Breakthrough(1979) [Deluxe · 2027]

Steiner saves the life of an American colonel (Robert Mitchum), leading to a precarious attempt at a secret truce between the two sides.

Reviews often describe the film as fragmented and lacking the visceral impact and directorial flair of Sam Peckinpah’s original work. Breakthrough(1979)

(1979) is a West German-British war film directed by Andrew V. McLaglen. Often referred to by its German title Steiner - Das Eiserne Kreuz, 2. Teil (Steiner - The Iron Cross, Part 2), it serves as a sequel to Sam Peckinpah’s 1977 cult classic Cross of Iron . Production & Cast Steiner saves the life of an American colonel

Steiner becomes peripheral to a conspiracy among high-ranking German officers to assassinate Adolf Hitler to end the war. McLaglen

Despite being a sequel, the film features a significantly different cast from the original. takes over the role of Sergeant Rolf Steiner (previously played by James Coburn), while Helmut Griem replaces Maximilian Schell as Steiner's antagonist, Major von Stransky. The film also features major Hollywood stars such as Robert Mitchum , Rod Steiger , and Curd Jürgens . Plot Overview

Set in 1944 during the German retreat from the Eastern Front, the story follows Sergeant Steiner as he is transferred to the Western Front just as the Allies launch the D-Day invasion. The film explores several key narrative threads:

While Cross of Iron is considered a masterpiece of the war genre, Breakthrough is largely seen as a lesser follow-up that failed to capture the same intensity.