This was my father's favorite film. We had not watched it for 20 years until I found it on DVD on eBay last year. It was the last movie we saw together before he died last April.
Especially The Expendables, even though I like 80's action movies, The Expendables offers nothing, plot-wise. It's ONLY selling point is that it has old school stars and macho men. Which is fine but plot and character-wise, it had absolutely nothing to offer for they were boring and uninteresting. The Expendables is, as far as I'm concerned' a wasted opportunity. The Wild Geese on the other hand has big names but the story, while simple, is still well-written and had great characters. And it doesn't help that The Expendables relies too much on in-jokes that makes me cringe.
CompanyLagoon I do agree, the funny thing is alot of people who remember those legends (Burton, Niven, Peck et-al), in many ways look on at their later action films like the Wild Geese, Sea Wolves etc, in a similar way as you may look at Expendables now. Those movies have a charm to them that is fully recognizable to people of that era (50s/60s), just as Expendables has its own charm recognizable to fans of those particular 80s/90s action stars. Or atleast thats the way I see it.
I like the scene where Falkner tries to tell Sandy to go home. "Sir, with respect, if you want a reverlution, try and fucking stop me. SIR!" snaps a salute spins on his heel and marches out the door!
Love the scene of Richard Burton running (!) and his dyed toupe flapping around. When he sits down and has a beer (bet it was real) you can see it is almost off!! Roger moore said this was a great way to get the "old boys" together, Burton, Krueger, Watson, harris et al. I really like this movie, funny and cruel at the same time, and violent!!
Dear God Almighty - He's my RSM, he's just got a different face.Mine still scares me almost to death almost 30 years later but he taught me the skills that kept me safe in some pretty horrendous places - thank you Wally!
My RSM was a beast. The bastard stood at 7'.4" , was built like a tank and looked like he would scoop your brains out if you happened to look at him funny.
We had a Sargent like that when I was being trained in the British army back in the early 80's, he looked like that bloke too!! Great Platoon Sargent though..
When the Simba's attack, the line by Esposito "Jesus, we're dead..." and the RSM's reply "You're not dead until I tell you!" Tells you a lot about RSM's, they scared the living fuck out of you but when the shit hit's the fan you're his beloved sons.
My first C.S.M. in my Regiment..George Lawrence..hard firm and fair..reminds me of this fella...sadly no longer with us..RIP Sir..sorting them out upstairs
Saw this in the theater in 1978, Dad took me to my first R-rated movie and I had nightmares about it. Watching it again after a 30+ military career, and I previously spent time at the film’s Africa location I should say this is the most cornball nonsense ever. The Kariba landing scene “We had landing lights at Kariba, they didn’t need torches.” Silly. The whole mafia thing is silly also. And yet… I LOVE this movie! Richard Burton, Roger Moore and Richard Harris take over-acting to new heights and… oh, who cares, it’s awesome! Movies used to be FUN; turn your brain off here’s a STORY. Also I don’t think fire vehicles would need RSR stickers, but fine. It’s a movie!
To all the people complaining that Jack Watson was too old to play an RSM... he is supposed to be a RETIRED RSM! He was hired by the characters played by Roger Moore and Richard Harris (both characters being retired British officers) to put their mercenaries through the paces and get them back into shape for the mission they are about to undertake. The RSM's first scene in the film is of him trimming rose bushes at home, for God's sake...
They're all a bit on the elderly side. Burton seemed more physically fit here than in "Where Eagles Dare", in which he was seven or eight years younger.
Try my great uncle Harry whose remains lay in Millecourt Cemetery on the Somme, killed while commanding an 8" howitzer. He told the medics; "Don't worry about me, see to my men first." after being struck by shrapnel from German counter-battery fire. 12 August 1916.
i met jack watson the man who plays sandy on a bus in bath some years ago , we talked about the wild geese and other movies he had been in , he was a nice person
made me to remember Capt.J.L.Tucker during my basic pre sea training at bombay back in 1988 , he used to be the biggest f....r as far as we were concerned ,but man ......did we develop respect for him?....... ENORMOUS is the least word I can use to express it. He practised to the last action what he drilled us on........... as did the RSM character sandy in the movie. GOD BLESS HIS SOUL.
