Sadly Over-hyped

It's fun, it's light, [but] it has a hard time when its tries to get heavy.

Fun premise, good actors, bad writing. This film seemed to have potential at the beginning but it quickly devolves into a trite action film. Ultimately it's very boring.

This is a gorgeous movie made by a gorgeous spirit.

In concept, "The Wild Geese" resembles many other action movies; "The Dirty Dozen" immediately comes to mind, despite obvious differences. Tough veteran with a murky background is hired to assemble and train a team that will carry out a dangerous assignment; the opening interview explains the mission; the team is recruited from among the vet's old friends; the team is trained under a tough drill sergeant; and the climactic raid unfolds.A late-career Richard Buron is fine as Colonel Faulkner, the mercenary with experience and myriad capable ex-confederates. Enter Stewart Granger as Sir Edward Matherson, a stuffy Brit with ambiguous motives; Matherson secretly brings Burton to England for a dangerous mission to rescue a kidnapped African president named Limbani, sensitively played by Winston Ntshone. Burton quickly enlists Roger Moore, on hiatus from his James Bond franchise; Richard Harris; and Hardy Kruger. An old buddy of Burton, Jack Watson, is the tough drill sergeant, who gets the aging group in shape. And they all badly need the exercise, because Burton enlists his team from among the retired, the underemployed, and malcontent, and most seem too mature for the mission; they are not exactly a dirty dozen, but more an arthritic thirty. Beyond the aging leads, the rest of the seasoned cast includes Barry Foster, Frank Finlay, Kenneth Griffith, Ronald Fraser, and Jeff Corey. As expected from the distinguished names, the acting throughout more than meets the demands of an action flick. The screenplay by Reginald Rose, which was based on a novel by Daniel Carney, is riddled with such stereotypes as the fey gay man, the noble African leader, and the racist white South African. The plot is often predictable, and clichés abound from hostile wives, who tolerate their adventure-seeking husbands, to the requisite "if something happens to me" speech to a sappy fade out. The superfluous clichés and gratuitous political exchanges between Ntshone and Kruger slow the film, and the running time is a bit long at 129 minutes. However, Andrew V. McLaglen directs professionally and manages to overcome the script's weaknesses to deliver a satisfying action movie.

****SPOILERS*** Professional mercenary British Col. Allen Faulkner, Richard Burton, is given the task by international banker Sir Edward Matherson, Stewart Granger,to rustle up a band of mercenaries to rescue an imprisoned South African leader Julius Limbani, Winston Ntshona,from his captors headed by his former army General Ndofa, who plans to have him executed. Now with all this out of the way we, the audience, and Col. Faulkner can now concentrate on the plan that he hatches to get the job done that soon turns out to be anything but brilliant.It's not that Col. Faulkner screws things up but against his better judgment allows himself to slip in trusting Sir Matherson who's only into rescuing Limbani to enrich himself not bring back democracy to the people of his country. Just when Col. Faulkner and his men in risking their lives are about to be air lift Limbani from out of danger their double-crossed by Sir Matherson by him ordering the rescue plane to leave them high and dry and in danger of being slaughtered by Gen Ndofa's army. Sir Matherson feels that he's getting a better deal to the country's copper and diamond reserves by Gen. Nodfa as well seeing that by getting Col. Faulkner and his men killed,and not paying them for their services, that he smelled big bucks in his switching sides in the middle of the conflict.The rest of the movie has Col. Faulkner and his men try to make it to the nearest airfield and hijack a cargo plane to fly them to safety. During that time their attacked from all directions by Gen, Ndofa's men fighting for their lives to reach the airfield and hijack the plane that their not quit sure is even serviceable. Incredible action scenes better then most if not any seen before of after in war movies has Col. Faulkner's men finally make it to safety with about a dozen of the originally 100 or so mercenaries surviving the fighting. Ther's also white South African mercenary Let.Pieter Coeteez, Hardy Kruger, who has no use for Pres. Limbani or any other black who ends up losing his life in trying to save him from his own, black Africans, people.***SPOILERS***One of those who didn't survive was President Limbani who died in transit from heart failure as well as Col. Faulkner's good friend and drinking buddy Capt. Rafer Janders, Richard Harris, whom he tearfully shot and killed as his was about to be captured and tortured to death by Gen. Ndofa's men. That as the plane piloted by fellow mercenary Lieut. Shawn Flynn, Roger Moore, who was wounded in the fighting was about to off. As for Sir Matherson he finally get his and got it good when Col. Faulkner back from the wars broke in unnoticed into his heavily protected London mansion. And after giving him a piece of his mind, in what a low down and back stabbing rat he was, Col Faulkner then blasted a shocked and startled Sir Matherson while he was quietly playing a game of chess with himself!

