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IMDbPro

Les oies sauvages

Original title: The Wild Geese
  • 1978
  • 12
  • 2h 14m
IMDb RATING
6.8/10
15K
YOUR RATING
Richard Burton, Roger Moore, Richard Harris, and Hardy Krüger in Les oies sauvages (1978)
A British banker hires a group of British mercenaries to rescue a deposed African President from the hands of a corrupt African dictator.
Play trailer3:47
4 Videos
81 Photos
ActionAdventureDramaThrillerWar

A British banker hires a former British Army colonel turned mercenary to parachute into Africa with his team and rescue a deposed president of a southern African nation from the hands of a c... Read allA British banker hires a former British Army colonel turned mercenary to parachute into Africa with his team and rescue a deposed president of a southern African nation from the hands of a corrupt dictator.A British banker hires a former British Army colonel turned mercenary to parachute into Africa with his team and rescue a deposed president of a southern African nation from the hands of a corrupt dictator.

  • Director
    • Andrew V. McLaglen
  • Writers
    • Reginald Rose
    • Daniel Carney
  • Stars
    • Richard Burton
    • Roger Moore
    • Richard Harris
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • IMDb RATING
    6.8/10
    15K
    YOUR RATING
    • Director
      • Andrew V. McLaglen
    • Writers
      • Reginald Rose
      • Daniel Carney
    • Stars
      • Richard Burton
      • Roger Moore
      • Richard Harris
    • 157User reviews
    • 42Critic reviews
  • See production info at IMDbPro
    • Awards
      • 1 win & 1 nomination total

    Videos4

    Trailer
    Trailer 3:47
    Trailer
    The Wild Geese: Where Are You
    Clip 0:52
    The Wild Geese: Where Are You
    The Wild Geese: Where Are You
    Clip 0:52
    The Wild Geese: Where Are You
    The Wild Geese: Take Cover
    Clip 1:01
    The Wild Geese: Take Cover
    The Wild Geese: We Have Been Doublecrossed
    Clip 1:55
    The Wild Geese: We Have Been Doublecrossed

    Photos81

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    Top cast77

    Edit
    Richard Burton
    Richard Burton
    • Colonel Allen Faulkner
    Roger Moore
    Roger Moore
    • Lt. Shawn Fynn
    Richard Harris
    Richard Harris
    • Capt. Rafer Janders
    Hardy Krüger
    Hardy Krüger
    • Lt. Pieter Coetzee
    • (as Hardy Kruger)
    Stewart Granger
    Stewart Granger
    • Sir Edward Matherson
    Winston Ntshona
    Winston Ntshona
    • President Julius Limbani
    John Kani
    John Kani
    • Sgt. Jesse Link
    Jack Watson
    Jack Watson
    • R.S.M. Sandy Young
    Frank Finlay
    Frank Finlay
    • Father Geoghagen
    Kenneth Griffith
    Kenneth Griffith
    • Arthur Witty
    Barry Foster
    Barry Foster
    • Thomas Balfour
    Ronald Fraser
    Ronald Fraser
    • Jock McTaggart
    Ian Yule
    Ian Yule
    • Tosh Donaldson
    Patrick Allen
    Patrick Allen
    • Rushton
    Rosalind Lloyd
    Rosalind Lloyd
    • Heather
    David Ladd
    David Ladd
    • Sonny Martinelli
    Paul Spurrier
    Paul Spurrier
    • Emile Janders
    Jeff Corey
    Jeff Corey
    • Mr. Martin
    • Director
      • Andrew V. McLaglen
    • Writers
      • Reginald Rose
      • Daniel Carney
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

    User reviews157

    6.815.1K
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    Featured reviews

    8hitchcockthelegend

    The man is dead, Mr. Faulkner. Now only the spirit remains.

    Marvellously macho, a men on a mission movie proudly proclaiming that the old adage is indeed true, there is life in the old dog(s) yet. A notable cast of British and Irish thespians were rounded up and unleashed into a plot that required a band of mercenaries sent to extract an African President from some prison in the darkest part of Africa. The formula is tried and tested, the leader is a man made of stern stuff but carrying emotional baggage, his band of men assembled are a mixture of ex soldiers who have either fell on hard times or just haven't been able to let go of the army life that they feel was their calling in life. The latter of which causes great consternation amongst spouses and immediate family members.

