Alistair MacLean - Top 15 Highest Rated Movies

Countdown to the top rated Theatrical Films and TV Movies based on - or inspired by - the works of Alistair MacLean 1961-1993.
Scottish Novelist
Ratings Average sources include IMDB, Rotten Tomatoes, Radio Times, FilmAffinity, Letterboxd, TMDB, Videohound, Halliwell, Maltin and occasionally my own score will be thrown into the mix too.
Heaven and Hell p.1 by Jeremy Blake
Hero Down by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution licence (creativecommon...)
Source: incompetech.com...
Artist: incompetech.com/
Galactic Damages by Jingle Punks

[@lEuler1998]

Number 1 and 2 are unbeatable even to this day. The reason why we watch them over and over again and each time we feel inside that we are watching the first time.

[@davidkillawee6]

I was always impressed with how well the movie followed the book Where Eagles Dare since the first time I watched it in the late 70's, then 10-15 years ago I paid more attention to the details about the book, and found out it was a novelization of his screenplay, but for me the best book is Ice Station Zebra, not so much the movie.

[@insas223]

Personally, I feel no movie could match the gripping detail, suspense and twists of his novels.

[@mr.fact.7720]

Right

[@gerardtuxen5069]

I'd put where eagles dare slightly ahead of Guns of Navarone. The scene in the drawing room when the SS officer walks in with his Luger is a total rip-snorter 😮

[@fredloeper8579]

Best scene in the movie. Good movie, of course, but just a little too much mindless action.

[@detroitdan8487]

thanks. Grandma took me to see Guns of Navarone. In college I read every book by MacLean published to that point. Visited book stores regularly after that to read every thing else he published after that. Made a point of watching every movie that came out. No matter how far I had to drive to find them. I did not see River of Death. Took my dad downtown to see Ice Station Zebra.

[@historybuff66]

Have you ever read any of the 17 novels by fellow then contemporary British thriller author Desmond Bagley? I read them all and they are of at least the same caliber as Maclean’s early works. Maclean himself lauded the writing of Bagley and was a big fan.

[@irish66]

Just watched Puppet on a chain for for probably 3rd or 4th time. The speedboat sequence holds up as one of the movie chases ever, even if it is somewhat protracted. Best performance from Vladek Sheybal who along with Anton Differing seemed to have a monopoly on playing movie villains in that period. I would give it a 7. Yes, I agree with one and 2. Some great posters too.

[@vijayakumartc4902]

In seventies Alistair MacLean Is a big sensation and I read almost all his novels and had seen most of the movies. My favorite is Guns of Navarone.

[@florarobison4508]

I have seen 5 Alistair MacLean movies. The Guns of Navarone is my favourite movie of all time. Ice Station Zebra and The Secret Ways are also favourites. The other films I have seen are Where Eagles Dare, and Breakheart Pass. Favourite posters and stills are from The Guns of Navarone, Where Eagles Dare, Ice Station Zebra, Breakheart Pass, Force 10 From Navarone, The Secret Ways, and Death Train.

[@Top10Charts3978]

Hi Flora, glad your favorite film of all time made it to no.1 on the video, Where Eagles Dare nipping at it's heels. I've seen 10 of the 15 on here. My favorites are - Breakheart Pass, Force 10 from Navarone, Ice Station Zebra, Where Eagles Dare and The Guns of Navarone. I haven't seen The Secret Ways. Thanks for commenting, always appreciated. Happy you liked the picture gallery. More videos next week.

[@historybuff66]

Three novels which were criminally neglected for a big screen adaptation: “HMS Ulysses”, “South by Java Head” and most especially “Night Without End”. On the whole, Maclean fared much better than his contemporary, fellow British thriller writer Desmond Bagley who should have had at least a dozen of his novels made into major films.

[@fredloeper8579]

Another genius out there. One of my high school teachers gave me "Hight without End." Loved it! I think it is his best book.

[@historybuff66]

@@fredloeper8579 I agree! Heightened suspense where the author does a wonderful job of evoking a bleak, intensely cold and dark environment.

[@dado380]

Mix of Agatha Christie and John le carre, that's the best description for this master of espionage and suspense. Ice station Zebra and Night without end are my two favourite books!

[@abnurtharn2927]

Sad that HMS Ulysses never made it to the movie.

[@MyMy-zi7yv]

Trust me, if you like mystery and a great surprise ending, "BEAR ISLAND!" That movie is a ten, just like Guns of Navarone and Where Eagles Dare, in my opinion!