Fine cast of stalwart actors and superstars in mostly the British film industry make their mark in this war-actioner regarding the mercenary- era stories of note in 1960s-70s post-independent African countries. This has a plot a little more than that with skullduggery at home from a wealthy Industrialist, Stewart Grainger who's tasked Richard Burton as Allan Faulkner a former Colonel, of course taking on the same mantra with all the rag-tag of experienced ex-soldiers he can muster to extricate (not kidnap really is it?) a made-up African leader Julius Limbane (Winston Nshona) from of course a made-up African state of Zimbala. To cut a long story short, that's the job. But you have to watch how easily it falls into that kind of film/movie. Right from recruiting the right-hand men, their protests from the wife/or the men's happily leaving them notes/divorce right away and although they're getting paid, no pondering on them perhaps getting killed violently thousands of miles away. The major Actors, Richard Harris, (Rafer Janders), Roger Moore (Shawn Fynn), Hardy Kruger (Peter Cotzee) playing a hard- lined Apartheid era soldier and of course the wonderful Jack 'NCO' Watson as well as homosexual (purposefully) support from Witty, played by the excellent Kenneth Griffiths' medic make this an excellent blood and guts saga of this kind of genre. What is of course added, is the issues in the film. Africa, hot exotic but not welcome in a sweaty fighting-atmosphere and our band up against what appears to be Cuban- led African soldiers (very tight on info here of the time!).The mission goes ahead, parachuting into Zimbala but alas, after the extrication of Limbane from the prison where he was held, the men find they're double-crossed by Grainger and left to rot, for his new deal's with someone else and what is in his best interests. The team are now tasked with fighting their way out for themselves as well an injured Limbane.Burton and Co. have to plan a new way out, get this, they actually stumble on a DC-3 some miles away from an irate Irish missionary priest (Frank Finlay) who's known begrudgingly to Janders. However, this is their little lifeline in a while, but of course, they're all getting wiped out along the way in getting to it! There are some usual and okay-ish action scenes and plenty of bullets flying as expected. Janders and Coetzee are killed more or less at the last knockings as is medic Witty in a last stand with a number of the African soldiers as is the stalwart NCO Jack 'Sandy' Watson. The remainder, Burton and Moore make the plane and fly back out. Limbane though, dies, so that was worth it!What made the film which can be a bit standard is of course the good cast. There has been much made about the film for other reasons which are reflected 'in' it, for example 'Africa rising' as Limbane and the racist Coetzee exchange the ideology behind whites in Apartheid South Africa and the Africa movement to remove them. The two bond over what must be done to secure both their futures in the new Africa or South Africa that will come - coincidentally, the issues really DID make South Africa what it is as Mandela's fairness and compassion mirrored that of the banter between Coetzee and Limbane.What makes it is as I said is the fine cast and as is mentioned, perhaps an American actor would have propelled it in the states more, as Burton, though respected in America was in his last throes of his career. There are good feelgood moments too when Burton takes out Grainger back home in 'Merry old' and neat touches like Coetzee killing guards with his cyanide-tipped crossbow. Some of the dialogue can be exceptionally British and dreadful 'isn't he a love', 'you two beauties' (Moore talking about a couple of hoodlums, incidentally, one of which is David Ladd, Alan's son - only a cameo role too small of course for the American-impact market as I mentioned).A good, watchable film, but wouldn't say it's out of the ordinary, just a great cast nonetheless as I say! (Watch out for lesser-known but interesting actors, Stanley Baker's son as 'Esposito' and Ian Yule, Playing 'Tosh' a former real-life mercenary with Colonel 'Mad Mike' Hoare, who was also an NCO in 'Zulu Dawn'. 'Take the high ground!').

I stopped watching at the part with the headmistress. This is the worse film imaginable. Pretentious, boring, simply awful. I would have sent the Director to the Gulag just for the 30 minutes I was unfortunate enough to see. It is astonishing that this film has received so many positive votes. I watched the film with a roomful of film buffs and everybody was hurling abuse at the television after just 15 minutes! I had to switch the film off as I was afraid someone would throw it out of the window. Preminger obviously really liked the poet that this film is an ode to, but unfortunately it doesn't change how I feel about it. He is no Tarkovsky!