Civil war in the Congo is the backdrop for this great adventure flick. Curry(Rod Taylor) is a soldier for hire. Along with his sidekick Ruffo(Jim Brown) they assemble an army to bring a small group of people as well as 50 million in diamonds to safety in only three days. Along with them is Henlein(Perter Carsten) and 40 of his men. After an attack from a U.N. plane they pick up Clair(Yvette Mimieux). Her husband? was killed and she barely escapes with her life. Later adventures involve a chainsaw fight as well as a tense period, while waiting for a safe to open. Simbas attack them and the diamonds as well as rescued people are lost. Curry and Ruffo devise a plan to recover the diamonds which works out. After the diamonds are recovered, Curry goes on a mission to get fuel. While he is away, Henlein kills Ruffo. Curry returns, hunts down Henlein and kills him. After some reflection, he submits to a future court martial proceeding at which time the movie ends.
The plot is a straightforward one. If you liked the Dirty Dozen or Von Ryan's Express then this one is for you. What makes this film so great is the intense,brutal action and the characters involved. Rod Taylor doesn't just act his role, he attacks it with flair and style. He is a very capable leading man and he shows it here. He portrays Curry as tough, witty, sometimes brutal, but sometimes humane.
Jim Brown plays Ruffo, and while Brown is no great actor, his presence alone fills the screen. Ruffo may be the only true good man in the movie. He doesn't do it for the money but for pride in his country.
The polar opposite of Ruffo is Henlein. A former Nazi, he is inhumane. He kills two children(off screen thankfully). He also tries to kill Curry and does kill Ruffo before Curry gives him what he deserves. Peter Carsten plays him to the hilt and the fact that you hate Henlein so much is a testament to Carsten's ability.
My only real criticism of the film is Clair. Let me preface all of this by saying that I think Yvette Mimieux is a good actress and awesome to look at but Clair isn't given enough to do. She has a very good scene at a small field hospital where she stands up to Curry and a drunken doctor when a woman needs medical care, but there isn't enough of that type of dialogue for her. She seems relegated to the background for most of the movie. Still, she's a real beauty and I love gazing at her hotness.
Lots of other actors make this movie great and I really recommend it. It's gory and brutal but not gratuitously so. The violence is what we'd expect in a civil uprising. To me, it should be considered up there with the best films of the genre.
The plot is a straightforward one. If you liked the Dirty Dozen or Von Ryan's Express then this one is for you. What makes this film so great is the intense,brutal action and the characters involved. Rod Taylor doesn't just act his role, he attacks it with flair and style. He is a very capable leading man and he shows it here. He portrays Curry as tough, witty, sometimes brutal, but sometimes humane.
Jim Brown plays Ruffo, and while Brown is no great actor, his presence alone fills the screen. Ruffo may be the only true good man in the movie. He doesn't do it for the money but for pride in his country.
The polar opposite of Ruffo is Henlein. A former Nazi, he is inhumane. He kills two children(off screen thankfully). He also tries to kill Curry and does kill Ruffo before Curry gives him what he deserves. Peter Carsten plays him to the hilt and the fact that you hate Henlein so much is a testament to Carsten's ability.
My only real criticism of the film is Clair. Let me preface all of this by saying that I think Yvette Mimieux is a good actress and awesome to look at but Clair isn't given enough to do. She has a very good scene at a small field hospital where she stands up to Curry and a drunken doctor when a woman needs medical care, but there isn't enough of that type of dialogue for her. She seems relegated to the background for most of the movie. Still, she's a real beauty and I love gazing at her hotness.
Lots of other actors make this movie great and I really recommend it. It's gory and brutal but not gratuitously so. The violence is what we'd expect in a civil uprising. To me, it should be considered up there with the best films of the genre.