The Wild Geese is a film I remember vividly as a youngster, and one that for me has stood the test of time. Yes, there is no CGI or bullets whizzing close to the ears à la Steven Spielberg, but a gritty realism assisted by a number ex-military personnel among the extras.
Having an interest in the history and politics of post-colonial Africa I was more than familiar with the exploits of mercenaries such as "Mad" Mike Hoare and Siegfried "Kongo" Müller, and some years after seeing this film for the first time I was happy to find out that the legendary "Mad Mike" had acted as a battlefield consultant.
The plot is uncomplicated, and the mission seemingly straightforward. Employed by shady businessman Sir Edward Matheson (Stewart Granger), retired mercenary Alan Faulkner (Richard Burton) looks to set himself up financially with one last trip to Africa. In selecting his small private army Faulkner puts together an interesting core group - the intellectual Rafer Janders (Richard Harris), the smart and savvy Shawn Fynn (Roger Moore) and hard-nosed Afrikaner Pieter Coetzee (Hardy Krüger). While Faulker provides the brains, Fynn provides the charm, Coetzee the grit and Janders the soul.
In all a group of fifty men are gathered, from grizzled vets looking for their last big pay packet through to younger soldiers of fortune. In amongst the group are the hard-nosed RSM Sandy Young (played wonderfully by Jack Watson) and the camp but no less tough medic Witty (Kenneth Griffith). There is plenty of excellent character development as the men go through their training routine, and plenty of politically incorrect banter that makes it even more real.
The men parachute into the fictional country located in Southern Africa, with the mission to rescue politician Julius Limbani (Winston Ntshona) imprisoned by a communist-leaning government. He is being held at a prison staffed by a fearsome bunch of native soldiers - the Simbas - and their East German and Cuban advisors.
Having arrived safely, the mission runs smoothly - the enemies are quickly dispatched and the prisoner is rescued, and you are left thinking "is this it?" But when things take a horrible twist and their rescue aircraft passes them by on the orders of the double-crossing Matheson, all hell breaks loose.
Here the action really kicks off, complete with explosions, flying bodies and a rapidly increasing body count - all good 1970s action film fun.
However, there is no real happy ending. The majority of the mercenaries don't make it out alive, and the scene on the runway that sees Faulkner left with the choice of shooting his friend Janders or leaving him at the mercy of the panga-wielding Simbas is something that does hit you sideways in what is otherwise a merry old school all-action romp.
There is no Hollywood happy ending, but the final denouement makes for a satisfactory conclusion.
Having read some of the other comments on here, my advice is simple. Forget the possible plot holes, some contrived plot acceleration (such as Coetzee's sudden realisation about Limbani) and so on, and just enjoy it. Watching Harris and Burton (who were allegedly ordered to stay off the drink for the duration of the filming) working together is great, Moore is his usual suave self but with a red beret instead of a tux, and Krüger is excellent as a character you just end up rooting for.
They don't make them like this anymore!
Having an interest in the history and politics of post-colonial Africa I was more than familiar with the exploits of mercenaries such as "Mad" Mike Hoare and Siegfried "Kongo" Müller, and some years after seeing this film for the first time I was happy to find out that the legendary "Mad Mike" had acted as a battlefield consultant.
The plot is uncomplicated, and the mission seemingly straightforward. Employed by shady businessman Sir Edward Matheson (Stewart Granger), retired mercenary Alan Faulkner (Richard Burton) looks to set himself up financially with one last trip to Africa. In selecting his small private army Faulkner puts together an interesting core group - the intellectual Rafer Janders (Richard Harris), the smart and savvy Shawn Fynn (Roger Moore) and hard-nosed Afrikaner Pieter Coetzee (Hardy Krüger). While Faulker provides the brains, Fynn provides the charm, Coetzee the grit and Janders the soul.
In all a group of fifty men are gathered, from grizzled vets looking for their last big pay packet through to younger soldiers of fortune. In amongst the group are the hard-nosed RSM Sandy Young (played wonderfully by Jack Watson) and the camp but no less tough medic Witty (Kenneth Griffith). There is plenty of excellent character development as the men go through their training routine, and plenty of politically incorrect banter that makes it even more real.
The men parachute into the fictional country located in Southern Africa, with the mission to rescue politician Julius Limbani (Winston Ntshona) imprisoned by a communist-leaning government. He is being held at a prison staffed by a fearsome bunch of native soldiers - the Simbas - and their East German and Cuban advisors.
Having arrived safely, the mission runs smoothly - the enemies are quickly dispatched and the prisoner is rescued, and you are left thinking "is this it?" But when things take a horrible twist and their rescue aircraft passes them by on the orders of the double-crossing Matheson, all hell breaks loose.
Here the action really kicks off, complete with explosions, flying bodies and a rapidly increasing body count - all good 1970s action film fun.
However, there is no real happy ending. The majority of the mercenaries don't make it out alive, and the scene on the runway that sees Faulkner left with the choice of shooting his friend Janders or leaving him at the mercy of the panga-wielding Simbas is something that does hit you sideways in what is otherwise a merry old school all-action romp.
There is no Hollywood happy ending, but the final denouement makes for a satisfactory conclusion.
Having read some of the other comments on here, my advice is simple. Forget the possible plot holes, some contrived plot acceleration (such as Coetzee's sudden realisation about Limbani) and so on, and just enjoy it. Watching Harris and Burton (who were allegedly ordered to stay off the drink for the duration of the filming) working together is great, Moore is his usual suave self but with a red beret instead of a tux, and Krüger is excellent as a character you just end up rooting for.
They don't make them like this anymore!
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