Exoticalot People are voting emotionally.

Dynamixor The performances transcend the film's tropes, grounding it in characters that feel more complete than this subgenre often produces.

Matylda Swan It is a whirlwind of delight --- attractive actors, stunning couture, spectacular sets and outrageous parties.

Cheryl A clunky actioner with a handful of cool moments.

bkoganbing A recent biography of Alec Guinness says that he did not think too much of this film. He felt it was a rehash of characters he played before like in The Lavendar Hill Mob or The Man In The White Suit. Why he took it is a mystery unless this was the best he was being offered at the time. One thing he did note to his wife Merulla was that he felt that Robert Redford was going to be a big star.Situation Hopeless...But Not Serious is one weird film. It has some interesting and funny moments in it, but it's just way too weird. Guinness is some quiet and nebbish like German who in the waning days of World War II when two American fliers Captain Robert Redford and Sergeant Michael Connors take refuge in his basement, he locks them up there and they become his own private prisoners. Not that he treats them bad, he just craves company since he has no friends. On V.E. Day had he let them go, no harm no foul. But Guinness keeps them on through 1946.I could probably draw a lot of conclusions as to why Guinness's character was so wanting their company, but the Code was still somewhat in place. And as Guinness was a repressed gay Catholic man his whole life, this film must have hit close to home.For the strangest Alec Guinness film out there, check out this one.

moonspinner55 Two American soldiers stationed in Germany during World War II are captured by an odd German shopkeeper (Alec Guinness); he imprisons the two men in his basement and keeps them there long after the war is over. Strange, unhappy, insecure comedy-drama is extremely well-cast but is really too creepy to laugh at. As the soldiers, Michael Connors and Robert Redford have some good moments, but one can't help but feeling this is just an actors' exercise for both (they're green, but commendable). Alec Guinness is forced to walk a fine line in his characterization; it's imperative to the story that we don't hate the shopkeeper, and Guinness works hard at finding nuances in the man to keep him complex and interesting. If newcomers Connors and Redford are young actors just finding their way, then Guinness is in the Master's class. *1/2 from ****

Skragg This isn't really a laugh-a-minute comedy, or one that relies on a whole lot of logic (like some of the things in the last scenes), but I've always thought of it as a very good "Odd Couple" kind of story (the opening narration even uses that expression). And each of the actors fits so well into his part- Redford as the refined character who somehow adapts to the basement in no time, Connors as the down-to-earth character who's always trying to escape, and of course Guinness. There have been countless comical eccentric Germans, but trust that actor to come up with one who's pretty much unlike any other. And of course there's Frick's idea that they're all three destined to be together (because of his mother's horoscope and other things), and the way his telling them "the big announcement" keeps being prevented. Another odd thing is that there's never an actual scene of them finding out (it all happens gradually), though I could have stood to see a scene like that. Also, I don't usually like those spontaneous fistfight scenes that used to be so common in comedies, but this movie has one that genuinely works - I don't mean the later one, but the one where Finder finally gets fed up with Wilson's casual attitude towards trying to escape, which is a very funny scene. Also, even though it wasn't a romantic comedy, it had a great line that would be just right for one - in one scene, Finder is feeling especially grim about being a prisoner, and Frick tells him in a well-meaning way that he should try to be "philosophical" about it, which Finder ignores. When Frick offers to do anything to cheer him up, Finder tells him excitedly that he can find him a girl, make some arrangement with her and bring her back to the house. Frick says, "But I thought you were MARRIED, sergeant." Wilson says, "Well, MARRIAGE is something the sergeant IS willing to be philosophical about."

yenlo An American bomber goes down over Germany during WWII and two of its crew one officer and one sergeant find themselves as captives of a German civilian in his cellar. Alec Guinness, Robert Redford and Mike Connors star in this mid 60's comedy/drama caper. Guinness plays a somewhat milquetoast civilian who decides to hold the duo in his cellar. However once the war ends he fails to release them or alert the authorities opting instead to keep them informed the war is still going on by making up his own news on the conflict. The film lags at certain points but is still an entertaining off beat story.