? I had some hope for the movie, but it was worse than I anticipated. And by the way, was there any point in having Lloyd Bridges play a Canadian? His wife and son spoke with British accents. Was he made Canadian just so that dear old Lloyd wouldn't have to fake a British accent?

I'm putting this movie up as one of my favourites. It wasn't glitzy war movie like others common in that time period /ie, Kelly's Heroes/Bridge at Remagen, Dirty Dozen.... It does a great job covering tragedies of war in a wide range of areas - loved ones/ young soldiers/training casualties. Also a great insight from dilemmas faced by operation planners -with limited resources available- right down to fears of rank and file. I always had a keen interest on the Raid of St.Nazaire and Brit commmandos so I was quite pleasantly surprised to stumble upon this movie to see it based on that. Sgt.Slaughter made an error in his review headline- it wasn't Canadian commandos portrayed in the movie -they were British led by a Canadian major -Bridges. The movie's raid action was great. The uniforms / weaponry had a very authentic look too. WW2 Buffs will love this movie -one overlooked unfortunately perhaps due to its lack-lustre box cover design.

The scenes where Lloyd Bridges is putting some commandos through their paces reminded of ffolkes. Roger Moore had his commandos running an obstacle course and clambering over large scaffolding as well. Perhaps one of the ffolks film makers was inspired by this?

The trivia about Ron Goodwin's score being reused might explain the occasional times where the music seems to be out of sync with the action or overly dramatic for a particular scene.

All in all a mildly entertaining 1960's WWII movie.

(1968) Attack on the Iron Coast WAR

The setting is WWII and it has Major Jamie Wilson (Lloyd Bridges) attempting to convince his superiors to go ahead with "Operation Mad Dog". One opposition however is Captain Franklin (Andrew Keir) as he has a history of clashing with the major. And once the operation gets it's approval, and during rigorous training, the naval commander the major appointed to be his naval commander, who happens to be his best friend, Ltd Commander/ Captain Don Kimberly (Mark Eden) unfortunate got injured during a training exercise. Resulting to him getting bandaged eyes. To Captain Franklin's opposition force him to take Captain Kimberly's place as naval commander in which the order was to sail toward LeClair for the purpose of destroying both the dock and whatever floating vessels Nazis reside. With an all out war battle guns a blazing between the UK/ Canadian commandos clashing with Nazi occupiers residing on the French coastline.

Although it was obvious regarding some of the ship sequences that toy miniatures models were used, but at the same time, it does not take away the rigorous training exercise that may have caused a few lives. A depiction that is not often shown during WWII.

Strangely inconsistent movie that was clearly done on a minuscule budget where accuracy and continuity mean little. Lloyd Bridges is not exactly renowned for his acting style - he's in it to help sell the movie in the US. The rest of the cast are all British stalwarts.

Much of the fight scenes appear to have been filmed on derelict St Katherine's Dock of the late 60s before it was revamped to be one of the most desirable areas of London. Tower Bridge can be observed in the background in some shots. It also looks like the fight scenes were filmed in the same location or possibly around Pinewood Studios. The idea that the small St Katherine's dry dock could actually double up as dry dock for giant German battleships is quite ludicrous.

I noticed also the cast making dialogue mistakes. British naval officers would always say "Left-tenant", even it's written as "Lieutenant".

They also say they are leaving Portsmouth to carry out the raid but they pass through Tower Bridge and supporting shots look like the defunct docks where London City Airport is now.

On the other hand some accuracy which could have been down to luck - one officer checks his watch and it's an Omega brand which is a Swiss manufacturer commonly supplying the UK military for many years.

Overall the movie is one for collectors of the genre.

I avoided "Attack on the Iron Coast" when it was released, given the "B" cast, poor reviews and little promotion by United Artists. Having watched it, I discover a movie with superb performances by Lloyd Bridges and Andrew Keir (in fact, the entire cast)and better production values than "A" list war movies such as "In Harms Way," "Tobruk" and "Operation Crossbow".

This is the only movie Paul Wendkos directed that has impressed me. Using oblique camera angles and careful pacing, he manages to get the most out of his meager budget. Likewise, the producers managed a much more expensive looking movie, along the lines of "The Dirty Dozen," with many more sets to dress. The photography here is equally as good as "In Harm's Way". Too bad the script isn't better,with a rather trite subplot to explain Keir's conflict with Bridges. Keir's arguments against the raid did not require them. What I did like about the script is that what appeared to be obstacles Keir used to "sabotage" the raid actually contributed to its success.

I must disagree with another reviewer regarding the ship miniatures. They look realistic on my computer screen. However, I have seen other movies ("In Harms Way," "633 Squadron," "The Guns of Navarone") where the miniatures and flats looked perfectly fine on the big screen but not on TV. In fact, in both "War of the Worlds" (1953) and "Thunderball" (1965), the wires holding up the models can be clearly seen on television, but not the big screen and both of these films were nominated for Oscars ("War of the Worlds" winning).

I don't want to spoil your enjoyment of this film by overpraising it. So, please go into it with an open mind and judge it by 1968 technical standards. I believe you won't be disappointed.

Haunted by his failure in a previous mission, Major Wilson signs up to lead Operation Mad Dog even though the risks are high. Mad Dog seeks to bring several boats of commandos onto a heavily fortified part of France's coast – one of them full of explosives. While the commandos raid the shore the ship will explode and reduce the defences to rubble and leave the area open for attack. However accidents during training are only the start of a fraught and dangerous mission.

From this period it is not unusual to have a commando movie – if fact they were quite common and quite popular. Taking this as my reason, I decided to watch this film but quickly regretted bothering. The plot is not anything new – training a group of men for a risky mission against all the odds. The first half of the film is quite slow and the training is given none of the wit of Dirty Dozen and other movies that have done it better. Worse still is the fact that the film delves into Major Wilson's personal life, giving long scenes the feel of a melodrama. The actual attack is quite short and quite ordinary – lots of men running round alleys for 5 minutes. The model work is also pretty poor considering the time it was made – they really could have done better.

Another reason for the film lacking teeth is the fact that I never really cared about the characters. It was surprising that, given how much of the film is spent talking, that only the two lead characters were developed to the point that I could give a damn about either of them. Of the two leads, Bridges is miscast and didn't convince me he was a tough wartime Major. Keir however was solid and I enjoyed his character.

Overall this is a pretty poor film that is dull for the most part. It aspires to be a film like Dirty Dozen but it never manages to get anywhere near it. Poor characters, uninvolving development, weak action and a plot that does exactly what you expect it to. Even if you want a film in this genre you can do way better than this.

You could probably have more fun, and learn more, from just 'imagining' what an attack on the coast of occupied France would have been like, rather than putting yourself through this perfunctory movie. And call me pessimistic, but Lloyd Bridges, with his slick enthusiasm and even slicker hair, did not make for a believable wartime Major. That said, the reasons why the operation was approved, and also the revelation that at least six of his men were killed in his stringent training program was thought-provoking.

Well yes this is a bad movie, there is nothing I can do or say that can change that. Its story is unbelievable and impractical, why would a group of soliders go all the way over to france with no possible way back!!! almost facing death ( pre June 44` that is ). Bridges gives a strange performance as the troubled leader of this rough bunch of men, ready to do all for England. He constantly seems troubled in what he is actually doing.

Iron Coast follows a whole host of war movies that tries to follow that boys adventure story routine. It also tries to relate also to the Nazi situation by familiarising you with its officers. Some cast performances are worth memorising however, particularly private Pringle ( Dick Haydon ) but he is my uncle so I am a little predudice. Overall this movie is a flop, shame but the truth.