Watch The Wild Geese For Free

Simply A Masterpiece

It's easily one of the freshest, sharpest and most enjoyable films of this year.

It's funny, it's tense, it features two great performances from two actors and the director expertly creates a web of odd tension where you actually don't know what is happening for the majority of the run time.

All of these films share one commonality, that being a kind of emotional center that humanizes a cast of monsters.

Movie Review: "The Wild Geese" (1978)A 1970s action thriller enriched with some political dispute material; Actor Richard Burton (1925-1984) presents himself in one of his most accomplished roles, leading fellow actors Roger Moore (1927-2017), Richard Harris (1930-2002) among others into battle on Central African grounds to break out a disposed African President. The action comes in paced doses. Yet the spectator needs to be prepared to engage into some former hard-boiled attitude variations, which may not be all too contemporary anymore. Nevertheless the mediocre-to-decent direction of Andrew V. McLaglen (1920-2014), a fairly driven adapted script by Reginald Rose (1920-2002) and the powerhouse scene-owning acting by Richard Burton will bring two-hour-entertainment to the motion picture tolerant and world-siding knowledgeable audience.© 2017 Felix Alexander Dausend (Cinemajesty Entertainment LLC)

****SPOILERS*** Professional mercenary British Col. Allen Faulkner, Richard Burton, is given the task by international banker Sir Edward Matherson, Stewart Granger,to rustle up a band of mercenaries to rescue an imprisoned South African leader Julius Limbani, Winston Ntshona,from his captors headed by his former army General Ndofa, who plans to have him executed. Now with all this out of the way we, the audience, and Col. Faulkner can now concentrate on the plan that he hatches to get the job done that soon turns out to be anything but brilliant.It's not that Col. Faulkner screws things up but against his better judgment allows himself to slip in trusting Sir Matherson who's only into rescuing Limbani to enrich himself not bring back democracy to the people of his country. Just when Col. Faulkner and his men in risking their lives are about to be air lift Limbani from out of danger their double-crossed by Sir Matherson by him ordering the rescue plane to leave them high and dry and in danger of being slaughtered by Gen Ndofa's army. Sir Matherson feels that he's getting a better deal to the country's copper and diamond reserves by Gen. Nodfa as well seeing that by getting Col. Faulkner and his men killed,and not paying them for their services, that he smelled big bucks in his switching sides in the middle of the conflict.The rest of the movie has Col. Faulkner and his men try to make it to the nearest airfield and hijack a cargo plane to fly them to safety. During that time their attacked from all directions by Gen, Ndofa's men fighting for their lives to reach the airfield and hijack the plane that their not quit sure is even serviceable. Incredible action scenes better then most if not any seen before of after in war movies has Col. Faulkner's men finally make it to safety with about a dozen of the originally 100 or so mercenaries surviving the fighting. Ther's also white South African mercenary Let.Pieter Coeteez, Hardy Kruger, who has no use for Pres. Limbani or any other black who ends up losing his life in trying to save him from his own, black Africans, people.***SPOILERS***One of those who didn't survive was President Limbani who died in transit from heart failure as well as Col. Faulkner's good friend and drinking buddy Capt. Rafer Janders, Richard Harris, whom he tearfully shot and killed as his was about to be captured and tortured to death by Gen. Ndofa's men. That as the plane piloted by fellow mercenary Lieut. Shawn Flynn, Roger Moore, who was wounded in the fighting was about to off. As for Sir Matherson he finally get his and got it good when Col. Faulkner back from the wars broke in unnoticed into his heavily protected London mansion. And after giving him a piece of his mind, in what a low down and back stabbing rat he was, Col Faulkner then blasted a shocked and startled Sir Matherson while he was quietly playing a game of chess with himself!

