The Wild Geese (1978)

Simply Perfect

Excellent, Without a doubt!!

I am only giving this movie a 1 for the great cast, though I can't imagine what any of them were thinking. This movie was horrible

The film makes a home in your brain and the only cure is to see it again.

An action-packed story of a paramilitary group funded by a billionaire to rescue an African leader who is held captive by his enemies. Restored to his leadership position, the captive will be useful both to his country as a figure around whom competing factions can coalesce and to the billionaire's copper interests. It's a big and well-armed unit, about the size of a company, more than 100 men, all of them experienced, to be led by Richard Burton, Roger Moore, Richard Harris, and Hardy Kruger.The narrative carries a faint echo of "Objective Burma," an old Errol Flynn movie. The specialists are parachuted into hostile territory, carry out their mission without casualties, but then find themselves stuck with no exit and must schlep their way through the bush, pursued by enemies, until the few survivors are airlifted out.It's not a simple "good guys" versus "bad guys" story, like the Errol Flynn war-time film. These are, after all, mercenaries and most are just doing it for the money. There are even one or two "philosophical" exchanges about the morality of their mission and their values.There is, naturally, the usual getting-in-shape training camp scenes and the final orgasmic shoot-out. Due to editing or something, the orders issued to the men are clear enough but the execution on screen is confusing. Who's where? Why are these guys running and those guys not? Where did that bazooka come from? But the viewer must overlook the confusion of the ultimate battle because nothing else is left ambiguous. This was directed by Andrew V. McLaughlin, son of Victor, pal of John Ford, but more craftsman than poet. Every emotion, every thought, every lingering doubt, is spelled out for you, as in a kindergarten class where "A" is "A as in apple." So don't worry about having to struggle to grasp the clinical significance of it -- although if you want to think twice about mercenaries or "government contractors," as the mercenaries are called when they're working for us instead of them, you can do so. And don't be too quick to judge. The Swiss guards at the Vatican are mercenaries too.

(68%) Before the days of the Expendables movies came this all-star action adventure featuring a cast on the more ripe end of the life line. This really is a red blooded slice of beef of a film meaning there's tons of action that doesn't shy away from the blood and guts of combat and there's a great feel of one of those old war comic books about it. Despite the really strong cast this is a film you watch more the action than the performances and the fact that it tells its simple plot so effectively. Without doubt this is one of the better men on a mission movies and well worth tracking down for all true action film fans.

