Ashanti

With "Ashanti", Richard Fleischer,one of the most talented (and underrated)American directors hit rock bottom.Was it the same man who made "Clay Pidgeon" and "Follow me quietly" (early period) ,"Violent Saturday" and "the Vikings" (middle) and finally reached a breath-taking maturity with "The Boston Strangler" "10 Rillington Place " or "Solyent green" (which contains what might be the most moving scene in the American movies of the seventies:the death of E.G.Robinson)."Solyent green" was also Fleischer's death as an artist;there's simply not one movie worth seeking out afterward:"Mandingo" "the Don is dead" (A poor man's "Godfather" where Fleischer met up with Quinn he had already directed in his remarkable "Barabba" ) "Conan" or "Amytiville (3D!) are dreadful stuff.

"Ashanti" is no exception in Fleischer's dismal final years.The slave trade which still exists today was a good subject though;after "Mandingo" why not "Ashanti"?But James Mason could not save that movie ;Both Ustinov and Caine ,two veterans of the English cinema ,cannot save "Ashanti.Peter Ustinov gives a tongue in cheek performance,knowing that the only way to deal with such a screenplay is not to take it seriously.Even Omar Sharif comes to the rescue (so to speak).It seems the one mistake that the slave trader made is to have abducted an educated woman (a doctor!).

Too bad a subject so serious should be botched that way.

A woeful lack of pace and equally thin if thankfully minor roles for some notable actors (Harrison, Holden and Sharif) could perhaps be excused if the story was told well enough for us to care about the main events. Despite the inclusion of strong language, violence, cruelty, and even some great acting, this film comes across as an insipid, mediocre and at times almost lighthearted look at the 20th century slave trade. Ustinov plays his role as the evil Suleiman with so much relish, you can't help but like him as one of the few characters with any real depth. Caine works tirelessly to try to pad out his matchstick thin role, but is let down again and again by weak plotting, tedious dialogue and non-existent direction. Is anyone convinced that the child slaves in the desert are as bothered about their situation as he is? Is he really as worried about his wife's situation as Harrison, Holden and Bedi? There are a lot worse films, but few with such a potentially stirring story handled so feebly.

Michael Caine has always claimed that Ashanti was "the only film (he) did purely for the money" as well as "the worst film he ever starred in". Hold on, Michael, weren't you in The Swarm and Hurry Sundown? And weren't both of those films a good deal worse than Ashanti? Perhaps Caine remembers only too begrudgingly the physically punishing demands of filming an action film in searing 130 degrees Fahrenheit temperatures (the director, Richard Fleischer, was hospitalised as a result of sun-stroke during the shoot). What Ashanti actually emerges as is not the career low-point of Michael Caine. Instead, it is a very average chase thriller with a talented cast, exotic locations, boring stretches and a highly formulaic storyline.

Dr. David Linderby (Caine) is a W.H.O medic who is left devastated when his black wife Anansa (Beverly Johnson) goes missing during an aid trip to an African tribal village. Linderby gradually realises that his wife has been snatched by slave traders - led by Suleiman (Peter Ustinov) - and he sets off on a continent-wide pursuit which eventually leads to the Middle East.

Along the way, big stars pop in for ineffective and superfluous guest roles. William Holden has a poor cameo as a chopper pilot; Omar Sharif displays little of his customary charm or grace as a pampered Arab millionaire; Rex Harrison looks rightfully bored during his brief role as a helpful contact who assists Caine in his quest. The film is based on a best-seller entitled Ebano, by the little-known author Alberto Vasquez-Figueroa, but the suspense that made the book so popular is largely absent in this adaptation. Ustinov is charismatic as the slaver (he seems in all his movies to be incapable of giving bad performances), and Caine generates believable anguish as the man who thinks he'll never see his wife again. There are occasional flashes of action, but on the whole Ashanti is quite slow-moving. All in all, it is a resistible piece of action hokum - not by any stretch as awful as Caine has frequently suggested, but not a very inspiring film and certainly a let-down from all the talent involved.

Not as interesting as the original Figueroa's novel, but a well done and entertaining movie anyway, with a beautiful photography by Vittorio Storaro, a nice soundtrack, and an all-star cast. Peter Ustinov is impressive in the role of the slave trader Suleiman, Kabir Bedi is perfect and intense as the lone warrior Malik, Beverly Johnson is very beautiful and acts decently (considering that she is a model, not an actress), and Michael Caine does his job even though with not much enthusiasm. He said that this was his worst movie and he did it only for the money: he probably forgot "The Swarm" or "Jaws 4: the Revenge" (where he courted Captain Brody's widow, chased by a vindictive shark... with said shark roaring out of the water multiple times in the final sequence...), not to mention "Austin Powers Goldmember"... Maybe Caine was envious because in "Ashanti" he had to share the scene with much sexier actors like Kabir Bedi and Omar Sharif... It's true anyway that a more profound approach to the slavery theme, and a bit more insight into the main characters would have helped the story, but the main goal of the movie is obviously to entertain, therefore the potential of the talented cast looks a bit wasted: Rex Harrison and William Holden only make small appearances, nothing memorable, Bedi and Sharif would have both deserved more space and even Caine looks a bit confined in his character; only Ustinov has room and lines enough to express his talent an he really rules the story. Also the supporting actors are all good and right for their roles.

Richard Fleischer was a very prolific director with a simple style but he was brave enough to enter films in all genres ("The Vikings", "Barabbas", "Compulsion", "Blind Terror", "The Boston Strangler", "Soylent Green", "Tora, Tora, Tora") with very good and acceptable results indeed.

With "Ashanti" he gets a watchable film and a sort of testimonial one dealing with slavery in the XX Century as a pretty female Doctor rendering services for the United Nations among primitive tribes in Africa is kidnapped to be sold in the eastern Arabian markets; her husband goes on a long pursuit of the slave traders to recover her. Shoot in jungle and desert wide-open outdoor locations the film is sort of slow at times but it also has some good moments.

An all star cast is a plus. Michael Caine renders an acceptable performance as the willing husband and model Beverly Johnson does too as his abducted wife. Peter Ustinov steals the show as the fiendish chief slave dealer Suleiman in what is probably the most interesting character in the film. Rex Harrison and William Holden not at the peak of their careers back then make correct appearances in small roles. Omar Shariff and Kabir Bedi are there too.

Not a great film at all but worth a watch in my opinion. It's a 6 out of 10 for me.