BREAKTHROUGH is a surprisingly enjoyable WW2 movie from West Germany, astonishingly little known despite the pedigree of the three main players at the head of its cast: no less than Richard Burton, Robert Mitchum and Rod Steiger! The film belongs to Burton alone and he delivers a typically anguished turn as the war-weary soldier trying to make the best of a bad situation, while Mitchum steals all his scenes with his usual charisma. The intriguing plot ties in the failed Hitler assassination attempt with the Normandy landings and there's a whole wealth of convincing battle action to add to the authenticity. It's an underrated picture that proves a welcome addition to the '70s war output.
Review of Breakthrough
