Wonderful character development!

Sadly Over-hyped

Great story, amazing characters, superb action, enthralling cinematography. Yes, this is something I am glad I spent money on.

Great movie. Not sure what people expected but I found it highly entertaining.

I enjoyed this film very well. Michael Caine and Sidney Poitier played very powerful roles. This movie is about finding friendship during a time of hate. In South Africa it was apartheid, a type of segregation between the whites and the blacks. A revolutions named Shack Twala(Poitier) gets released from prison and he his lawyer(Prunella Gee) were about to celebrate along side with her boyfriend Jim(Caine). However, during a check, they are accosted by the constable(Nicol Williamson). Both Shack and Jim attack the South African Police and they are wanted. The police are criticized by their superiors for their actions. Both men and Rina take action on finding the leader, and some diamonds that are missing. The safari chase is amazing. It was funny when Rina lead the police in the chase, half- dressed. They would help her find her estranged husband(Rutger Hauer) to fly them out of the way. When they got the diamonds, there was two complicated factors: The Indian couple were involved in treachery within. The diamonds they found turned out to be fake. The revolutionary was nice when the natives used all their might to ground the helicopter. This movie is entertaining. I enjoyed it very much. 5 stars.

A précis of the plot suggests a political drama with lots of speeches and demonstrations of brutality on the part of the South African police during the apartheid era.Well, there is some brutality towards the end, but it's not bathetic. The stern, sadistic, patriotic, and ironic agent of national security -- Nicole Williamson in a charged performance -- is unexpectedly shot through the forehead and slumps expressionless to the ground. Nobody feels any guilt, although they probably should. Williamson himself might not even care except that his anti-black-congress activities are now interfered with by his own demise. Also, his final thought may have been, "At last, I can quit smoking." The first half is positively funny. Nobody is better at indignant shock than Michael Caine, who is given some witty lines. Poitier, on the other hand, is more grim and dedicated to the cause of ending apartheid. Some of the other characters add color. Saeed Jaffrey is a trembling Indian dentist. Persis Khambatta is a fellow dentist and a fox both stunning and cunning. I have no idea why she copulates with Poitier, a total stranger, in a closet while police are searching the house, though I understand why Poitier might chance it.Moments of suspense and comedy, nicely woven together and directed with no particular poetry by Ralph Nelson.It made me laugh aloud at times. You'll probably like it if you like up-tempo pursuits and intrigues.

I remember when this first came out. It was part of the sweep of outrage that eventually ended the regime.That was in the day when South Africa tortured prisoners and suspended justice in other ways in the name of fighting terrorism, and the US did not. Seeing it today gives a whole different film experience so far as the story. I'm seeing a lot of these right now... films that are different now than they could have been. More powerful in a way.There's another haunting experience here. Persis Khambatta plays a secondary role. In a better script (this one is pretty bad) she would be an interesting character. She isn't here. But she sure is beautiful. For those who don't know, she was Miss India ten years earlier. They take their beauty contests very seriously there, and there are now "talent" considerations. It should be no surprise that she is a poor actress. But I think she deserved a better life than she got. She played the pretty girl is a few movies. Then had a minor role in Start Trek when it was dying. She was in a car accident which ruined her face. She died of a heart attach at 47, penniless and alone. Seeing her here is sad, adding to the other sadnesses surrounding this tale.Ted's Evaluation -- 1 of 3: You can find something better to do with this part of your life.

Sidney Poitier and Michael Caine strike a winning screen partnership in this chase thriller set in South Africa. However, the most memorable portrayal comes from Nicol Williamson (an oft-underrated actor who steals the show in virtually every film he's in), as a particularly unpleasant racist security agent. The film is set against a background of volatile race relations, but the political angle of the story isn't thrust forth too heavy-handedly. First and foremost, this is a chase story... and it's all the better for it.Bantu activist Shack Twala (Sidney Poitier) is acquited of terrorism charges in a Cape Town court. He is on his way for a celebratory drink with his lawyer Rina (Prunella Gee) and her English boyfriend Jim Keogh (Michael Caine), when they are assaulted by two racist policemen. They turn the tables on the policemen and give them a pretty thorough beating. Twala and Keogh go on the run, hoping to reach Johannesburg where Twala has a contact who can get them out of the country. However, they are pursued all the way by the bigoted Major Horn (Nicol Williamson). Horn's ultimate plan is to let Twala unknowingly lead him to the hideout of a rebel leader named Wilby.The Wilby Conspiracy is generally a good film. The acting is excellent throughout, and the film has an unexpected element of humour, with Caine and Poitier providing several dynamic exchanges. The script is sharp, with enough incidents and twists to stay a step ahead of the viewer, and an interesting central theme. There aren't many shortcomings in The Wilby Conspiracy, though that's not to say it is perfect. The ending seems rather fudged, and some of the plot developments don't quite ring true. (The bit where Saeed Jaffrey's pretty young dental assistant attempts a treacherous double-cross is a good example of an unlikely plot contrivance). However, on the whole this is a slick, well-made and absorbing movie.