A British banker hires a group of British mercenaries to rescue a deposed African President from the hands of a corrupt African dictator.
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Title: The Wild Geese (1978)
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1 win & 1 nomination.
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Cast
| Cast overview, first billed only: | |||
| Richard Burton | ... | Colonel Allen Faulkner | |
| Roger Moore | ... | Lt. Shawn Fynn | |
| Richard Harris | ... | Capt. Rafer Janders | |
| Hardy Krüger | ... | Lt. Pieter Coetzee (as Hardy Kruger) | |
| Stewart Granger | ... | Sir Edward Matherson | |
| Winston Ntshona | ... | President Julius Limbani | |
| John Kani | ... | Sgt. Jesse Link | |
| Jack Watson | ... | R.S.M. Sandy Young | |
| Frank Finlay | ... | Father Geoghagen | |
| Kenneth Griffith | ... | Arthur Witty | |
| Barry Foster | ... | Thomas Balfour | |
| Ronald Fraser | ... | Jock McTaggart | |
| Ian Yule | ... | Tosh Donaldson | |
| Patrick Allen | ... | Rushton | |
| Rosalind Lloyd | ... | Heather | |
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Plot Summary
|
Plot Synopsis
Storyline
A British multinational seeks to overthrow a vicious dictator in central Africa. It hires a band of (largely aged) mercenaries in London and sends them in to save the virtuous but imprisoned opposition leader. Written by Richard Young <richy@vnu.co.uk>
Taglines:
Soldiers of Fortune... Modern Musketeers. See more »Parents Guide:
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RSM Sandy Young: That was LUDICROUS, sir. You're jumping from an aeroplane, not a whorehouse window. Do it again.
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Did You Know?
Trivia
In the casino scene where Colonel Allen Faulkner (Richard Burton) flirts with a woman dressed as an Egyptian, the woman was actually Burton's wife, Susan Hunt. See more »Goofs
Hardy Kruger's character says that his crossbow will send a bolt right through a man at a hundred and twenty yards, yet when he shoots the sentries from a much closer range, the bolts only penetrate a few inches. Also, if the crossbow was that powerful, he wouldn't be able to cock it by hand, which he does easily. See more »Quotes
[after womanizer Sean Finn fails at a simulated parachute drop]RSM Sandy Young: That was LUDICROUS, sir. You're jumping from an aeroplane, not a whorehouse window. Do it again.
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Alternate Versions
In the version shown on UK television, Sandy shouts abuse at one of the men who has collapsed during training and doesn't want to get up due to exhaustion. Sandy then pulls out his pistol and tells him to "Get up you lazy abortion" yet the words do not match the lip synching. This would indicate that the original dialogue was something even more offensive and had to be toned down and dubbed for TV broadcast. See more »
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Details
Language:
EnglishRelease Date:
11 November 1978 (USA) See more »Also Known As:
The Wild Geese See more »Edit
Box Office
Budget:
$10,000,000 (estimated)Company Credits
Production Co:
Euan Lloyd Productions, Richmond Film Productions (West), Varius Entertainment Trading A.G. See more »
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IMDbPro »
A splendid old-fashioned action film, with all concerned giving it their best shot.
A few people have objected to the average age of the actors in this film, from Burton to Kenneth Griffiths - but they don't seem to realise that the age of these mercernaries is the point. The Wild Geese is about a generation of men who demobbed from the Army after the Second World War, were unable to make peace work, and who sold their services as soldiers in the world's troublespots to the highest bidder. The late 1970's would have been the time of life that their age at last compromised their work, and the film is a recognition of the last of them.
For me this film is like a beloved childhood toy, kept and never forgotten - when it aired recently on television I just didn't want it to end.
Brilliant, gloriously sentimental and the anti-thesis of PC. 10/10