If the ambition is to provide two hours of instantly forgettable, popcorn-munching escapism, it succeeds.

Story: It's very simple but honestly that is fine.

An old-fashioned movie made with new-fashioned finesse.

The movie's neither hopeful in contrived ways, nor hopeless in different contrived ways. Somehow it manages to be wonderful

The late '70s saw a change in fortune for cult director Umberto Lenzi. Suddenly, he was the man chosen to make some epic war movies with a decent budget. At last a chance to leave his native Italy and travel through Europe, shooting abroad for many scenes. And at last a chance to work with an internationally famous cast of all-stars. Sadly, Lenzi's worldwide fame was never to be, and instead he found himself back in Italy a few years later churning out schlock cannibal classics such as CANNIBAL FEROX for which he has become somewhat infamous in cult film circles. Although his late '70s war films are flawed and sometimes feel bloated and overlong, they're certainly a lot better than the subsequent mid '80s war features he made and technically superior to those he did in the late '60s. FROM HELL TO VICTORY is also probably the only Umberto Lenzi film to have been granted a terrestrial television broadcast here in the UK, albeit in the middle of the night on Channel 5! The film itself is a straightforward war adventure, chronicling and cutting between the adventures of a small group of friends who find themselves facing death during the Second World War. The action is generally good but not great, although the final battle is quite spectacular, with the budget only being evident in the aerial combat scenes which substitute silly miniature planes in place of real ones, mixed together with stock footage in a bid to fool the casual viewer. Sad to say the scheme didn't work, although the result is somewhat amusing. Generally the pacing is solid enough and - whilst hardly a classic action film like the cop thrillers Lenzi made with actor Maurizio Merli - the film delivers the goods with some style and excitement.The casting mixes together a number of old and new faces, with some Euro-regulars thrown into the mix for good measure. Veteran support comes from George Peppard as the grizzled war general, whilst the role of his fresh-faced son goes to the ever-present Ray Lovelock. George Hamilton is somewhat camp as a caricatured, beret-wearing Frenchman, although heavyweight acting comes from Sam Wanamaker as an ally. Meanwhile, Anny Duperey and Capucine liven up the glamour front, Franco regular Howard Vernon fits the role of an evil Nazi like a glove, and Horst Buchholz struggles with his conscience and his duty as a German fighter. Not a classic film, but a pretty entertaining one for war lovers.

It's 24th August 1939 and Europe is on the brink of war. However six individuals of differing nationalities-two French, two American, one Brit and a German-enjoy each other's company as they indulge in the finer of life's qualities. They promise to reunite in Paris on the 24th of August every year, although with the outbreak of war this becomes impossible. After the fall of France, each individual goes off to do their duty. It is now inevitable that cruel destiny decides each of their fates, a circumstance which changes each of their lives forever.Eurocrime and Giallo aficionado Umberto Lenzi brings us a chunk of spasmodic Macaroni Combat. Like most of it's kind, From Hell To Victory is a real hatchet job. It was made in 1979 and by this point even the Spaghetti western was dead and gone, thus it marks the end of an era in Italian cinema. Overall, a quarter of this movie is constructed with footage pinched from another Macaroni combat flick(Eagles Over London anybody?)and whilst the editing is swift the film jumps incoherently from one scenario to another. Lenzi attempts to condense so much detail into an abrupt 1hr 40mins, although personally I prefer a movie that is short and to the point. However, crucial operations such as the Normandy landings and the battle of the Bulge are carelessly brushed aside in favour of melodramatically dire lamentation. At the end of the film, George Hamilton's character sarcastically states "you're away for a few days and look at the mess of the place", although it's ironic in that the movie literally feels as if it takes place over a few short days as opposed to a few years.I did like the premise but to be honest I really just watched this film for the action, therefore I didn't feel any overwhelming emotional rapport with the characters which I think was down to the poor script. The performances were pretty ordinary. A pre A Team George Peppard gets some action hero practice by gunning down a few Germans and if I was Horst Bucholz I would be more than happy to ride in the opening hatch of an advancing tank. Speaking of action scenes, From Hell To Victory contains some darned fantastic ones. I was thrilled by the riotous firefights(now I know where Tarantino gets his inspiration)and the movie climaxes with a cracker of a battle scene!. Lenzi really threw his entire weight behind the visuals which turns this sequence into the movie's trump card. Tight cuts and frenzied camera-work build suspense as gargantuan explosions scar the battlefield and machine gun fire tears through the air. The hoards of M-41 Walker Bulldog tanks grinding across the landscape were also really cool, even if they were horribly anachronistic. The region 2 DVD transfer is average at best, with faded picture and screechy audio.From Hell To Victory is an uneven war drama which goes from being boring to exciting and vice versa, but the action sequences seal it's fate as a thoroughly enjoyable movie. 8/10

