SunnyHello Nice effects though.

SnoReptilePlenty Memorable, crazy movie

Micransix Crappy film

Ghoulumbe Better than most people think

ColonelFaulkner ..it wasn't all that bad. 'Ashanti' has contrivance, plot holes, implausibility and more, not to mention plenty of cliché and stereotyping, while a single sentence can describe the plot; 'White husband pursues across Africa his hot black wife and her abductors who intend to sell her into slavery to wealthy Arabs'. Done. I wasn't expecting a whole lot, but actually I found this quite watchable and pretty entertaining.Certainly it isn't great and I may even be being slightly generous in giving it a seven, but it was pretty light, didn't seem to take itself too seriously and if other viewers don't take it too seriously either then I doubt they'll be disappointed. Sure, this will never make any 'must see' list, but it wasn't a waste of a couple of hours and Michael Caine was far too harsh in his own criticisms of it. He must have had bigger expectations of it being some epic which it didn't live up to.It's worth a look.

Malcolm Parker A woeful lack of pace and equally thin if thankfully minor roles for some notable actors (Harrison, Holden and Sharif) could perhaps be excused if the story was told well enough for us to care about the main events. Despite the inclusion of strong language, violence, cruelty, and even some great acting, this film comes across as an insipid, mediocre and at times almost lighthearted look at the 20th century slave trade. Ustinov plays his role as the evil Suleiman with so much relish, you can't help but like him as one of the few characters with any real depth. Caine works tirelessly to try to pad out his matchstick thin role, but is let down again and again by weak plotting, tedious dialogue and non-existent direction. Is anyone convinced that the child slaves in the desert are as bothered about their situation as he is? Is he really as worried about his wife's situation as Harrison, Holden and Bedi? There are a lot worse films, but few with such a potentially stirring story handled so feebly.

HEFILM An obscure film, but so what? IF you do find it give it a lookThe worst element may be lousy music score really knocks this down several stars. But at least there isn't a lot of music.Does Caine really think this is worse than BEYOND THE POSEIDON ADVENTURE, BLAME IT ON RIO, JAWS 4, THE SWARM, or even the recent THE WEATHERMAN? He was probably really hot on location and that's all he remembers. Good to great actor though he is, this isn't really in his worst 10, not in his best 10 either but...it's well worth watching.He does seem to have chemistry with the wife character and there is a memorable scene with him and a bunch of slaves who don't want him to leave them. Also an early scene involving his wife's abduction is very well done--so the story gets off to a good start.Director Fleischer was friends with Rex Harrison, who is just fine in the film, and Holden is okay too. This film always remains interesting even it may not catch fire--it actually drags in the middle but has a pretty lively wrap up--but everyone treats it with seriousness. A noble cause sort of thing.It may well be the last really serious role Ustinov had certainly one of his few villain performances. Shariff is also good and helps juice up the ending.The photography is beautiful and the locations are very well used, too bad it sort of stumbles around about a third of the way in. It has a good sense of place in the details throughout.Aside from a blandly shot helicopter crash the action, what there is of it, is well done. I believe Fleischer took this over from another director and probably deserves credit for what's good about the film more than what's weak.Worth a look, though the ancient full frame VHS doesn't do it justice in 2014 a good looking DVD finally became available.

screenman There seem to have been any number of films like this released during the 70's. And the fact that I cannot recollect the title to a single one of them off-hand is a measure of their impact. These are what novelists would call 'pot-boilers'. They are scarcely more than a vehicle for keeping movie-stars in the public eye.We have Micheal Caine, Peter Ustinov, Omar Sharif, Rex Harrison and William Holden; more than enough names to get bums on cinema seats. Every taste in hero is catered for. Though one suspects that most of the audience still went away disappointed.Their talents are simply thrown away, and I wonder that stars with so much money and such reputation can be yet so desperate or lacking in good sense. This sort of movie hardly adds gilding to a CV. Sometimes maybe actors should choose their director instead of the other way round.It was pretty obvious that it would be crap even from the outset. That ludicrously mismatched jaunty-jazz theme music, which also percolated up every time some incidental noise is needed, had all the atmospheric conviction of elevator Muzak. Who imagined employing a jazz band when a scene depicted the steamy jungles of central Africa, or the endless Sahara with camels and palms as a backdrop? Definitely a serious goof-ball. Ennio Morricone would have known what to do; and his results would have oozed enough atmosphere and tension to raise my rating a good two points. This director should have taken the trouble to watch 'Lawrence of Arabia', or even Sergio Leone's westerns; he might have learnt a few things. But then again, probably he wouldn't.Alfred Hitchcock played the disappearing wife theme to good effect in his film 'Frantic'. It was later remade with equal panache staring Harrison Ford. In each case the confusion surrounding her loss and the tension of the chase was tangible. Here, when Michael Caine might be otherwise compelled to employ a little brain and bravado, Rex Harrison kept popping-up out of no-where like some wily old genii, to put him back on track whenever the narrative stumbled. At least the photography was rather good, with excellent use of the often beautiful environment. But then the dumb music must pipe-up and blow to atoms what little ambiance this created.Action scenes were also contrived and stilted, with such ineptly choreographed fight sequences that they might have been staged in a first-year drama class. And, of course, the players must fight to a jazz accompaniment - as you do.And that's about as much comment as this item deserves. Except to say that the script was pretty wretched as well.Stick with your hobby on this one. Even if it contained your favourite movie-stars, you're sure to be disappointed too.