The Wild Geese
The Wild Geese
Regie:
Andrew V. McLaglenDrehbuch:
Reginald RoseKamera:
Jack HildyardMusik:
Roy BuddBesetzung:
Richard Burton, Roger Moore, Richard Harris, Hardy Krüger, Stewart Granger, John Kani, Winston Ntshona, Frank Finlay, David Ladd, Barry Foster (mehr)Inhalte(1)
In einem vom Krieg zerrissenen Staat im Herzen Afrikas sollen die Wildgänse, ein 50 Mann starkes Söldnerkommando um Colonel Allen Faulkner, den abgesetzten und eingekerkerten Präsidenten Limbani befreien. Der Auftraggeber, ein britischer Bankier, erhofft sich von der Aktion die Ausbeutung reicher Kupfervorkommen. Die Mission entwickelt sich für die Truppe zu einem Himmelfahrtskommando: Als sie in finsterer Nacht über dem Zielgebiet abspringen, hat ihr Auftraggeber sie bereits abgeschrieben und sich mit dem Widersacher Limbanis geeinigt. Ohne jede Hilfe müssen sich Faulkners Männer nun durch den afrikanischen Busch schlagen. Ihnen immer auf den Fersen sind die Simbas, die gnadenlose Elitetruppe der Rebellenarmee. Die Chancen, diesen mörderischen Einsatz lebend zu überstehen, stehen eins zu eintausend. (Verleiher-Text)
(mehr)Kritiken (2)
In the Czech Republic it’s homing pigeons, in Britain its wild geese that keep coming back. Although it isn’t according to Forsyth’s “Dogs of War", it would make an ideal adaptation. While they are still in London (i.e. in suits and interiors), when they put the team together and plan the raid, I have no objections. But as soon as the old men squeeze into their uniforms, this suddenly becomes a dime-a-dozen war movie like dozens of others. At least here they resist pathos for a long time. Occasional weaker moments are reliably kept above water by the charisma of the central trio and not absolutely dumb dialogs (in “fifty against thousands" subgenre style). Mainly the dialog about the morals of being a mercenary was spot on.
()
In its time, it was definitely a remarkable and above-average film, although it has certainly aged and if I give it 3 stars today, it's mainly for the cast and corresponding performances. Otherwise, the script is unfinished and based on a dysfunctional idea. If it were really like this, it would be excessively convoluted and mainly foolish from the tenant's side because an African dictator would inevitably see a similar course of action as a violation of the painstakingly negotiated agreement. It would be much simpler to inform the African party about the kidnapping and attack on the base during negotiations and use it as a bonus in negotiating the price. The result would be a trap, where the commando would be eliminated during parachute drop or possibly during an attempt to attack the barracks. Why would the regime waste its elite soldiers and risk a long pursuit and search operations? Moreover, the investor would save money on the plane and complications. The action scenes are filmed pathetically and somewhat naively, but Burton and Harris can be forgiven for a lot of things due to their charisma and displayed machismo. Besides, the film doesn't just strive for action, but also for a certain intellectual superstructure. Overall impression: 55%.
()