    Director Andrew V. McLaglen lets it unfold in steady and unfussy time, structuring it in three stages. Stage one is getting to know the principal players, their fears, pet peeves and psychological make up, stage 2 is the re-training programme, where the good old boys wait to see who keels over from a heart attack first, then stage 3 is the mission, where blood will be shed, bodies will fall, treachery and racism are big irritants, and of course big sacrifices will have to be made during a whirl of explosions and politico pummelling. The screenplay, much like the actors playing the key roles, is very self aware to not take itself too seriously, it's also very funny at times, there is some absolute cracker-jack slices of dialogue here.

    The PC brigade and political historians beat themselves around their heads trying to flatten the appeal of The Wild Geese, it didn't work. Most action movie fans understood fully just what was going on, and it's the reason why today it still holds up as a perennial favourite on the British TV schedules. Richard Burton, Richard Harris, Roger Moore, Hardy Kruger, Jack Watson, Kenneth Griffith, Ronald Fraser and Percy Herbert, I salute you all. 8/10
    8thinker1691

    The Mercenary and his Employer

    Africa has been the background setting for many an exciting film. In this story a powerful, but arrogant English lord and wealthy financier, (Stewart Granger) Sir Edward Matherson, hires, a professional Mecernary, Col. Allen Faulkner, (Richard Burton) to fly into Africa and rescue a popular but imprisoned African leader Julius Limbani. (Winston Ntshona) This action will threaten and force a ruthless, but established dictator to sign over his country's lucrative copper mining rights. To help Faulkner with his dangerous task, he calls on close military friends. Lt. Shawn Fynn, (Roger Moore), Capt. Rafer Janders (Richard Harris) Lt. Pieter Coetze, (Hardy Krüger) and Sagarent Major Sandy Young. (Jack Watson). Together, they plan, organize, train and secretly fly into the heart of enemy country. What they don't know is that Sir Edward Matherson will expect the dreaded and merciless "Simbas" to be more efficient than his hired men. Rarely does a dramatic, action packed film contain a simple subliminal message; that men of war can also be men of conscience seeking common bond and family life. A superb vehicle for Richard Burton. ****
    8timdalton007

    A Rip-Roaring Action / Adventure

    Imagine a film with three major stars put together with a good script and some fine action and what do you get: The Wild Geese. With the unlikely combination of Richard Burton, Richard Harris & Roger Moore plus a well-written script coupled with spectacular action sequences this is a rip-roaring action / adventure and a top-notch film.

    The three main leads are the main attraction of this film. It's hard to believe that actors of the caliber of Burton, Harris and Moore would either have chemistry or even be in the same film together. But put the three of them together as mercenaries and you get a truly explosive combination of three terrific actors. None of them fail in their roles and they actually share quite a bit of chemistry between them especially in the final scene between Burton and Harris.

    The rest of the cast is not a let down either. Harvey Kruger does well in his role as the mercenary Pieter Coetze as do Kenneth Griffith, John Kani and Jack Watson among the other members of the Wild Geese. Frank Finlay, Winston Ntshona and Stewart Granger all make welcomed appearances in the film in their supporting roles.

    The film's script is a well-written action film with political overtones. While the politics of the film are dated now, the message for the times is still evident in the film. Outside of the political overtones the dialouge of the film is well-written and in some scenes is even touching especially in the final scene.

    The action in the film is another highlight. The air drop into Africa, various raids by the Wild Geese and the final battle at the airstrip complement the story and never overwhelm the story and plot. Thanks to some good editing by editor John Glen (who had edited three Bond films and would go on to direct five more Bond films)the action is never dull and keeps the pace constant.

    With a top-notch leading cast, a good supporting cast, a good script and spectacular action sequences, The Wild Geese is one of the better action films you can see. Despite being somewhat dated the film still packs quite a punch and could easily go up against any recent action film. A must see for action film fans.
    Batjac - 49

    An action film that really delivers the goods !!

    Allegedly, loosely based on the incredible adventures of "Mad Mike" Hoare and his mercenary unit operating in the Belgian Congo in the early sixties rescuing Westerners and stemmimg tribal violence..."The Wild Geese" is a real "Boys Own" adventure that races along like a good action film should !

    Ageing mercenary leader Allan Faulkner (Richard Burton) is hired by wealthy, but unscrupulous, merchant banker Sir Edward Matherson (Stewart Granger in an oily performance) to rescue an imprisoned African leader, Julius Limbani (Winston Ntshona) from terrorists and turn him over to his own people...at stake are copper mine concessions in Africa worth millions !!

    Burton enlists the aid of war time pals, Capt. Rafer Janders (Richard Harris) debonair pilot Lt. Shawn Fynn (Roger Moore), ex-South African troubleshooter Pieter Coetze (Hardy Kruger) and 'tough as nails' RSM Sandy Young (Jack Watson) as well as about 40 other mercenaries to engage on one last adventure for truth, justice and a very large paycheck.

