While many 1960s World War II movies invest their heroes with near-superhuman powers, Anthony Mann's retelling of the Norwegian Resistance's bid to scupper Nazi atomic research is a convincing account, capturing the conflict's true spirit, if not the precise facts.
Kirk Douglas and Richard Harris - as rugged as the Telemark mountains that serve as the backdrop - muster persuasive performances as the primary heroes, although both are hampered by their characters' multitudinous moral dilemmas.