As with Kelly's Heroes, Where Eagles Dare pulls itself together best in its third act

It gets better, yields deeper layers of meaning, every time I see it.

Alistair MacLean wrote an original screenplay that was treated with respect for the writer's unusual abilities as a master of actionful suspense. The resulting film is highly entertaining, thrilling and rarely lets down for a moment.

...sets the right, jaunty tone for a never-to-be-bettered, big-star WWII victory lap…