Mediocre Italian/French/Spanish warlike with big name actors and regularly staged battles , dealing with a group of different nationalities vow to meet each year , at the same date , but WWII interrupts their lives . This spectacular movie starts on August 24, 1939, at a small French Cafe , six friends (George Peppard as Brett Rosson , George Hamilton as Maurice Bernard , Horst Buchholz as Jürgen Dietrich , Anny Duperey as Fabienne , Jean-Pierre Cassel as Dick and Sam Wanamaker as Ray) of various nationalities are about to go their separate ways , they vow to reunite on that day each year at the cafe , though it is not always possible . And when the war breaks out , the events go awry . They all go join the war for their countries and one of them is German (Horst Buchholz) and Fabienne (Anny Duperey) begins working with the French resistance , joining forces with Partisans (Lambert Wilson) , one becomes a flier (Jean Pierre Cassel) and two others are just simple officers-in-command . An upright officer named Rosson incarnated by George Peppard is assigned to OSS and his son (Ray Lovelock) takes the ranks as a soldier in special operations along with Maurice Bernard (George Hamilton) . After the action is placed on several locations . As in France Maurice/George Hamilton and Jim Rosson/Ray Lovelock whose mission to destroy a German bridge before it's used against the Allied forces . Follow the feats about Partisans and a squadron attacking German positions . Meantime Rosson/Peppard must neutralize a German installation where Nazis hide combustible for V2 rockets . This is a regularly conceived WWII with action filled, , character drama and exciting battles , but nothing special . Packs inaccurate details and an extremely talented though wasted casting make this one of all-star-cast European epic productions though failed . The film contains news-reel documentary , stock-shots vignettes and miniatures , however lost continuity with several cuts and zooms. Spectacular battles and fights , including miniaturized tanks and planes , whose footage is taken from ¨Battle of commands¨ also by Umberto Lenzi , and The Dirty Heroes by Alberto De Martino and Eagles over London by Enzo G Castell. The battle scenes shot in Hoyo De Manzanares , Spain , where in the 60s and 70s , along with Almeria location , were filmed a lot of Western . This average movie contains a prestigious cast as George Peppard , Sam Wanamaker , Jean Pierre Cassel , George Hamilton , Capucine , though really wasted . Furthermome , numerous Italian/Spanish/French secondaries in brief interventions such as as May Heatherly ,Howard Vernon , Ritza Brown , Franco Fantasia and Antonio Mayans . Appropriate cinematography by Jose Luis Alcaine , though being necessary a right remastering , this magnificent cameraman has been making a prestigious career as Pedro Almodovar's usual photographer such as The skin I live in , Volver , Bad education and Women on the verge of a Nervous breakdown . Emotive as well as functional musical score by Riz Ortalani .The tale produced by Jose Frade is middling directed by Umbert Lenzi, he used the pseudonym Hank Milestone and Humphrey Logan. He's an expert on wartime genre such as he proved in ¨ Desert commandos , Battle of commandos and Bridge to hell .

