THE SEA WOLVES is the kind of film which, even at the time it was made, is the sort of film they don't make anymore. The plot - so improbable that it is indeed based on fact - is that British shipping is being sunk by U-boats guided by German spies using a hidden radio transmitter on board a ship interned in neutral Goa (a Portuguese colony in India). Unable to do anything official the Brits come up with the ludicrous but brilliant wheeze of sending a bunch of old duffers - from an almost defunct part-time unit called the Calcutta Light Horse - on a commando raid into the harbour to blow up the Hun ship. And their cover story: that they're a drunken works outing who wanted to board the shop for a dare. Peck - stiff but reliable - and Niven - charming as ever - lead this bit whilst Roger Moore - in a beige safari suit again - does his James Bond act as he seduces a woman who he doesn't realise is a German spy. It's all jolly good fun in a rainy Saturday afternoon style; an old- fashioned yarn full of reliable old actors having - just like their characters - one last adventure. Younger viewers might dislike the relatively slow pace, the general lack of action and the absence of gore/flesh/swearing but it has a great deal of the charm, common sense and maturity lacking from modern cinema; having completed their mission they whisper "poor devils" whilst watching the German ships burn, instead of cheering.
Review of The Sea Wolves
