Back home

Against the Wind

14 votes

Producing House

A disparate group of volunteers are trained as saboteurs and parachuted into Belgium to blow up an office containing important Nazi records and to rescue a prominent S.O.E. agent, who is being interrogated by the Germans for vital information.

movie

Status: Released

Released Date: 1948-02-01

Runtime: 96 mins

Director: Charles Crichton

Spoken language: English

Genres: War, Action, Drama

Original title: Against the Wind

Production Companies: Ealing Studios, J. Arthur Rank Organisation

Production Countries: United Kingdom

Reviews

G

Geronimo1967
With his homeland under a Nazi yoke, displaced priest “Fr. Philip” (Robert Beatty) is part of a group of courageous men and women who are training to become underground fighters. With their target a records office, a small team are parachuted into a Brussels packed full of soldiers and so their perilous project begins. We know that they have an ally working within the army ranks but what they don’t know is that there is an enemy fifth columnist working within their own. Things soon come to an head when “Emile” (John Slater) is captured and so “Michelle” (Simone Signoret) and the out-of-his-depth “Duncan” (Gordon Jackson) have to come up with a rescue plan before the Gestapo close in. Though the latter elements of this story deliver the more predictable elements of jeopardy, it’s really the earlier stages that are more interesting. We learn just what motivated this priest, “Michelle”, “Cronk” (Jack Warner) and of the difficulties faced by their stoic handler “Ackerman” (James Robertson Justice) who has to evaluate the credibility of these volunteers to make sure they are not just liabilities to a cause that is dangerous and unforgiving. We also take a look at just what motivated their betrayer too, and in many ways that’s quite a potent illustrator of the dilemma faced by many people with families still lived in the hornet’s nest. Signoret is on great , pensive, form - as is Jackson who somehow epitomises the haplessness of so many people whose bravery couldn’t compensate for their anxiety and youthful inexperience when faced with an authoritarian brutality. There is also room for a little light-heartedness here too as there are plenty of gadgets and gizmos to cause mischief for their enemies. Odd how when it comes to killing each other, we can be remarkably ingenious!
2025-07-12

Recommendations

The Crime of Padre Amaro
3.3

The Crime of Padre Amaro

2002-10-01

Sent to Mexico to help take care of aging Father Benito, young Father Amaro faces a moral challenge

A Singing Girl
2

A Singing Girl

1942-03-09

A girl (Alice Babs) from the country moves to Stockholm to become a singer.

The Cardinal
3.3

The Cardinal

1963-12-12

A young Catholic priest from Boston confronts bigotry, Nazism, and his own personal conflicts as he

Wicked Priest 2: Ballad of Murder
3.3

Wicked Priest 2: Ballad of Murder

1968-11-30

The long awaited second film in the Wicked Priest series is a masterpiece of sword swinging fury as

To Be or Not to Be
3.9

To Be or Not to Be

1942-03-06

During the Nazi occupation of Poland, an acting troupe becomes embroiled in a Polish soldier's effor

Italian for Beginners
3.2

Italian for Beginners

2000-12-07

Several lonely hearts in a semi-provincial suburb of a town in Denmark use a beginner's course in It

Bad Education
3.7

Bad Education

2004-03-19

An examination on the effect of Franco-era religious schooling and sexual abuse on the lives of two

Breaking the Waves
3.8

Breaking the Waves

1996-07-05

In a small, conservative Scottish village, an oilman is paralyzed in an accident. His wife, who pray

Cutaway
2.5

Cutaway

2000-08-26

The successful undercover agent Victor Cooper is assigned for his ninth mission: to find how the loa

Prêtres interdits
2.3

Prêtres interdits

1973-11-22

The Fifth Element
3.8

The Fifth Element

1997-05-02

In 2257, a taxi driver is unintentionally given the task of saving a young girl who is part of the k

From Dusk Till Dawn
3.5

From Dusk Till Dawn

1996-01-19

After kidnapping a father and his two kids, the Gecko brothers head south to a seedy Mexican bar to

Passing Glory
2.9

Passing Glory

1999-02-21

A true story of a priest (Andre Braugher) in New Orleans who formed a group of black players and cha

Non Grata
3.5

Non Grata

2024-11-10

The short film “Non Grata” offers a fictional interpretation of the mysterious disappearance of Sist

Thirst
3.5

Thirst

2009-04-30

A respected priest volunteers for an experimental procedure that may lead to a cure for a deadly vir

Rosetta
3.6

Rosetta

1999-09-29

Young, impulsive Rosetta lives a hard and stressful life as she struggles to support herself and her

The Last Supper
3.3

The Last Supper

1995-09-08

A group of idealistic but frustrated liberals succumb to the temptation of murdering right-wing pund

Flesh + Blood
3.3

Flesh + Blood

1985-08-30

A band of medieval mercenaries take revenge on a noble lord who decides not to pay them by kidnappin

Beef Cattle
1.7

Beef Cattle

1979-01-01

Thomas, in his forties, holds an important post in a slaughterhouse. He is engaged to Marie-Rose, th

Vampires
3.1

Vampires

1998-10-30

The church enlists a team of vampire-hunters to hunt down and destroy a group of vampires searching