A British-Romanian Direct to Video WWII film starring Alexander Skarsgård, Michael Madsen and Billy Zane. During the backdrop of Operation Market Garden, a British commando team, Matchbox, is sent to liberate a cache of Nazi Gold. Their plane is shot down and most of the team killed, as the survivors press on, while German deserters and eventually American infantrymen seek out the treasure as well, with it being a race to see who will get their first.
Tropes:
- Big Bad: Major Kessler, a Sociopathic Soldier in charge of guarding the treasure.
- Bomb Disposal: Private Baker's specialty. Unfortunately, he's also The Alcoholic.
- Bruiser with a Soft Center: Max shows this towards the Dutch women.
- Combat Medic: Private Wellings becomes one over the course of the film.
- Cool Shades: Colonel Colt is always wearing sunglasses, as is King.
- Defector from Decadence: Voller and his men have had it with being used as canon fodder by sadistic senior officers and are trying to grab what they can and Run for the Border.
- Eagleland: Type III. Colonel Colt and his men are somewhat boisterous and cause a bit of harm by blundering into things at the end, shooting at the heroes due to the German uniforms their disguised in (and Colt does steal one painting for himself), but are portrayed as fairly dedicated soldiers who mean well.
- Enemy Mine: The Matchbox soldiers ultimately fall into this with Voller and his companions.
- Friendly Sniper: Both Corporal Dieter Max (of the German deserters) and Powell are decent men at heart, loyal to their allies, and good rifle shots.
- Handicapped Badass: Sergeant McMillan is wounded during the leg early on but doesn't let it slow him down and remains one of their better fighters.
- Honey Trap: Voller and his companions use a prostitue to capture Snyder, a Nazi official who knows where the bunker with the treasure is (and pretend to kill her in order to frighten him).
- I Fight for the Strongest Side!: Snyder will suck up to whoever has him as a prisoner at any given time. For instance, when he sees the American tanks arriving, he quickly throws up his arms and has this to shout out.Snyder: God bless Uncle Sam!
- It's Personal: Voller, the leader of the three deserters, is being driven more by a vendetta against Kessler, the SS Major guarding the loot, then out of a desire for enrichment.
- It's Raining Men: Operation Matchbox was supposed to parachute everyone in over the bunker, but instead they were shot down well short of it and the survivors have to trek the rest of the way.
- La Résistance: Dutch freedom fighters Benita and Sasika, who spend part of the movie being guarded by Max, and the rest of it helping Powell and the others.
- Kleptomaniac Hero: Both Private Ives of Matchbox, and Colonel Colt have faint larcenous streaks.
- Nazi Gold: The plot involves recovering a lot of art, gold and other treasures stolen by the Germans.
- New Meat: Welling is still somewhat untested in battle and a bit naive.
- Ragtag Bunch of Misfits: The core team is made up of an elite SOE officer posing as an enlisted man, a pilot who wouldn't even be with the mission if his plane hadn't been shot down, a wounded Sergeant Rock, a New Meat medical orderly, a Kleptomaniac Hero, a drunken explosives expert and two women from the underground.
- Sergeant Rock: [McMillan, who won't let a little bullet wound slow him down, or diminish his sense of authority.
- Shellshocked Veteran: Baker's general demeanor screams this.
- The Spook: Corporal Powell is a trained SOE spy, sent in with the regular soldiers.
- Vitriolic Best Buds: Voller and Beck disagree about strategies and priorities a fair amount, especially later in the film, but nonetheless stick together and have a True Companions vibe.