    Burton & Co. parachute into darkened Africa and all goes well....until a double cross emerges and the Wild Geese are running for their lives....outgunned and outmanned by the pursuing brutal, machete-wielding Simba troops

    When the action commences in "The Wild Geese"...it comes thick and fast...the film is filled with gritty firefights, fast paced entertainment and colorful use of African savannah / veldt locations for the battle scenes....highly recommended for fans of the action / war genre !!

    Just when is this film going to come out on DVD ???
    7bkoganbing

    Those Old Cavalry Flicks

    Watching The Wild Geese puts me so in mind of those old John Ford cavalry flicks. Not surprising since the Director Andrew McLaglen learned his trade while on the set of those films with his father Victor McLaglen.

    A fine cast was assembled here for this film. Richard Burton, Roger Moore, and Richard Harris certainly have all done better stuff, but their skill makes The Wild Geese enjoyable. Of the three, I think Harris comes off the best, his scenes with his young son are very poignant.

    Richard Burton is a mercenary who is being offered a contract by gazillionaire industrialist Stewart Granger. Train and equip a group of mercenaries to rescue a Nelson Mandela type African leader who has been deposed in a military coup. Burton does the job, but when the job is finished he and his mercenaries find getting out a whole lot more than the bargained for.

    Starting with Where Eagles Dare, Burton was trying the action/adventure genre on for size and he did well with that. He came up way short with Raid on Rommel, but recouped quite a bit with The Wild Geese. It was his only joint film venture with Richard Harris, pairing both the stage and screen King Arthurs from Camelot.

    Of course action adventure is old hat for Roger Moore. He was in his prime as James Bond when The Wild Geese was done. But Moore shows he can be quite serious here. None of the tongue in cheek deadpan that characterizes a Bond film.

    The scenes dealing with the recruiting a training of the mercenaries come straight out of John Ford. So are the various types among the soldiers.

    I liked Kenneth Griffith's portrayal of the openly gay medic with the group. Yes he's certainly stereotypical, but the point is he's accepted by the men who really don't care about his sexual orientation when in a fight. Secondly he turns out to be quite the John Wayne type hero in the end.

    The Wild Geese turned out to be very popular, Burton was going to do a sequel Wild Geese II when he died in 1983. Might have been interesting had he done it since it would have paired with Laurence Olivier in that one.

    The Wild Geese is an action/adventure film to be sure, but it's also about loyalty, tradition, and camaraderie. These men may fight for a good paycheck, but they are fanatically loyal to the unit created and to each other.

    If that ain't John Ford.............................

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      Sir Roger Moore requested to have fewer lines in his scenes with Richard Burton and Richard Harris. This kind of request was almost unheard of from a major star. His reasoning was, "You don't seriously expect me to act against these guys?"
    • Goofs
      After the plane bombs the bridge, splitting up the men to opposite sides of the river, they shout across to each other to make their way alone and meet up later after Burton's group crosses somewhere down river. But the river bed is dry (as Richard Harris explained earlier) - they could easily have walked across right there.
    • Quotes

      RSM Sandy Young: Sir! With respect, you can stick the money up your arse that's all I can offer you sir. - I love what I do, I also love these grubby, thickheaded men I trained - you most of all and I expect to be with them and with you because I'm needed. You want to see a REAL revolution? Try and stop me.

    • Alternate versions
      NBC edited 12 minutes from this film for its 1982 network television premiere.
    • Connections
      Featured in Sneak Previews: The Wild Geese/A Dream of Passion/Goin' Coconuts/Slow Dancing in the Big City/Violette (1978)
    • Soundtracks
      Flight of the Wild Geese
      Written and Performed by Joan Armatrading

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    FAQ

    • How long is The Wild Geese?
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    • How much are the mercenaries paid for rescuing Limbani?
    • Why does Sir Edward Matherson abandon the mercenaries in Africa?
    • How realistic is this film?

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • October 4, 1978 (France)
    • Country of origin
      • United Kingdom
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • The Wild Geese
    • Filming locations
      • Tshipise, Limpopo, South Africa
    • Production companies
      • Euan Lloyd Productions
      • Richmond Film Productions (West)
      • Varius Entertainment Trading A.G.
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

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    • Budget
      • $10,000,000 (estimated)
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Tech specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      2 hours 14 minutes
    • Color
      • Color
    • Sound mix
      • Mono
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.85 : 1

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    Richard Burton, Roger Moore, Richard Harris, and Hardy Krüger in Les oies sauvages (1978)
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