At the time still a British film pin-up boy, Dirk Bogarde managed to get himself cast in some pretty unlikely roles. Who could forget his Mexican gunslinger in The Singer Not The Song (1961)? Here he is a Cretan resistance fighter pitting his plucky native wit against the Nazi juggernaut as they plot to kidnap the island's German commander and smuggle him to Cairo in order to embarrass the occupiers. .
Not only does this stretch the bounds of credulity to breaking point, stylistically this is one of Powell and Pressburger's least engaging efforts, being more typical of standard wartime dramas than the pair's romantically lush style.
FYI: It was released in the U.S as Night Ambush at 93mins.