Maidexpl Entertaining from beginning to end, it maintains the spirit of the franchise while establishing it's own seal with a fun cast

Glucedee It's hard to see any effort in the film. There's no comedy to speak of, no real drama and, worst of all.

StyleSk8r At first rather annoying in its heavy emphasis on reenactments, this movie ultimately proves fascinating, simply because the complicated, highly dramatic tale it tells still almost defies belief.

Jakoba True to its essence, the characters remain on the same line and manage to entertain the viewer, each highlighting their own distinctive qualities or touches.

Leofwine_draca ICE COLD IN ALEX is, I suppose, the granddaddy of those 'desert war' films that were all the rage in Italy and beyond during the 1960s. This one's a surprisingly low key effort - and all the better for it - that focuses on the efforts of the crew of a first aid truck as it attempts to cross the barren deserts of North Africa to safety.Along the way, the crew members have to contend with Nazi patrols and in-fighting, but their biggest obstacle is the terrain itself. The desert landscapes are brought to full and hostile life in this film as in few others, and watching the crew work together in an attempt to overcome them makes for a suspense-filled journey.John Mills is an obvious and dependable choice as the stalwart lead, but it's Anthony Quayle who steals the show as the South African tagging along for the ride. Harry Andrews plays it just right in support, and even Sylvia Sims contributes an important part instead of feeling extraneous. Watch out for Diane Clare (THE PLAGUE OF THE ZOMBIES), Richard Marner ('ALLO 'ALLO) and Walter Gotell in support. This exemplary film was an early feather in the cap for director J. Lee Thompson, a man who would end his career some thirty years later by making Charles Bronson movies for Cannon.

james_guest An interesting comment by several reviewers - e.g. kitsilanoca-1 - is that the cast were not prima donnas. When Sir John Mills died his co-star in this film Sylvia Sims said that the whole cast was UNcomplaining about conditions. They had all just been through the war. Anthony Quayle for instance had been in the Special Operations Executive, the forerunner to the SAS, in Albania organising resistance. They were prepared to accept discomfort and even hardship in exactly the same way as any member of the crew. An attitude that was with them the whole of their lives. It may be this that makes the film so real and gritty.

writers_reign I've managed successfully to avoid this movie for years more especially since easily satisfied acquaintances have, at regular intervals, urged me to see it. It's one of those things - like The Mousetrap, Phantom, Les Miz etc that are self-perpetuating so that people go to see them just because they are there rather than for any actual merit they possess. Finally, someone sent me a freebie (via a newspaper promotion) DVD and I decided to get it over with. As I suspected it is virtually interchangeable with the similar movies that the British film industry was turning out by the yard in the late fifties, no better and no worse, though in retrospect the young Sylvia Syms bore a striking resemblance to the late people's princess. She and Anthony Quayle had worked together the previous year - and with a similar lack of chemistry - in Woman In A Dressing Gown which, for some unfathomable reason, has just been reissued in the West End of London. If you like that sort of thing this is the sort of thing you'll like.

tomgillespie2002 Battle-weary alcoholic Captain Anson (John Mills) sets out across the Libyan desert after his British base is evacuated. Joining him is Tom Pugh (Harry Andrews), Anson's square-jawed and loyal friend, and two nurses Diana (Sylvia Syms) and Denise (Diane Clare). Joining them early on the road is Afrikaan-speaking Captain van der Poel (Anthony Quayle), a colossal man who seems rather attached to his bag who he claims contains bottles of gin. In their way are mine fields, thirst, swampy salt mines, the desert heat, and those bloody Nazis. Anson promises to quit drinking until he gets to Alexandria, Egypt, where awaiting him is an ice cold lager.Possibly the best thing about this very good film is the real feel of the desert. Many of the old films glam it up a bit, but Ice Cold In Alex revels in the sweat, dust and dirt of the perilous desert. You can literally taste the dryness of their lips and the scorching heat on their back, and really feel their struggle. Also refreshing is the lack of token gunfights and action scenes that plagued many of the old war films. It is more concerned with the individual mental and physical struggle of the characters, and draws up tension in the small moments, such as Anson biting his lip and breathing hard as he slowly makes his way across the mine field. Another film that came to mind during these tense scenes is Henri-Georges Clouzot's The Wages Of Fear.I never realised just quite how terrific an actor John Mills was until I saw this. Even though his male co-stars tower over the little man, he is a raging mountain of frustration, anger and fierce dedication. It is a sublime performance. His co-stars are impressive too, with Quayle another standout as a man who may not be quite who he claims to be. Combining this with the impressive cinematography and intelligent script, it makes for an exciting and absorbing war film that manages to be quintessentially British yet as gritty a war film that I've seen from this era.www.the-wrath-of-blog.blogspot.com