Review of Mckenzie Break, The

Introduction

I`ve never been much of a fan of war films. If it`s a factual story then people should be reading about it in history books (as films always almost change some facts). If it`s a piece of Hollywood revisionism (the ones where the US did everything and no-one else played any part in the war), then it`s just lying rubbish. The only exception I would make is in the factual category, in that everyone should see Schindler`s List as it`s a very powerful piece of cinema.

With that in mind, I`ll tell you about The McKenzie Break, adapted from a Sidney Shelley novel. A twist on your usual prison camp thrillers (which have the brave British boys trying to escape those evil Germans). This time is the plucky Germans who are trying to escape from the British, from a prison camp in the Scottish Highlands. Look out for TV favourite Michael Sheard (various Dr Who/Mr Bronson from Grange Hill) in his first big screen role.

Video

A 1.85:1 anamorphic transfer greets us here, and it`s another of those run-of-the-mill MGM back catalogue transfers. There`s not too much grain, and there are some occasional patches of good detail. There`s quite a bit of dirt and dust around, as well as some print damage. This title was obviously not important enough to go through any serious clean up.

Audio

A DD2.0 stereo soundtrack, which is the original mono replayed over both channels. It`s clear and audible, and you can hear a rather stereotyped war film soundtrack (lots of snare drums and marching bands).

There are also several dubbed European soundtracks, which are also pretty average.

Features

Just a trailer.

Conclusion

This one nearly grabbed me. I nearly liked it. The idea of Germans escaping from the British was quite good for a while. But then it just turns into another escape film, with tunnels, pockets full of mud and not at all plausbile dummies standing in for real people (I`m reminded of an excellent Paul Merton sketch here). Just another war film in the end.

The disc itself is standard MGM catalogue fare - reasonable picture and sound, and just a trailer. If you want a twist on the "escape from the prison camp" genre then you might pick this up. Nearly everyone else should steer clear.