Dark of the Sun (1968) [Blu-ray]

The first time I had seen Dark Of The Sun was on late night television and it was edited. But when I saw it on cable, I was very surprised by the violence in the film. It wasn’t like Sam Peckinpah’s The Wild Bunch, but it could’ve been close. When I look at it now, I can understand how Quentin Tarantino used a couple of scenes as inspiration while he was making Inglourious Basterds(in which Rod Taylor played Winston Churchill).The film’s title suggests the darker side of humanity. And the setting could have been anywhere. But it was set in Congo of Africa. Taylor’s character of Curry is a mercenary; he is in it purely for the money and he is used for the purpose of political power and influence. Jim Brown’s character of Ruffo is a man who doesn’t care about money, but the advancement of his people. He is an even handed man who even suggests that Curry enlist the aid of Captain Henlein, a Nazi, to command the other soldiers in their group for their mission. I don’t want reveal any more because this film has to be watched closely, in my humble opinion. But it has just about everything((including Yvette Mimieux, who also starred with Taylor in The Time Machine. Her character was not a distraction for sexual tension among the men but a survivor along for the ride because she was one of the persons of interest).Kenneth More’s character of Doctor Wreid was interesting because of his issue with drinking and war as a whole. He redeems himself by staying behind to save a woman and her child, knowing that he will die at the hands of rebels that would arrive soon.

Being a huge fan of this movie, I was really looking forward to seeing Bruce Willis' TEARS OF THE SUN as it seemed to be inspired by this Sixties classic. Well, that was a disappointment. First off, you've GOT to have MERCENARIES. There obviously are not enough good Merc movies being made. TEARS is a decent film, but for various reasons is not as engaging as DARK OF THE SUN. In the small, exclusive realm of Merc movies, DARK OF THE SUN (and THE WILD GEESE) remains the best. As has been noted, this is not entirely politically correct, but it is more PC than the book and it suffers some from this. Still, I think it is the best we can get out of Hollywood.For instance, the worst guy in the movie is a white racist. My only major criticism of the film comes out of his demise, when he deserves what he gets but the film takes a holier than thou approach against Rod Taylor. So there's a bit of a let down after their climactic and extremely savage showdown.On the plus side, Rod gets to reteam with his Time Machine co-star Yvette Mimeux. If you read the book by Wilbur Smith, she's a pretty good fit for the character. The soundtrack is fantastic; I'm currently debating paying $35 for an original album, and if its still around next time I look I'll probably go for it. Rod Taylor is in his prime and nobody does tough SOB like him. The tension when he is trying to evacuate the town will put you in a cold sweat and the horrific loss of part of the fleeing train remained surprisingly true to the brutality described in the book. I join the chorus of getting this movie to DVD, like many others of Rod Taylor's Sixties films. If you like pulp Men's Action/Adventure put to screen, you should enjoy this.

Saw this mercenary adventure movie when first released. Remember only that I really liked it. Bought it and saw it last night and now I know why I remembered it. STILL really liked it, over half a century later.A good script from likely excellent source material (an early Wilbur Smith novel), Dark of the Sun avoids the usual "man's adventure" cliches (Eiger Sanction Sanction, Where Eagles Dare, Wild Geese, etc.) There's scarcely a false moment in the entire movie. Even dialogue scenes move quickly and convincingly. So convincingly, in fact, the one "seen it before" sequence (drunk-doctor-delivers baby, straight out of John Ford's Stagecoach) is handled poignantly.A good cast, including Veteran British actor, Kenneth More. (A Night To Remember); German action star, Peter Carsten (Zeppelin) benefits from excellent direction, under what must have been exhausting circumstances. Outside of Time Machine, probably Rod Taylor's most memorable picture--and the director's too. The finale chase scene which has to be seen to be believed (And you WIL believe it,) along with the punishing brawl at the movie's end. Wow.Directed by former cinematographer Jack Cardiff (terrific work on Black Narcissus and Red Shoes), and shot "on location" (not the Congo for obvious reasons, but look-alike Jamaica) and thanks to bluray, the movie probably looks as good today as it did in the theatres when first released.This is a good one.