In this sequel to Sam Peckinpah's film 'Cross of Iron' German sergeant Steiner gets involved in anti-Hitler conspiracy, and saves the life of an American colonel.
BREAKTHROUGH, the sequel to CROSS OF IRON, is a far better movie than the original, which was brilliantly photographed but emotionally unsatisfying. Burton plays Sergeant Steiner (the alternative name of the film in some countries), a German but not a Nazi, who is embroiled in the plot
to kill Hitler. Mitchum is a US colonel whose life is saved by Burton, and Jurgens is particularly effective as the German general who commits suicide after the plot to eliminate Der Fuehrer fails. Lots of suspense (although we all know how the war ended, by this time) and good performances under
the knowledgeable hand of McLaglen, who has directed more than his share of these big-budget jobs. (All that he lacked was John Wayne, who starred in many McLaglen films.) This movie was not a hit and probably lost a pile of money.