Reviews
John Chard

John Chard

August 10, 2017
8.0
Muscular Mayhem! Dark of the Sun (AKA:The Mercenaries) is directed by Jack Cardiff and adapted to screenplay by Ranald MacDougall (alias Quentin Werty) and Adrien Spies from Wilbur Smith's novel "The Dark of the Sun". It stars Rod Taylor, Jim Brown, Yvette Mimieux, Peter Carsten and Kenneth More. A Panavision/Metrocolor production, music is by Jacques Loussier and cinematography by Edward Scaife. A band of mercenaries embark upon a dangerous mission during the Congo Crisis... Back upon release it was met with some consternation by critics who thought it overtly violent and unpleasant, today it is met with disdain by the PC brigade who are unable to view a 1968 movie and accept it as just that! Anyone order a curry in a hurry?! Jack Cardiff's picture is a ballsy men on a mission piece, full of meaty muscular mayhem, acetylene augmented action and preposterous political postures. Wonderfully raw, story sends Bruce Curry (Taylor) and his band of not very merry men on a steam train journey based mission through the Congo. They are to retrieve some diamonds and enact the rescue of civilians caught up in the rampage of the Simbas. Enter a very fractured group dynamic - with Carsten's Swastika sporting merc very much a fulcrum - a number of brutal confrontations involving all manner of weapons, and an exhaustive last quarter of film that's in turn terrifying and troubling as it is potent. A major flip-flop in the narrative annoys a lot, and Mimieux - although not doing anything wrong - is merely dressage to lower the testosterone levels. It should be noted that the pic was filmed in Jamaica and not as listed in some reviews as Africa (splendid scenery utilised, though some pointless back projection work annoys and is baffling), while caution is advised on purchasing a home format copy since cuts have been made over the years. This may lack the ferocious nastiness of The Dirty Dozen, or the intelligent action strains of Where Eagles Dare, but it sure as heck fire punches the gut and tingles the adrenaline beats. 8/10

Recommendation Movies

6.5
Adventure
View
6.5
Flesh + Blood
Flesh + Blood1985
6.1
Action
View
6.1
The Eiger Sanction
The Eiger Sanction1975
6.8
Mystery
View
6.8
Mr. Arkadin
Mr. Arkadin1955
5.7
War
View
5.7
The Green Berets
The Green Berets1968
6.5
Adventure
View
6.5
Wolf Totem
Wolf Totem2015
6.8
Comedy
View
6.8
O Lucky Man!
O Lucky Man!1973
6.4
Drama
View
6.4
Désirée
Désirée1954
6.6
Western
View
6.6
Apache Uprising
Apache Uprising1965
6.2
Science Fiction
View
6.2
The Time Machine
The Time Machine2002
7.6
Crime
View
7.6
Boyz n the Hood
Boyz n the Hood1991
6.4
Action
View
6.4
Lucy
Lucy2014
7.7
Science Fiction
View
7.7
Poor Things
Poor Things2023
7.4
Comedy
View
7.4
Once Upon a Time... in Hollywood
Once Upon a Time... in Hollywood2019
7.7
Animation
View
7.7
The Super Mario Bros. Movie
The Super Mario Bros. Movie2023
8.1
Drama
View
8.1
Oppenheimer
Oppenheimer2023
8.7
Drama
View
8.7
The Shawshank Redemption
The Shawshank Redemption1994
7.2
Action
View
7.2
Tenet
Tenet2020
6.8
Horror
View
6.8
Barbarian
Barbarian2022
7.7
Action
View
7.7
Deadpool & Wolverine
Deadpool & Wolverine2024
7.2
Adventure
View
7.2
Enola Holmes
Enola Holmes2020
© 2024 MoovieTime. All rights reserved.Made with Nuxt