[@tedhenkle]

The ones I haven't seen so far: The River of Death, Caravan to Vaccares, The Secret Ways, Fear is the Key and the Satan Bug. I think I've seen Death Train & The Golden Rendezvous once each when they first came out. I recently watched Breakheart Pass, Bear Island and Puppet on a Chain for the first time. Personally, I would have loved to see When Eight Bells Toll rated at #4 or 5.

[@theowatchnerd]

HMS Ulysess is my favorite novel of all time.

[@jimmywrangles]

One of mine as well.

[@henry9406]

I loved Breakheart pass

[@jonathancoldicutt1301]

Ice station zebra is my favourite Alastair McLean movie. 2:05

[@wolfsr9259]

Boring

[@keithnaylor1981]

Wonderful top three though I would place Where Eagles Dare at No.1, Zebra at two, and Navarone at 3, it’s not dated well.

[@平田桂-s3p]

Do you all know that Where Eagles Dare is very much close to Night Train to Munich which is played in KZbin recently.

[@fredloeper8579]

Honestly, and I hate to say it, many of his books have not fared well as movies. At least you have the top three right if not in the correct order. And why hasn't his best book, Night Without End, never made it to the big screen?

[@historybuff66]

Thanks for commenting on my earlier post. “Night Without End” was slated for a film release but alas it didn’t see the light of day. From Wikipedia: “In August 1959 film rights were bought by George Seaton and William Perlberg who had a deal with Paramount. They wanted to make the film with Debbie Reynolds with whom they had a long-term contract.[4] They hired Eric Ambler to write a script. Lilli Palmer was announced as co star.[5][6] In 1961 Seaton said they wanted to film it after The Hook. William Holden was attached as star.[7][8] In December 1961 it was announced Richard Wilson would direct at Paramount.[9] In 1963 Wilson said he still had a commitment to make the film, and had written the script with his wife Elizabeth Vance.[10] However the film was never made.” As for Maclean’s novels falling primarily into the B movie category, that was unfortunate. I would have loved to see high production values and an A list cast for such works of his as “Caravan to Vaccares” and “Circus”. Desmond Bagley, who wrote 17 superb British thrillers between 1963-1983 fared much worse for film adaptations and only a scant few of his novels were made into films, the most high profile being the 1973 Paul Newman Cold War spy thriller “The Mackintosh Man” (originally published as “The Freedom Trap”)

[@thatblenderguy7566]

Have You Seen This Show Starring Patrick Allen, TUGS (1989)

[@mecrajib]

Thanks a lot.

[@peterfranks6243]

Number 2 should have been number 1

[@couch.patati-patata]

Ice Station Zebra is not available on KZbin.

[@ekop1778]

GOLDEN RENDEVOUS AND BEAR ISLAND

[@micaharchacki1370]

Did he ever give an interview?

[@thatblenderguy7566]

Hey Top 10 Charts, What Do You Think Of This Movie, Silent Running (1972)

[@Top10Charts3978]

Silent Running is a favorite of mine, Bruce Dern in space. But unless I'm mistaken it wasn't written by Alistair MacLean.

[@thatblenderguy7566]

Speaking Of That, I Have Not Seen Ice Station Zebra (1968)

[@fredloeper8579]

You poor thing. Are you in for a treat.

[@thatblenderguy7566]

What Do You Think Of This Movie, Pink Floyd: The Wall (1982) And Do Alan Parker Next Please!

[@thatblenderguy7566]

6:30, Movie Is So Long.

[@richardscanlan3419]

Easy, - Guns of Navarone,Where Eagles Dare,Puppet On A Chain,Ice Station Zebra,Breakhearty Pass - all in my collection ofc. The film that was a let down was Force 10 - don't know what it was exactly,it just didn't work for me.

[@thatblenderguy7566]

I Watched Ice Station Zebra (1968) And What Can I Say, This Movie Is Good But I Have 4 Negatives, 1: The Movie Is Too Long At 2 Hours And 29 Minutes, The Film Could’ve Been 2 Hours And 10 Minutes. 2: There Is Barely Any Action And It Really Week And It Needed To Be Intense And Exiting. 3: The Movie Has Mediocre Voice Acting. 4: The Plot Is Alright But It’s Nothing Special. 6/10.

[@edwardmarshall8955]

Agree - the book was excellent but I found the movie disappointed me

[@fredloeper8579]

Just fine as it is. My fave McClean movie.

[@gregorioescanillasalas2305]

Eningleslasborrodechile

[@kaarlosuotamo3409]

Its nowhere to be seen

[@Behrouz-w9q]

Sehr gut vielen Dank vor movie❤❤❤