Infamousta
brilliant actors, brilliant editing
Megamind
To all those who have watched it: I hope you enjoyed it as much as I do.
Jenna Walter
The film may be flawed, but its message is not.
AaronCapenBanner
Jack Cardiff directed this hard-hitting & sharp-edged action adventure that stars Rod Taylor as mercenary Captain Curry, who is hired to travel to the Congo to retrieve a bunch of priceless uncut diamonds. Trouble is, the area is besieged by revolution and inhumane conditions, requiring the evacuation of all westerners from a fate worse than inevitable death. One of them, a beautiful woman named Claire(former "The Time Machine" costar Yvette Mimieux) will become involved with Curry, whose steely will is tested by an unexpected loss, pushing him close to the edge of savagery... Highly exciting and at times harrowing film is not always easy to sit through, but any objections are overlooked because of the skill and boldness of the storytelling displayed here.
edwagreen
Is this the Belgian Congo erupting in revolution circa 1960? The picture isn't exactly clear on that one.Rod Taylor plays a mercenary caught up in the fracas. We never fully understand the rebels or the government in this situation.There is a tremendous amount of brutality here. The main line of the film comes when the German mercenary shoots down two young children as he felt that they were messengers for the rebels. Rod Taylor's response to him was: "You can put back your Swastika. You earned it."Yviette Mimieux is the hysterical young lady picked up by Taylor and his crews. There are unbelievable massacre scenes where countless civilians are slaughtered.Of course, greed enters the picture here. The ending is questionable because Taylor did us a favor regarding the German mercenary.
Raymond Vincent Cunneff
One of the reasons "Dark of the Sun" is now considered a cult classic, why directors Quentin Tarantino and Martin Scorsese are unabashed fans of the film, is that underlying its relentless violence is an exploration of the moral and philosophical ambiguities of men on a dangerous mission."Dark of the Sun" is the third in a trio of collaborations between director Jack Cardiff and actor Rod Taylor. The three films, and the characters played by Taylor could not be more different, a testament to the range and talent of both. The first was "Young Cassidy", a study of the early life and career of Irish writer Sean O'Casey (introducing Julie Christie and the first of two pairings with Maggie Smith). The second was "The Liquidator", a clever and funny James Bond spoof in which Taylor plays Boysie Oakes, a mild-mannered womanizer mistaken by British Intelligence for a cold-blooded killer.Neither "Young Cassidy" nor "The Liquidator" has been released on DVD. Each, in its own way, is an outstanding film worthy of finding a wider audience.
bigguy2011
This action film was BY FAR the favorite war movie of the foreign volunteers with whom I served in the Rhodesian Army. We probably all thought of ourselves as Bruce Curry clones.Once, when on a leave from a bush trip, I saw that this film, under the title The Mercenaries, was showing in a Salisbury theatre so, of course, I had to go see it. I arrived slightly late and the house lights were already dark, so I took my seat and enjoyed the ride.When it was over and the house lights came on, I looked around and saw that probably EVERY one of the foreigners who happened to be in town at that time was in the audience with me. Some of them were even going to stay and watch it again.
