there a certain sort of militaristic and maladjusted creep i have meet a few in my time who fascinate by nazi to the point of idolatry . ( often and too and he an expert on german regalia and uniform and weaponry and etc . ) guy like this must love the eagle have land and because the nazi in it be with a few exception paragon of courage and virtue . ( the few exception be and a usual and the gestapo and the s . a in another popular sympathy for the nazis movie and das boot and these branch make convenient villain and serve a a contrast to the clean cut good guy german who just happen to be fight for the fuhrer because . well and theyre patriot and that all while they have absolutely nothing against jew and and they despise those slimy fanatical gestapo bastard honest . ) the michael caine character in eagle actually incurs punishment for try to save a jewish woman life ( how heroic can you get . ) while later and rather than shoot an unwary american sentry and he simply knock the man unconscious . one of caine men die rescue a little english girl from drown . the german take english villager hostage but honorably let them all go unharmed and then die together fight for the fatherland rather than surrender . meanwhile and the american be head up by larry hagman and play a cartoonish officer straight out of the three stooge . when he learn that nazi have land in england to kidnap churchill and be hold hostage in a nearby church and he get this . refuse to inform central command while you see and he want the glory all to himself . he and most of his men end up dead and sometimes in keystone kops style . ( one jeep go hurtle off a road into a river while hagman himself put on a surprised and comic and almost cross eyed face when he get shot and tumble down a flight of stair . ) england herself fare little good . one muscular villager be a hostile lout whom donald sutherland and a an england hat ira agent and effortlessly beat to a pulp and and do so without lose his impish irish grin . ( in real life and say lout would have kick the reedy sutherland all over the set . ) sutherland trade a few romantic quip with a village lass play by jenny agutter while they have maybe five or six minute of conversation ( fully clothe and which be rare for agutter ) and whereupon the lass fall so deeply in love with the ira man that she shoot the english lout dead and proceeds to betray her fellow villager indeed and her entire country . i suspect that some scene develop the relationship may have be cut while still and shame on agutter and caine and and every other briton involve in this production . if britain be as feckless a this and it citizen would now be speak german ( or gaelic ) . a few commentator have mention this movie similarity to a little known english film call go the day well . it be make during the war and on a much tiny budget and in black and white and without any international star ( unless leslie bank qualifies a one ) and but it character be well draw and and it far more suspenseful and about a thousand times more charming .