'Contro 4 Bandiere' AKA 'From Hell to Victory' was a last hurrah in epic war film-making for director Umberto Lenzi. Lenzi first broke into this genre during the late 1960s when he made two Second World War potboilers, 'Desert Commandos' (1967) and 'Battle of the Commandos' (1969). While cheaply made, the films were energetic and drew attention to a young talent. Nearly a decade passed, however, before Lenzi touched upon war films again, preferring to work in giallo, poliziottescho, and horror. 'The Greatest Battle,' Lenzi's third war film, was a highly-budgeted flop in 1978 that included Henry Fonda, John Huston, and Orson Welles. Just one year later, Lenzi was given another chance with 'From Hell to Victory,' a bungled French-Italian co-production that again offered noteworthy actors and sizable production values.Outside of a few gialli and poliziotteschi, there are not many good things to say about Lenzi's résumé and his critics will find plenty of ammunition in 'From Hell to Victory.' The film offers a unique concept, but its plot line and script are mostly a rewrite of 'The Greatest Battle,' shown in theaters just one year before. Producer Edmondo Amati's inability to finance battle scenes is also clear throughout, with Lenzi using stock footage to piece together the action. While such cleverness may have worked in cinemas thirty years ago, Lenzi's penny-pinching is easily dissected through VHS tapes and DVD, making him an easy target for ridicule.'From Hell to Victory' opens in August, 1939, at a Parisian riverside café, where six intellectuals are enjoying a day out. With war on the horizon, these friends agree to reunite at the café every August 24th, regardless of circumstance. The Second World War breaks up their plans, however, as all six people disband across Europe. American Brett Rosson (George Peppard) becomes an OSS officer and meets up with estranged son Jim (Ray Lovelock), who is disgusted by his relationship with a French heiress (Capucine). Frenchman Maurice Bernard (George Hamilton) survives the Dunkirk evacuation and becomes a commando for the allied forces. Englishman Richard Sanders (Jean-Pierre Cassel), also a Dunkirk veteran, protects his country as an RAF fighter. German Jürgen Dietrich (Horst Buchholz) becomes a high-ranking Nazi officer. Second American Ray MacDonald (Sam Wanamaker) becomes a war correspondent in London, finally meeting his grown English daughter Mary (May Heatherly). The lone woman of the six is Fabienne Bonnoir (Anny Duperey), who joins the French Resistance.Like 'The Greatest Battle,' this film uses its characters as a springboard for wartime events. However, the script of 'From Hell to Victory' is considerably better; rather than using the characters as superficial glue, they are a key element of what is taking place. These six people are important to the larger wartime scenarios and they undergo a small amount of development. The storyline is more fleshed out than in 'The Greatest Battle' and there are actually some touching moments. To the film's credit, 'From Hell to Victory' is well-acted; Peppard, Hamilton, and the other cast members have sympathy for their roles and do their best to overcome the script's weaknesses.However, 'From Hell to Victory' is a technical fiasco. It is poorly shot, has incredibly bad editing, and does a rotten job of 'pretending' to be on a much greater scale than was actually filmed. When away from the battlefields, 'From Hell to Victory' has a fair amount of competence; but Lenzi (credited as 'Hank Milestone') did not have billions of francs or lira at his disposal and was forced to use aerial and infantry stock footage from larger productions. Care was taken in the new sequences to make them fit with the old, but it's all too obvious that clips were taken from another source. Lenzi and hack editor Vincenzo Tomassi attempted to hide this by using breakneck pacing and angle-changing that has been a constant in the director's films. This fast pace captures the insane atmosphere of war, but it also looks poorly organized and amateurish. Cinematographer José Luis Alcaine has won numerous awards for his work and you would never know it from the murky, uncoordinated picture that's on display here. On the other hand, there is fairly good dubbing and the uplifting orchestral score of Riz Ortolani actually rates with Hollywood compositions.With the Italian film industry waning in 1979, 'From Hell to Victory' was Lenzi's final chance to direct an epic and he finished light years short in most respects. 'From Hell to Victory' was doomed to budget limitations and had its fate sealed from the outset. This is unfortunate, because a wonderful idea is hiding underneath the poor script, slapdash direction, and horrendous technical work. One can only guess what might have resulted from a company with more time and finances at its disposal. Certainly, the film's plot would have been more thorough (it's just 101 minutes long!) and perhaps a few genuine planes and tanks would have been thrown into the bargain.'From Hell to Victory' was actually broadcast on CBS Television in the mid-80s and has survived on VHS tape amongst collectors. In 2004, Trinity Home Entertainment released a no-frills DVD that doesn't really improve on older versions. The film is presented in widescreen, but seems to have an incorrect aspect ratio at times; I can't tell if this resulted from a poor transfer or bad filming on Lenzi's part. Trinity never seems to clean up the titles in their catalogue and, unsurprisingly, this film is loaded with grain and artifacts. The sound is in Dolby 2.0, which brings Riz Ortolani's score to the forefront; however, dialogue carries an underlying hiss and crackle. You can forget about extras on this disc and it would be nice if Lenzi were interviewed about his war films at some point, especially since they drew the best actors of his career. If nothing else, 'From Hell to Victory' is a curious item and deserves one look for its major cast.** out of 4