Parole d'homme

This guy seems to have been the most under-rated star in the Biz. His dry sense of humor combined with a subtle charisma made Lee Marvin one of the most likeable stars of the war movie genre. Here he played an older soldier, past his prime, that coaxes the younger Roger Moore into doing life-endangering things against the Germans. This is done with much humor, as Moore is in love with Marvin's daughter, and feels compelled out of family honor to do whatever he can. The action is really excellent, and the love story is touching. A must see for any war movie fan, and/or Moore fan. Marvin, himself, delivers another Marvin like performance, and reminds viewers of his earlier days from the film "The Dirty Dozen".

I feel I should mention that the version of "Shout at the Devil" that I watched was the full length 150 minute version. When the movie originally played in theaters, it had been cut by about half an hour. Normally, I feel that the original full length version of a movie is the version to see, but in the case of this movie, I think that the edited version might play better. I'm not saying that the full length version is bad, but I'm saying that it's too long for its own good. There is quite a considerable amount of padding on display, and as a result the movie moves quite slowly at times. There are some good things along the way all the same - there is some good action and suspense, the African backdrop is colorful and catches the eye, and it's fun to see Lee Marvin and Roger Moore paired up and generate considerable chemistry. So it's nowhere near a total loss. All the same, I think a more snappy pace would have helped things considerably.

SHOUT AT THE DEVIL is the splendid adaptation of the splendid Wilbur Smith novel about a British gent and an American poacher who take on the might of the German Empire in Africa in the First World War. As expected given the source material, it's an exotic and action-packed adventure yarn, delightfully old fashioned with it.

The film wins plenty of kudos for the central pairing of Roger Moore and Lee Marvin, two larger-than-life actors who make for a great combination. Moore plays a slightly more serious riff on his usual persona, while Marvin is all swagger and drunken behaviour. The film wisely uses their potential for comedy by pairing them in lots of hilarious scenes, not least the never-ending fist fight.

Of course, there's a serious story buried in here too, along with one or two devastating plot twists that only Smith could have come up with. Reinhard Kolldehoff is a thoroughly despicable villain, both pompous and cruel, and the countdown-timer denouement is as exciting as it was when I read the book years ago.

If you like films that celebrate good, old-fashioned derring do, Dutch courage and thoroughly caddish behaviour, then you'll be sure to enjoy this one too.

Shout at the Devil finds Lee Marvin in sub Sahara Africa in 1914 just before the start of World War I. He's a rollicking, live by your wits character named Flynn, very much similar to Humphrey Bogart's Charlie Allnut in The African Queen. Marvin takes up with an Englishman played by Roger Moore who's been stranded in Africa on his way to Australia.

Marvin has a running rivalry with the local German governor played with Teutonic relish by Reinhard Kolldehoff. He's the Road Runner to Kolldehoff's Wily Coyote. During the first half of the film, it plays just like a road runner cartoon.

When war is declared however, Kolldehoff crosses into British territory where Marvin has operated with sanctuary and exacts a terrible vengeance for being constantly made a fool of. On Marvin, on Moore, and on Barbara Parkins, Marvin's daughter who Moore has now married and had a child with.

This is World War I so the Germans aren't behaving like the Nazis of the second World War. But Kolldehoff you can see a potential recruit for Hitler in the post war years. In fact I don't think it's an accident that Kolldehoff and his character Fleischer look very much like German Field Marshal Ludendorff who was sympathetic to the early Nazi party.

Shout at the Devil is a broad comic adventure for the first half and turns serious in the second half. Moore and Marvin have a nice easy chemistry between them, Marvin is reaching back to his Cat Ballou days and the bag of scene stealing tricks he used to get an Oscar. Moore is hard pressed, but does keep up.

And who doesn't like a live road runner cartoon.

This rollicking, exotic adventure is one that happens to be inspired by a true story. It gets some mileage out of the teaming of Lee Marvin and Sir Roger Moore, who for a while are at each others' throats. It does go on for an awful long time, and have silly digressions, but that should be no problem for patient viewers who don't mind a film that takes its time telling a story. There is a good portion of the running time with strong comic overtones, until politics and the reality of war rear their ugly head. Then our ne'er-do-well main character must take on a mission for reasons that aren't purely selfish.

Marvin plays rascally American ivory poacher Flynn O'Flynn in the African country of Zanzibar in 1913. He makes the acquaintance of "young" Englishman Sebastian Oldsmith (Moore, who was in his late 40s during filming, but looks good regardless). Oldsmith is stranded in Zanzibar because his property is stolen from a hotel and he is now unable to sail to Australia, which was his plan. He becomes O'Flynns' sidekick, and joins in as the jovial scoundrel makes constant battles with German commissioner Herman Fleischer (Reinhard Kolldehoff). Eventually they will take part in a daring plan to destroy a German vessel docked for repairs in Zanzibar.

The filmmakers, led by director Peter R. Hunt ("Death Hunt"), are quick to remind viewers that they made no move to actually harm animals (there are disclaimers at both the beginning and the end of the film), in case any animal lovers watching get squeamish during some scenes. They deliver a fairly engrossing and rousing action / comedy /drama that really comes to life through the chemistry between Marvin and Sir Roger. Marvin has never been quite this hammy, to the best of this viewers' recollection, and that includes his Oscar winning comedic performance in "Cat Ballou". Still, he's quite watchable, as is the lovely Barbara Parkins ("Valley of the Dolls") as Marvins' daughter and a strong supporting cast also including Karl Michael Vogler, Horst Janson, Maurice Denham, Murray Melvin, and George Coulouris. The real scene stealer for much of the two hour 30 minute run time is Ian Holm, cast as O'Flynns' mute associate Mohammed. The snarling Kolldehoff makes for an effective bad guy.

The music by Maurice Jarre is good, as is the use of eye catching African locations and the expansive widescreen photography. All in all, this is a somewhat predictable but pleasing diversion.

Seven out of 10.