The Guns of Navarone

The Guns of Navarone is currently streaming in Australia on Foxtel Now, and in the US on Netflix, and it earns its set pieces rather than just delivering them. A tight runtime that never overstays its welcome. 873 people have weighed in on TMDB, and the verdict leans heavily positive. Gregory Peck anchors the chaos with real screen presence. Available now on Foxtel Now — press play and find out why people keep recommending it.

The Guns of Navarone is not trying to be everything to everyone, and that focus is exactly what makes it work. The choreography in The Guns of Navarone serves the story instead of interrupting it. A team of allied saboteurs are assigned an impossible mission: infiltrate an impregnable Nazi-held island and destroy the two enormous long-range field guns that prevent the rescue of 2,000 trapped British soldiers. The physicality Gregory Peck and David Niven bring elevates every sequence. It was released in 1961. The action sequences are expensive-looking without drawing attention to their own budget — they serve the story rather than interrupting it. It delivers reliably on what it promises, which is more than most of its competition manages.

The Guns of Navarone is the kind of thing you put on to unwind and find yourself sitting forward twenty minutes in. It rewards viewers regardless of what else is in their watch history. A contained runtime means every scene is doing real work. Gregory Peck brings a physicality to the role that elevates every set piece. Action that earns its sequences rather than just delivering them.