Los mercenarios

This is an excellent film and definitely one of Rod Taylor's best performances. Taylor is Curry, a mercenary commander in the Congo, during the Katanga secession. Jim Brown is his friend and number two, a US educated Congolese. Taylor plays Curry as a true mercenary of the period: ruthless, greedy, loyal to his comrades, and distrustful of his rivals and employers.

The film mixes two different periods of the civil wars in the Congo; the Katanga secession in 1960 and the Simba revolt in 1964. The original book is set squarely during the Katanga period and involves the Baluba war, not the Simba's. However both periods were exemplified by brutality on all sides. The film accurately portrays the enmity between the Katanga forces and the UN troops sent to intervene. It also accurately depicts the Belgian interests in Katanga.

Much like the train the mercenaries ride, the film starts out slow and builds up steam along the route. By the end, it's a runaway that comes crashing to its end. This is war and humanity at its worst, make no mistake. The closest I can come to finding a "good guy" is Jim Brown, the soldier who wants his country to be free and have its place in the modern world.

The Nazi character was based on an actual German mercenary in the Congo, Siegfried Mueller. Mueller was noted for wearing the Iron Cross, which he earned in the Second World War, on his uniform. The film makers changed it to a swastika for greater effect (I presume). There is a slight problem with the continuity of this character, as part way through the film, his voice is obviously dubbed by another actor. Presumably, this was due to sound problems and the unavailability of the actor to loop his lines (It sounds like Paul Frees).

All-in-all this is a great film; vastly superior to others of the genre, such as The Wild Geese and The Dogs of War. Just remember, war more often brings out the worst in humanity, rather than the best.

First half is solid if at times too brutal action/adventure (i.e. didn't much care for the execution of two kids by the cartoon Nazi) with paradoxically lovely location shooting in Jamaica, standing in for The Congo. Unfortunately, in the second half, director Jack Cardiff yields control to Ranald McDougal and Adrian Spies' too talky screenplay and the action has to find its way around dull scenes of soul searching and philosophizing over the Big Question of "What is the basic immmorality of a mercenary?" Sound a bit pretentious? Yeah, I thought so, too. As for the acting it's hit and miss. Rod Taylor is much better in the first half with his sardonic Aussie bit than he is in the second half with his blood streaked, breast beating bit. As for Jim Brown he is, as usual, wooden throughout. Peter Carstens does as well as can be expected with the stereotyped "Ve vill make you talk" storm trooper role and Yvette Mimieux is ok eye candy. Best performance is Kenneth More as the drunken doc (another cliche, but More embraces it well) . Give this one a C plus.

Call it "Dark of the Sun" (the better title, I think) or "The Mercenaries"--but under any title this film moves fast. 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. It a raw, gritty, and satisfying action yarn. Rod Taylor is really choice in this role: he was easily in his best shape ever and utterly confident as the hardboiled mercenary leader. Jim Brown is fine as well as his sidekick. The two make a good combination together.

"Dark of the Sun" is also one of the more memorable films involving a train as a locus for the action. Train films have a charisma all their own, in my opinion, and this one is no exception. In this venue, a band of mercenaries utilizes a steam engine to blitz across the border into rebel-held territory. The story is set in South Africa and they been enlisted to to rescue citizens cut off by the revolt and also, to nab some diamonds for themselves, of course.

However, dont think that with this storyline its at all meatless in emotion values, or gratuituous in terms of its violence.

With regard to emotion, there are definitely some nice story elements and a chance for the actors to apply their skill. There are poignant little moments of humanness amid all the tumult. The characters suit, and have been devised (by the author Wilbur Smith) to correctly add balance and measure to the story. Its not all gunfire and explosions. The violence is kept within acceptable, old-school bounds and the focus is on heroism and loyalty rather than sadism.

There is an interesting, thought-provoking subplot to the story that eventually factors into the conclusion of the movie. This thread comes from the fact that one of the mercenaries is an ex-Nazi. As a mercenary, he really "enjoys his work". But his views raise all sorts of disturbing questions about prejudice and hate and "where to draw the line" for Rod Taylor, who, as leader of the mercenaries, has to set an example of ruthlessness. The two develop a vicious enmity and finally go at it 'mano a mano'. The end of the film is a surprise "man learns better" type of ending--but still quite satisfying.

The film overall is a better-than-average-quality product, and definitely a must-see guy-movie; its a 1960's action pic that does a better job of keeping you interested and absorbed than any twenty action pictures made more recently.

Believe it!

The band of awkward soldiers and ex-soldiers willing to do everything for money is represented well here. A formula to be repeated over and over again mainly in Italian "Wild Geese" clones finds its embodiment in Rod Taylor, who brings his schooling of 120 % acting over as usual. His long time comerade is the overconscious Ruffo, a native of their Congolese country of action played by former football-jock and blaxploitation icon Jim Brown. I have the feeling the American version had an important side of the coin taken out: More interesting than the routine plot of escorting diamonds in a train through areas infested with wildman rebels is the inner struggle of Rod Taylor's character with the omnipresent racism towards his black pal, mainly shown by Sergeant Henlein, played by very German actor Peter Carsten. In the German dubbed version this is explained well: Taylor - who has got the German name Willy Krüger - and Henlein were comrades in the Nazi Wehrmacht. The bad guy still acts like a nazi while Taylor/Krüger even tries to forget his past by being a complete almost anti-patriotic mercenary. Technically the film does not fail to entertain. Solid characterizations, good acting throughout, colourful photography and a lively Africanized jazz score make "The Mercenaries" a great adventure movie.

A nasty and terrific gem of an action movie, the best of Rod Taylor's career. Very exciting, expertly acted, and with a beautiful score that sounds like it was done by Maurice Jarre (it wasn't). Highly recommended.