Les mercenaires

I would have expected something much better from Val Guest , to put it other way I would have never expected such a senseless film from someone who during the 50's managed to direct "Hell is a city" ( with the great Stanley Baker ) or excellent sci Fri flick "the day the Earth caught fire " .

To be honest this films fails on almost every aspect imaginable. Plot is somewhere between ridiculous and absurd. Seems that the 70's didn't make him any good to his career.

A band of mercenaries (which included O.J Simpson and Christopher Lee ) plans to heist a diamond depot placed somewhere in the African desert . There are many aspects that are horrible in this film , which go from the acting (meaning Peter Fonda, Teddy Savallas and C.Lee are all capable of delivering good acting but here they are so bonded by a ridiculous script that everything they say sounds laughable ) , plot dialogues and action scenes are simply lame , as they would have been taken from the A team outtakes .

Acting didn't escape from the burn , sad to see Christopher Lee playing the role of a ruthless mercenary , I would have never expected to see him in such a lame role he's the Prince of Darkness for god sake Don't drag him into o this embarrassing situations .

Only positive comment would be that the end is as ridiculous as the rest of the film, so at least you can find a trace of coherence here ..sadly it the sole you'll find

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!

Watching Killer Force makes me think that the folks who security at South African diamond mines ought to be the ones running our Homeland Security. As typified by Telly Savalas they are a ruthless but shrewd lot. It wouldn't say much for our civil liberties though, but would we ever be secure from terrorists.

Peter Fonda plays one of the security men at a diamond mine in the Kalahari desert who's given an assignment to go undercover and find some folks who are rumored to be planning a big heist. To do so he has to be caught stealing himself which he is. But when the guy giving the assignment is killed and his ever so lovely handler Marina Christelis is killed Fonda is out on a limb. Time to reassess the situation.

Once the situation is reassessed the heist is on and the last 40 minutes or so is non-stop action. Other members of the heist team are Hugh O'Brian, Christopher Lee, and O.J. Simpson. Most don't make it, but they go oh so spectacularly.

Killer Force is not bad entertainment, but everyone in the cast has done better.

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.

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.