TV Guide review
Ill Met by Moonlight (1957)
aka Night Ambush (1957)
An unlikely pair of heroes, Bogarde and Oxley, kidnap nazi general Goring
from the German headquarters on Crete in order to transport him to British-occupied
Cairo. Aided by a group of Cretan freedom fighters, they hijack the general's
car, then lead their captive through dangerous mountain terrain to a waiting
boat, while an immense number of Nazi soldiers look for their missing leader.
Loosely based on an actual incident during WW II, the material is handled
in an imaginative manner that brings out both the intrigue and the humor
in this ordeal. The performances of the three leads add the verve which
is vital for the film's success. Foremost among these is Goring as the Nazi
general; always overconfident and cocky, he is certain that the two British
officers lack the skill with which to carry out such an important mission.
Yet, Bogarde and Oxley always come up with some ingenious method with which
to thwart their pursuers, never appearing as the unflinching heroes common
to so many war films. Goring's last-ditch attempt to alert his soldiers
to his whereabouts has him leaving a trail of buttons and medals, which
are all picked up by Bogarde
[Oxley]
and returned to the general after having reached
their destination. The score by Theodorakis was his first such credit for
an international film.
