if their story seems completely bonkers, almost like a feverish work of fiction, you ain't heard nothing yet.

There is, somehow, an interesting story here, as well as some good acting. There are also some good scenes

The joyful confection is coated in a sparkly gloss, bright enough to gleam from the darkest, most cynical corners.

Great story, amazing characters, superb action, enthralling cinematography. Yes, this is something I am glad I spent money on.

Roger Corman got his largest budget to date and distribution through United Artists for The Secret Invasion. Even though the story is a combination of The Dirty Dozen and The Guns Of Navarone, it's all delivered in nice style.Heading the mission is Major Stewart Granger and the time is during those days just before the Allies invaded Italy proper having already landed and occupied Sicily. He gets himself a choice team of criminals of varying kind all with certain specialties. His team includes Raf Vallone, Edd Byrnes, William Campbell, Mickey Rooney, and Henry Silva. With Granger that makes it a half a dozen.These six are to go into occupied Yugoslavia and kidnap a popular Italian general. Remember at this point in time Mussolini had already been overthrown and the Allies were conducting negotiations with Field Marshal Badoglio to take Italy out of the Axis orbit. Command broke down in the Italian Army and Badoglio dragged his feet somewhat. So this was a move in Yugoslavia where the Italians had considerable troops. Things didn't quite work out for Granger and the rest of his half dozen no more than they did for the Allies and Badoglio. Still the mission is completed kind of and a few actually survive to tell the tale.Best in the cast is Mickey Rooney who adopts a nice Irish brogue as he plays an IRA man who's good with explosives. Like the rest he's fighting for a pardon if he gets back from Yugoslavia. He looks like he's having a great old time in the part. Given his last name you'd think the Mick would have played more Irish types in films. But remember he was born Joe Yule, Jr. quite Jewish.The Secret Invasion will not be one of Roger Corman's cult classics, it had too big a budget for that. Still it's an enjoyable film, war film fans will like it.

I saw this one today and I was very surprised by the film. Not only does it have a theme reminiscent of the later Dirty Dozen, but there's a scene towards the beginning that smacks of the Guns of Naverone. The casting is surprisingly top notch and I was overall pleased with the entire film. Stewart Granger is Good as the troubled British officer out for revenge. I loved Mickey Rooney, who seemed to be having the time of his life as an IRA demolition expert. The other members of the cast rounded out an almost perfect ensemble with notable mention to William Campbell & Edd Byrne. The only thing I found odd about this film was the speed at which the actors found themselves on their secret mission. It seemed within 20 minutes they were introduced, trained, and already in enemy waters. Other than that, it was a solid WW2 movie with plenty of action! I HIGHLY recommend it.

***SPOILERS*** Combination "Mission Impossible" & "Dirty Dozen" action movie with some half dozen misfits whipped into shape by their equally misfit commander British Major Richard Mace played by the very suntanned, who must have got his gorgeously striking tan sunbathing in the Sahara Desert, and refined looking Steward Granger. Mace is a man with a shoddy past that involved his kid brother getting killed in a screw up mission he sent him on against the Germans back in 1942.With the planned invasion of Italy just days away Mace and his gang of just released convicts are to hit the Germans in the rear in far off Yugoslavia! That's to divert the German dreaded panzer divisions from coming to the aid of the hard pressed German troops in Southern Italy where the main allied invasion is to take place. The real purpose of the "secret invasion" is to rescue Italian General Quadri, Enzo Fiermonte, who's being held captive by the Germans. The plan is to have the very popular Italian general rally his troops to join up with the Yugoslav partisans to fight against the German Army!laughable war movie until the German Army depicted at first as a German version of the Keyston Kops gets down to business and starts kicking butt on Maj. Mace and is boys who includes a leprechaun looking Mickey Rooney as IRA demolition expert Terances Scanlon. Rooney has so much trouble imitating an Irish brogue until late in the film when he ends up dropping it altogether. That's before he takes out, together with himself, a German Army pillbox that just about wiped out all the members of Maj. Mace's secret invasion force!There's also secret invasion force members Edd "Cookie" Byrnes as the master forger Simon Fell who from his acting as a master forger I doubt that he could forge is own signature much less top secret German documents. We also have the Tony Curtis looking William Campball as disguise artist Jane Saval and dead eye assassin John Dorrell, Henry Silva, with the always smiling Italian ex-convict and now super patriot Reborto Rocca, Raf Vallone, to round out the members of the secret invasion force.Boring to the point of putting its audience to sleep the film really start to move in the last twenty or so minutes of its running time. It's then when Maj. Mace's secret invasion force goes into action together with some 1,000 Yugoslav partisans who end up giving the Germans all the hell that they can handle. ***SPOILER ALERT*** Were treated to a big surprise at the end of the movie in just who this hero of the people, the Italian people, General Quadri really is? And as it turns out he isn't who we and Maj. Mace and his men thought he was! That sets us up for an even bigger surprise, if we didn't have enough surprises in the movie already, in that the only survivor, besides Roberto Rocca, contract killer John Dorrell, of the secret invasion force pulls an ace from up his sleeve, or under his clothes! The very alert and forward looking Dorrell, in expecting the unexpected, gets General Quadri's loyal troops, who would gladly give up their lives for him, to rally against the Germans, at the time their allies, by offing him and then giving them a fascist salute after doing it!

This film cut out much of the extra stuff that was in the Dirty Dozen. It also did not have a maggot character like Savalas played in the dozen. The film had a few unexpected turns and did not turn to the revolting conclusion of the Dirty Dozen. Secret Invasion had a better premise than Dozen.In Dozen the mission was to kill as many German officers as possible at a castle which also would include their their wives and girlfriends. In Secret Invasion the mission was to rescue a popular Italian general from German captivity so that he could return to lead Italian forces. At that time many Italians wavered between German and Allied forces so a strong leader could turn the tide so Italians would join the Allied cause.The film demands some understanding of the war to fully understand the plot. It also shows glimpses into the Yugoslavian underground which supported the U.S. There are plenty of convincing battle scenes and Corman does a fine job of directing with good acting. Great to see on cable instead of the usual more talky Second World War films.