IMDb plot summary: During World War 2, an undercover British soldier tries get word to the Allies that the Germans have tons of supplies buried in 5 excavations across Egypt.
Directed by Billy Wilder. Starring Franchot Tone, Anne Baxter, Akim Tamiroff, and Erich von Stroheim.
This early Billy Wilder flick has a great premise, full of potential for intrigue and suspense (or, in other circumstances, a dark comedy). It never *quite* lives up to that potential. The main characters don't have much personality, and it swings abruptly from exciting war adventure to dark war drama and back a few times. The best acting performance here is from Erich von Stroheim, who is commanding and chilling as Field Marshall Rommel. Everything else is a little disappointingly flat for what could have been such an interesting movie. Still a decent watch with a unique plot, but it's nowhere near being a Wilder classic or even one of his underrated gems.
3 stars.
How it entered my Flickchart:
Five Graves to Cairo > Dreamgirls
Five Graves to Cairo < Argo
Five Graves to Cairo > A Separation
Five Graves to Cairo < The Green Mile
Five Graves to Cairo < The Thin Man
Five Graves to Cairo < Grosse Pointe Blank
Five Graves to Cairo < The Time Traveler's Wife
Five Graves to Cairo < Men in Black
Five Graves to Cairo > The Pianist
Five Graves to Cairo < The Village
Final spot: #917 out of 2460.
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