this was a handsomely filmed but thoroughly nasty wartime adventure thriller i first saw when it was released way back in '79 about a german scientist (james mason) being smuggled across the swiss alps by a basque guide (anthony quinn) whilst being hotly pursued by a sadistic ss nazi commandant (malcolm mcdowell in a truly hilarious performance). certain scenes are indeed quite disturbing; malcolm's slicing off of a victim's fingers during an interrogation, malcolm's massacre of a gypsy family led by christopher lee and malcolm's subsequent rape of the scientist's beautiful daughter (kay lenz) after removing his nazi branded briefs (charming). some of the swedish scenery is quite breathtaking (especially the opening aerial credit sequence across the alps) and the movie is competently directed by the late, great brit veteran j. lee thompson ('cape fear', 'the guns of navarone', 'death wish 4').