First, the diamonds are in a delaying the train's departure. Henlein uses his absence to kill Ruffo in the mistaken belief that he has the diamonds. But similarly, they acquire a mission, begin on their journey by train dealing with a few obstacles before reaching their destination, meeting some tense moments before escape, and the chase and conflict involved with making it back to safety. The German version also cuts the scene where Henlein murders two Congolese children and is misleadingly entitled , implying the film takes place during the first Congo emergency in 1961—64, when mercenaries like Müller and were involved. Interiors were completed at , Borehamwood near London. The conflict in Dark of the Sun juxtaposes the anti-colonial struggle in the province of within the context of the.
Afterward, Henlein makes romantic advances towards Claire, which Curry interrupts. Especially between Curry and Ruffo, as Curry- at the beginning of the film at least- considers Ruffo his inferior based solely on his race. His admired first film in the director's chair, , looks magnificent, but screenwriter felt Cardiff didn't really understand the material. I'd guess that because of its utter racism, a lot of people would have found it embarrassing, so they just ignored it. A great example of a guy's type of film where the editing, direction, and storyline all compliment one another in the effort towards a fast-paced action flick. The movie was released in France as Last Train from Katanga : Le dernier train du Katanga. Curry and Ruffo set out to retrieve the diamonds from the rebels at nightfall.
There are a lot of awesome action sequences. One contemporary reviewer was moved to comment that the director's main objective appeared to be to pack as much sadistic violence into the film's two hours as he could. Its not all gunfire and explosions. Please note this figure is a rental accruing to distributors. The critics complained of the violent content, but today it would hardly raise an eyebrow. They agree to help them leave town and befriend one of them, a pretty widow called Claire whose husband was murdered by the rebels.
Henlein flees into the bush. The story about a band of sent on a dangerous mission during the was adapted into a screenplay by. Retrieved 25 January 2015 — via National Library of Australia. Synopsis The Mercenaries is a movie starring Rod Taylor, Yvette Mimieux, and Peter Carsten. Second, Dr Wreid attends a pregnant woman at a and refuses to abandon her.
Curry reluctantly agrees to let the doctor stay behind. With regard to emotion, there are definitely some nice story elements and a chance for the actors to apply their skill. Curry's ignorance wears off as the film progresses and he becomes closer to Ruffo, though these tensions do lead to the film's climax. The rest of the cast do terrific, impassioned work. He pursues Henlein and kills him after a vicious fight. There are poignant little moments of humanness amid all the tumult.
But in reality his mission is to retrieve diamonds, worth fifty million dollars, from a mine company's vault. This is a great politically oriented actioner, worth checking out. The Congolese president provides Curry with the use of a steam train and soldiers. Finally, the train, loaded with the diamonds and fleeing residents, slowly leaves the station under fire, but a mortar round destroys the between the last two carriages. .
Its rooms contain graphic scenes for the film's time period of , murder and torture. I was 30 years of age, single again, and I could take the chance. Rod Taylor is really choice in this role: he was easily in his best shape ever and utterly confident as the hardboiled mercenary leader. Rod Taylor claimed he rewrote a fair amount of the script himself, including helping devise a new ending. There are also a lot of racially tense moments involving Nazi war criminal turned mercenary, Heinlein, and pretty much everyone that isn't white. The film was directed by Jack Cardiff, a great color cameraman who had an interesting run in the 1960s as a director.
The two develop a vicious enmity and finally go at it 'mano a mano'. Meanwhile, Henlein, who resents Curry's leadership, begins to cause trouble because the German knows about the diamonds. The two make a good combination together. The film, which was directed by , is based on 's 1965 novel, The Dark of the Sun. He also reluctantly recruits ex-Nazi Henlein because he needs his military expertise and leadership skills. When Curry returns to find his friend dead, he is filled with murderous revenge. Back in town, Curry waits anxiously for the vault to open.
Jim Brown is especially strong and solid, whose character provides nuanced moral balance to the film as a man fighting in Africa, not for money, but for his people to be free. Critics condemned the film on its original release for its graphic scenes of violence and torture. In another scene, a train full of refugees has finally escaped the Mau Maus in the valley below-and just as it's about to reach the top of a hill, the power fails, the train goes all the way back down, and the refugees are slaughtered. Further complications arise when the mercenaries reach the town. Actual violence in the Congo resulted in the deaths of up to 100,000 people. Curry is prepared to kill Henlein, but Ruffo stops him. As their mission nears completion everything suddenly goes horribly wrong and the story culminates in an orgy of sadistic graphic violence as Henlein betrays the.