Fine cast of stalwart actors and superstars in mostly the British film industry make their mark in this war-actioner regarding the mercenary- era stories of note in 1960s-70s post-independent African countries. This has a plot a little more than that with skullduggery at home from a wealthy Industrialist, Stewart Grainger who's tasked Richard Burton as Allan Faulkner a former Colonel, of course taking on the same mantra with all the rag-tag of experienced ex-soldiers he can muster to extricate (not kidnap really is it?) a made-up African leader Julius Limbane (Winston Nshona) from of course a made-up African state of Zimbala. To cut a long story short, that's the job. But you have to watch how easily it falls into that kind of film/movie. Right from recruiting the right-hand men, their protests from the wife/or the men's happily leaving them notes/divorce right away and although they're getting paid, no pondering on them perhaps getting killed violently thousands of miles away. The major Actors, Richard Harris, (Rafer Janders), Roger Moore (Shawn Fynn), Hardy Kruger (Peter Cotzee) playing a hard- lined Apartheid era soldier and of course the wonderful Jack 'NCO' Watson as well as homosexual (purposefully) support from Witty, played by the excellent Kenneth Griffiths' medic make this an excellent blood and guts saga of this kind of genre. What is of course added, is the issues in the film. Africa, hot exotic but not welcome in a sweaty fighting-atmosphere and our band up against what appears to be Cuban- led African soldiers (very tight on info here of the time!).The mission goes ahead, parachuting into Zimbala but alas, after the extrication of Limbane from the prison where he was held, the men find they're double-crossed by Grainger and left to rot, for his new deal's with someone else and what is in his best interests. The team are now tasked with fighting their way out for themselves as well an injured Limbane.Burton and Co. have to plan a new way out, get this, they actually stumble on a DC-3 some miles away from an irate Irish missionary priest (Frank Finlay) who's known begrudgingly to Janders. However, this is their little lifeline in a while, but of course, they're all getting wiped out along the way in getting to it! There are some usual and okay-ish action scenes and plenty of bullets flying as expected. Janders and Coetzee are killed more or less at the last knockings as is medic Witty in a last stand with a number of the African soldiers as is the stalwart NCO Jack 'Sandy' Watson. The remainder, Burton and Moore make the plane and fly back out. Limbane though, dies, so that was worth it!What made the film which can be a bit standard is of course the good cast. There has been much made about the film for other reasons which are reflected 'in' it, for example 'Africa rising' as Limbane and the racist Coetzee exchange the ideology behind whites in Apartheid South Africa and the Africa movement to remove them. The two bond over what must be done to secure both their futures in the new Africa or South Africa that will come - coincidentally, the issues really DID make South Africa what it is as Mandela's fairness and compassion mirrored that of the banter between Coetzee and Limbane.What makes it is as I said is the fine cast and as is mentioned, perhaps an American actor would have propelled it in the states more, as Burton, though respected in America was in his last throes of his career. There are good feelgood moments too when Burton takes out Grainger back home in 'Merry old' and neat touches like Coetzee killing guards with his cyanide-tipped crossbow. Some of the dialogue can be exceptionally British and dreadful 'isn't he a love', 'you two beauties' (Moore talking about a couple of hoodlums, incidentally, one of which is David Ladd, Alan's son - only a cameo role too small of course for the American-impact market as I mentioned).A good, watchable film, but wouldn't say it's out of the ordinary, just a great cast nonetheless as I say! (Watch out for lesser-known but interesting actors, Stanley Baker's son as 'Esposito' and Ian Yule, Playing 'Tosh' a former real-life mercenary with Colonel 'Mad Mike' Hoare, who was also an NCO in 'Zulu Dawn'. 'Take the high ground!').

Fan-BLOODY-tastic! That's how much. In many ways this is an extremely British film, the actors nearly all having lived through WW2 and undergone National Service in the 40s and 50s with no need for an American star to broaden it's appeal (rumour has it the studio wanted OJ Simpson in the Shaun Finn role!). The characters involved strike me as some of the more interesting people you might meet in the mess/wardroom. Some people might criticise it as being racist in its' depiction of Africa, not least due to it being filmed in Apartheid-era South Africa but surely the reality is evidenced by the horrendous real life events in Rwanda, Liberia, Sierra Leone and the Congo? Not to mention the relationship of reconciliation and understanding which develops between the characters of white South African mercenary Pieter Coetze and black African leader Julius Limbani? All told this is a highly realistic depiction of mercenary war, not least because real life mercenaries 'Mad' Mike O'Hoare and Ian Youle both take part in the film (Yule playing the part of Tosh, O'Hoare acting as an adviser and role model for Colonel Faulkner). But what raises it beyond that is the backstory of the men involved. Roger Moore's character a far cry from James Bond, down and out and on the run from both the law and the Mafia. Richard Harris a hard-bitten cynic who has given up the mercenary lifestyle yet is lured back by the promise of friendship, excitement and an African leader he believes in. Richard Burton a drunken veteran World War 2 warrior who knows nothing else but a life of violence and Hardy Kruger a man so desperate he leaps at the chance of a decent payday but then develops a conscience. A great scene is when Faulkner approaches his old RSM, a career soldier, long since retired who of course jumps at the chance to lead men in combat once again but is despised by his wife who correctly assumes that he's taking her husband off to be killed in some desolate African hell-hole, the love between the old comrades in arms greater than any marriage vows, as is Faulkner's killing of Janders in an act of mercy. A very masculine film with exactly 2 female characters who have less than 10 lines between them. The emotional heart of the film is Jander's relationship with his son Emil, taken over by his great friend Faulkner at the end of the film, a fantastic gift to both Emil and his new guardian "Let's talk about your father" (SOB!). All told they don't make films like this any more, perhaps understandably but still something of a shame.