Le dernier train du Katanga

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.

Great story line - Mercenaries are sent in to the middle of the Congo under the guise of rescuing the village people but their real mission is to recover 50 million dollars of diamonds. Good versus evil with an undertone of racial discrimination.

Superb cast - Robert Taylor, Jim Brown, Yvette Mimieux, Kenneth Moore, and the evil doer Peter Carsten.

Brilliant cinematography - the color scheme is very pleasing to the audience's sense of comfort and appeal

Screenwriting - greed, lust, good versus evil, this film has it all,

Action - non stop

I give this 54 year old film a well deserved 8 out of 10 IMDb rating, Now this is a true action/adventure film.

This Africa-set picture concerns about some mercenaries (Rod Taylor, Jim Brown and Peter Carsten) hired by a Congo leader (Calvin Lockhart) to retrieve diamonds from a besieged city by the Simbas . As the movie's MacGuffin is a cache of uncut diamonds valued at US $50 million . They risk their lives facing off nasties and rebel warriors ; confronting several dangers and adventures . Besides , they must help out various inhabitants (Ivette Mimieux , Andre Morrell and others) lay siege and only backed by a boozer doctor (Kenneth Moore). Meanwhile , a locomotive travels through a treacherous countryside in Africa taking on a lot of risks .

The movie is based on real events and dealing with a train-in-peril across hostile landscapes . From start to finish the exciting warlike action is nonstop . In the movie there is tension , suspense , emotion , frenetic action and a little bit of violence when the fights happen ; besides , being fast movement , for that reason results to be entertaining . The movie was made and released about three years after its source novel "Dark of the Sun" by Wilbur Smith had been first published in 1965 . The book was Smith's second novel with this film being the first ever screen adaptation of a Wilbur Smith story and being adapted by screen-writer Ranald MacDougall . Based on historical facts ; thus , creating the independence Republic Congo (1960) with Lumumba , though later there took place a state coup by Mobutu Sese Seko . Tshombe proclaimed the Republic Katanga with the supporting of mercenaries , mine companies and European countries . The civil war bursts and causes destruction , starvation , rampage and millions of deaths . In fact , publicity for this picture declared that it was the first major motion picture to examine the Congo Rebellion which is aka the Congo Crisis aka the Congo Uprising .

Rod Taylor as the tough and two-fisted mercenary is top-notch . However , Clint Walker was the early choice for the lead Captain Bruce Curry role which in the end was cast with Rod Taylor . Ivette Mimieux is enticing and marvelous . This movie re-unites Rod Taylor with Yvette Mimieux eight years after they co-starred in 1960's "The Time Machine" . Furthermore , Jim Brown as the loyal and hunk pal is splendid and agreeable appearance by Kenneth Moore as drunken doctor . Special mention for Peter Carsten who interprets a first-rate villain . Original and thrilling Music by Jacques Loussier , including catching leitmotif . Edward Scaife cinematography is colorful and glittering , as it is splendidly reflected on the awesome jungle outdoors . Picture was lavishly produced by George Englund and well directed by Jack Cardiff , famous cameraman who photographed a lot of classic films . Rating : Above average . Very well worthwhile seeing .

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.