The Wild Geese is a film I remember vividly as a youngster, and one that for me has stood the test of time. Yes, there is no CGI or bullets whizzing close to the ears à la Steven Spielberg, but a gritty realism assisted by a number ex-military personnel among the extras.Having an interest in the history and politics of post-colonial Africa I was more than familiar with the exploits of mercenaries such as "Mad" Mike Hoare and Siegfried "Kongo" Müller, and some years after seeing this film for the first time I was happy to find out that the legendary "Mad Mike" had acted as a battlefield consultant.The plot is uncomplicated, and the mission seemingly straightforward. Employed by shady businessman Sir Edward Matheson (Stewart Granger), retired mercenary Alan Faulkner (Richard Burton) looks to set himself up financially with one last trip to Africa. In selecting his small private army Faulkner puts together an interesting core group - the intellectual Rafer Janders (Richard Harris), the smart and savvy Shawn Fynn (Roger Moore) and hard-nosed Afrikaner Pieter Coetzee (Hardy Krüger). While Faulker provides the brains, Fynn provides the charm, Coetzee the grit and Janders the soul.In all a group of fifty men are gathered, from grizzled vets looking for their last big pay packet through to younger soldiers of fortune. In amongst the group are the hard-nosed RSM Sandy Young (played wonderfully by Jack Watson) and the camp but no less tough medic Witty (Kenneth Griffith). There is plenty of excellent character development as the men go through their training routine, and plenty of politically incorrect banter that makes it even more real.The men parachute into the fictional country located in Southern Africa, with the mission to rescue politician Julius Limbani (Winston Ntshona) imprisoned by a communist-leaning government. He is being held at a prison staffed by a fearsome bunch of native soldiers - the Simbas - and their East German and Cuban advisors.Having arrived safely, the mission runs smoothly - the enemies are quickly dispatched and the prisoner is rescued, and you are left thinking "is this it?" But when things take a horrible twist and their rescue aircraft passes them by on the orders of the double-crossing Matheson, all hell breaks loose.Here the action really kicks off, complete with explosions, flying bodies and a rapidly increasing body count - all good 1970s action film fun.However, there is no real happy ending. The majority of the mercenaries don't make it out alive, and the scene on the runway that sees Faulkner left with the choice of shooting his friend Janders or leaving him at the mercy of the panga-wielding Simbas is something that does hit you sideways in what is otherwise a merry old school all-action romp.There is no Hollywood happy ending, but the final denouement makes for a satisfactory conclusion.Having read some of the other comments on here, my advice is simple. Forget the possible plot holes, some contrived plot acceleration (such as Coetzee's sudden realisation about Limbani) and so on, and just enjoy it. Watching Harris and Burton (who were allegedly ordered to stay off the drink for the duration of the filming) working together is great, Moore is his usual suave self but with a red beret instead of a tux, and Krüger is excellent as a character you just end up rooting for.They don't make them like this anymore!

Irrestible boy's own in the mould of "Where Eagles Dare" and "The Guns of Navarone", has an enviable quartet of actors (Burton, Harris, Moore and Kruger) teaming up to free a captive political prisoner and Prime Minister (Ntshona) from a rebel stronghold in central Africa. Things go awry however when their escape route is blocked, and the elite team of somewhat ageing specialists must improvise an exit through treacherous terrain.Stewart Granger co-stars as the swarthy financier who convinces Burton to take on the supposedly straight-forward mission, while among the quartet's faithful crew are stalwarts Kenneth Griffith, Jack Watson (as a barking sergeant-major), Ronald Fraser and Percy Herbert. Watch closely and you'll see beauty Valerie Leon as a casino dealer, Barry Foster as Granger's right-hand man, and even Jeff Corey as a mob boss. It's an eclectic cast of serious depth.Spawning two sequels, and headlined by a James Bond-esque eponymous theme song, "The Wild Geese" is an easy-viewing, uncomplicated action-war movie with a couple of sentimental moments (e.g. Harris' agreement with Burton, or the budding friendship between Kruger and Ntshona) and plenty of good old-fashioned up the British heroics. It also puts to bed any notion that elite soldiers of fortune can't be played by a "Dad's Army" of forty and fifty-somethings who can still get the job done and not embarrass themselves in the process. If only they could've found roles for Oliver Reed and Peter O'Toole, we'd have had a very well-stocked bar.