Consigna: matar al comandante en jefe

A unique Spanish/Italian war thriller, directed by Jose Luis Merino, the guy behind DUEL IN THE ECLIPSE and KILLERS OF THE CASTLE OF BLOOD. I have the feeling that the director was more at home in the spaghetti western and horror genres, because despite the originality of the storyline this is very much par for the course, a Euro-war film that's very typical by genre standards.

The story has a faint whiff of THE DIRTY DOZEN about it as a group of Allied soldiers are sent behind enemy lines on an important mission. They're captured at the outset, and then things become complex, with their identities taken over by German soldiers who plan their own mission behind enemy lines. What it all boils down to is not a lot, but at least the slim storyline is punctuated by some well-handled action sequences with a lot of shooting and shouting.

Sadly, the various problems with the production gradually stack up and take their roll. The majority of the cast are definitely going through the motions, from the dull lead Craig Hill to the pretty-but-uninteresting actresses. The editing is pretty choppy, with characters suddenly jumping from one location to the next, and the viewer must also digest the shoehorned-in stock footage which doesn't even some close to matching with the newly-filmed material. WHEN HEROES DIE isn't actually the worst I've seen, but it had so much potential I can't be anything but disappointed in it.