

American troops land unopposed on Italian beaches during World War II, but instead of pushing on to Rome, they dig in and the Germans fight back ferociously.
Acting
Peter Falk's hustler corporal is the only pulse in this corpse.
Production
Actual Italian locations that the script doesn't deserve.

Director
Edward Dmytryk
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Dmytryk was a Hollywood blacklist survivor; Coletti was Italian. Their visions clashed so hard the film has two distinct personalities fighting for dominance.
The real Battle of Anzio was a catastrophic Allied stalemate—this film's muddled tone accidentally mirrors the military confusion it depicts.