Die Söldner

Or the Magnificent Six...This very surprising action thriller adventures from a director such Val Guest has always enchanted me, but that doesn't make it an excellent, flawless film either. Val Guest will always be more famous for QUATERMASS films or his other features from Hammer Films company, or even war features - CAMP ON BLOOD ISLAND, YESTERDAY'S ENEMY- than for this one. Any only good film maker could have been made this tremendous action packed - at least in the second part - film. And I would have never imagined Christopher Lee, Hugh O'Brian and OJ Simpson - plus Peter Fonda - in the same film. Good actionner.

I bought the dvd almost a decade ago only cos of the dvd cover of Savalas, the exciting star cast n the plot.

Never got the time to play the dvd.

In fact, I saw this few days back via online medium due to the sheer laziness of playing the dvd.

Coming to the movie, it has an amazing star cast n an even amazing director.

Telly Savalas is very stylish with his dressing style n sun glares.

And the moment I was about to feel sorry for Christopher Lee's inclusion, Lee's character removes a knife n shows his presence.

KILLER FORCE is one of the many action movies of the 70s on a "bad guy" perspective and a low budget, with a sand dune setting and lots of funky disco which made these great. It stands out best for its intrigue. Don't expect much from top-billed Telly Savalas (who rips the dress off of Maud Adams!), but do follow Peter Fonda's point of view as he joins an army of force attempting to rob the valuables from a diamond mine. This is a chance to see O.J. Simpson in his glory days as one of the heist members going out to seize an electric fuse, a plot that leads the men into the facility. The action sequences look mild but they remain exciting to this day as with other Italian-made productions. Try not to think but understand that KILLER FORCE was made on European soil with an American cast (other than Christopher Lee) driving auto vehicles on the passenger side. Definitely worth a find if you crave for late-night intrigue. Nice color.

Telly Savalas is the head of security of a major diamond mine. He's convinced that something is up, because no one has tried to steal anything. He's right. A group headed by Peter Fonda, Hugh O'Brian, O. J. Simpson and cover model Maud Adams (because as Preston Sturges noted, there's always a girl in the picture. Haven't you ever been to the movies?) is about to steal a satchelful of rocks and escape in a yellow vehicles pursued by other yellow vehicles, most of which wind up running over rocks and bushes and flying upside down.

It's about forty minutes of Savalas acting threatening, followed by a twenty-minute heist sequence and then forty minutes of chase across the South African desert. How many will die? Will any of them get away, and will they have the diamonds when they do?

In 1976, this must have seemed a reasonable action movie. Today it looks underscripted and although moderately fast-paced, rote.

Many titles that are on my must-see list are there because I blindly added them for names in the cast, without necessarily knowing what the plot is about. "The Diamond Mercenaries", aka "Killer Force" is a prime example of this habit, since it unites cult icons Telly Savalas, Christopher Lee and Peter Fonda! What more do you need to know in order to see a film? And it's gets better, since it's also co-starring Bond-beauty Maud Adams and it was co-written and directed by one of Hammer's greatest talents; - Val Guest ("The Quatermass Experiment", "The Abominable Snowman").

In fact, "Killer Force" is a gift that keeps on giving, because it's a fantastic mid 70s action/thriller with a terrific heist-plot, an original setting, a fascinating cast of characters and plenty of bloody awesome execution sequences! The mighty Telly Savalas (and his uniquely flamboyant wardrobe) plays one of the coolest roles of his career as the obsessive head of security at a diamond mine in the godforsaken middle of the African desert. A supportive character asks him: "Where were you when they handed out feelings?". Savalas' answer: "Probably out somewhere chasing a diamond thief". He feels that someone is planning a major diamond heist, and he's right. Five former Vietnam mercenaries, with the help from someone on the inside, have a master plan ready, but it's not without risks. The first half of "Killer Force" is unnecessarily convoluted, as Fonda's role is quite ambiguous, but it's always compelling and especially the second half is non-stop exhilarating. All male characters are arrogant machos with ginormous egos, but notably Christopher Lee and Telly Savalas seem to be battling for the "who's the most sadist" character of the film. "Killer Force" simply embodies why I worship vile and nasty exploitation cinema of the 70s; - it's great sardonic fun and comes highly recommended!