A World War Two adventure involving a group of Allied POWs, Nazis, black market priceless art treasures, Greek resistance, a Greek monastery and a secret German rocket base.
Richard Burton plays a Scottish Army officer put in charge of a disparate band of ANZAC troops on the perimeter of Tobruk with the German Army doing their best to dislodge them.
Rod Slater is the newly appointed general manager of the Sonderditch gold mine, but he stumbles across an ingenious plot to flood the mine, by drilling into an underground lake, so the ... See full summary »
An American colonel who has never been in combat is assigned to create a special forces unit from Canadian Army troops and a ragtag group of U.S. Army misfits.
Director:
Andrew V. McLaglen
Stars:
William Holden,
Cliff Robertson,
Vince Edwards
A trooper with the British Special Air Service (SAS) infiltrates a radical political group who are planning a terrorist operation against American dignitaries. A glamourized look at the ... See full summary »
A British multinational seeks to overthrow a vicious dictator in central Africa. It hires a band of (largely aged) mercenaries in London and sends them in to save the virtuous but imprisoned opposition leader. Written by
Richard Young <richy@vnu.co.uk>
Despite being part of the racist Apartheid regime, the South African Film Board was keen to have genuine black South African actors playing key roles in the film rather than Afro-American or British Afro-Carribean actors taking the parts. Both John Kani who played Sgt Jesse and Winston Ntshona who played President Limbani were initially reluctant to star in a film which featured white mercenaries interfering in African affairs and portrayed a country with black majority rule so negatively. However, they were both impressed by the subplot of understanding and forgiveness developing between Kruger and Ntshona's characters and decided to participate in the film after all. See more »
Goofs
In the beginning of the movie, Faulkner is greeted as General; later he is referred to as Colonel. See more »
Quotes
Faulkner:
There is a clause in all of my contracts, that my liver is to be buried separately, and, with honors.
See more »
Africa has been the background setting for many an exciting film. In this story a powerful, but arrogant English lord and wealthy financier, (Stewart Granger) Sir Edward Matherson, hires, a professional Mecernary, Col. Allen Faulkner, (Richard Burton) to fly into Africa and rescue a popular but imprisoned African leader Julius Limbani. (Winston Ntshona) This action will threaten and force a ruthless, but established dictator to sign over his country's lucrative copper mining rights. To help Faulkner with his dangerous task, he calls on close military friends. Lt. Shawn Fynn, (Roger Moore), Capt. Rafer Janders (Richard Harris) Lt. Pieter Coetze, (Hardy Krüger) and Sagarent Major Sandy Young. (Jack Watson). Together, they plan, organize, train and secretly fly into the heart of enemy country. What they don't know is that Sir Edward Matherson will expect the dreaded and merciless "Simbas" to be more efficient than his hired men. Rarely does a dramatic, action packed film contain a simple subliminal message; that men of war can also be men of conscience seeking common bond and family life. A superb vehicle for Richard Burton. ****
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Africa has been the background setting for many an exciting film. In this story a powerful, but arrogant English lord and wealthy financier, (Stewart Granger) Sir Edward Matherson, hires, a professional Mecernary, Col. Allen Faulkner, (Richard Burton) to fly into Africa and rescue a popular but imprisoned African leader Julius Limbani. (Winston Ntshona) This action will threaten and force a ruthless, but established dictator to sign over his country's lucrative copper mining rights. To help Faulkner with his dangerous task, he calls on close military friends. Lt. Shawn Fynn, (Roger Moore), Capt. Rafer Janders (Richard Harris) Lt. Pieter Coetze, (Hardy Krüger) and Sagarent Major Sandy Young. (Jack Watson). Together, they plan, organize, train and secretly fly into the heart of enemy country. What they don't know is that Sir Edward Matherson will expect the dreaded and merciless "Simbas" to be more efficient than his hired men. Rarely does a dramatic, action packed film contain a simple subliminal message; that men of war can also be men of conscience seeking common bond and family life. A superb vehicle for Richard Burton. ****