Hailed as a “great success” when Ice Cold in Alex first appeared in British cinemas, this now underrated movie is a British WW2 classic that immediately captures its audience.

Rated 94% on Rotten Tomatoes, this multi-BAFTA Award-winning film was rare for a British WW2 movie in also winning awards at the Berlin International Film Festival, held in the capital of the former enemy nation, Germany, soon after WW2 had concluded.

Starring legend Sir John Mills as the jaded but relentlessly stoic Captain Anson, the officer commanding a British RASC Motor Ambulance Company in Tobruk, is suffering from battle fatigue and alcoholism.

Ahead of the Axis capture of Tobruk by the Afrika Korps, Anson’s unit is ordered to evacuate to Alexandria.

Anson, MSM Tom Pugh, and two nurses, Sister Diana Murdoch and Sister Denise Norton, become separated from the others in an Austin K2/Y ambulance nicknamed Katy.

Attempting to reach British lines, they encounter an Afrikaner South African officer, Captain van der Poel, who persuades Anson to allow him to accompany them to safety in Alexandria by revealing he has three bottles of gin in his pack.

A battle of endurance against the desert, Germans, and betrayal

What follows is a battle of endurance against the desert and a struggle within themselves, the enemy Germans, and even betrayal within their own ranks as yearning for an “ice cold in Alex,” a cold beer in the British-administered Egyptian city of Alexandria – is the little wartime luxury that motivates the ragtag group as they fight their way to freedom from capture or death.

Enjoying that moment of refreshing joy only a crisp beer can provide is a timeless one most of us in Britain immediately relate to, which is amplified by the rigors of the desert the protagonists endure as they make their way across dunes, gingerly cross minefields, dodge Nazi patrols, and contend with the ultimate torture: sheer thirst.

This movie becomes much more than a war movie – as the story develops, it becomes a desperate tale of survival against the odds and a study on how humans bond in adversity despite having to take sides in a war.

With captivating shots of the desert, the sharply clipped and witty dialogue only a film of this era can deliver, and gritty characters that spar off each other with real chemistry, there is also the welcome element of Golden Age movie glamour provided by 1960’s icon Sylvia Syms.

Compelling final scene celebrates grudging respect between combatants

The most compelling scene is at the very end of the movie where, despite conflict and betrayal, the characters bond through adversity, reaching an ultimate bond that transcends the war and celebrates the grudging respect the combatants on the two sides were able to develop for each other when faced with “the greater enemy”: the desert.

Available to stream now for free on BBC iPlayer, reviewers on Rotten Tomatoes heaped praise on this classy WW2 flick.

Neely Swanson said, “‘Ice Cold in Alex’ is white-knuckle thriller… Character and tension, that’s all there is and that’s more than enough.”

Viewer Matt Brunson was full of compliments: “Ice Cold in Alex is a near perfect picture.”

MG_Claymore C added: “When it comes to great, suspenseful, feel good, British war time classics…it does get much better.”

Another reviewer said, “My favourite film, first saw it as a child and it’s captivated me ever since.”

This reviewer concluded: “One of the best war movies ever made…The end scene with the beer is a classic and always makes me thirsty. I love this film.”