Yah, there was a certain Sergeant Zajac up at Camp Pendleton, when I spent a brief time in the tender loving care of the USMC back in the summer of 1974. Christ, I hated his fucking guts, but I did respect the man, no doubt.
I love the way that the Sandy Watson character is able to intimidate / cajole / bully & insult his SENIOR officers in this clip :-) He still calls them "Sir" .
There's a line in a film about a British officer training establishment. The WO2 instructor makes the point that they will call each other "Sir" but only one of them will mean it.
In the movie, on 2 occasions Moore ( when doing the parachute training) and Harris ( during the parade ground training) called the RSM " Sir". I think it's because it takes less energy ( and breath) to say " Yes Regimental Sergeant Major"
Ian Yule who played 'Tosh' (The sergeant who in the recruiting scene had become a plumber, and used the chopped down FN-FAL)- had been one of Mad Mike's crew and it was because of Ian, that Mike was hired as an advisor.
I don't care what country, we all have fond memories of our first encounter with the drill sergeant, DI, RSM, CSM, et cetera. They were just teaching us how to survive as a grunt. I hated mine at first but I still remember each of their names and faces. I also still remember my senior drill sergeant's favorite saying, "Private put your bottom and top lips together.....SO NO MORE CRAP FALLS OUTTA IT!!!"
No not quite, Sir Richard died in 1984. This movie was released in 1978. Burton was slated to star in the sequel, but died before filming began. Yes, poor Burton looks like he was about to pass on after this physical ordeal. Great actor, may he rest in peace.
hahahaha, can you honestly imagine these silly old sods making for a convincing fighting unit???? a great film nevertheless and a classic of the war genre
JACK WATSON Is Blood Awesome, I adore his acting in TOBRUK and THE DEVIL's BRIGADE and he did a small role in this Great TV Miniseries call MASADA and i was caught by Surprise, he played an Excellent Roman Soldier. What a Great Sargent Major Jack Watson Portrayed.
For the Civilians, When you are in the army, you have to follow the orders of the instructor even if he is just a corporal and you an officer. I remember a Captain doing the Air-borne course and a corporal was his superior during the course,because he was the instructor. He was frustrated and threatened the corporal,but couldn't do nothing against him. When he was finished the captain was so grateful with the instructor that he gave a party for all of us who had the same course.
Ah, yes...the good old RSM...the biggest c**t on the planet when you were in basic, but when you look back, you can't help but get all dewey eyed at the thought of the old fucker. (If he's dead, he's found gainful employment in some unimaginable level of hell!)
@@jamietobin4161 Oh it is mate. I've got a hell of a long list. I love my movies and have literally 100's of dvd's. Watched more than ever now with this lock down and the crap they put on the telly.
Fantastic film. All actors were great. Nothing to match this by Hollywood crap. Sincerely Ex Brit Para of th 1950's and 60's .................Good old Jack Watson............
Raiken, no worries. The one thing about all of the Colour Sergeants I ever met was the fact they never asked their men to do something they themselves were incapable of.
+Gustave Kropff The Colour Bloke is a potential RSM, making him the biggest Company bastard going. Nice one, Gustav. I am pleased this sort of quality behaviour of Warrant Officers is not confined to the British Army!
@ Tim - Agreed on Jack Watson being a fantastic RSM - he actually reminds me of one bastard I knew...(and I mean 'bastard' as a term of endearment) Only Windsor Davies is in the same league. @ Jexington - there are some great lines in the film, like Flynn's line on being told one of their options might be surrender "I'd sooner let Witty treat my haemerrroids..." Do like RSM 'Sandy's' introduction...
The mercenaries in african ops in the late 70's & early 80's were generally total fiasco's. Badly paid, with troops with dubious backgrounds, some were just fantasists like Costas Georgiu in Angola in 1975 (AKA 'Col. Callan' - who would have struggled to make a lance cpl in the British army. Jailed for an (on duty) armed robbery was made a Colonel after 'oversleeping', finding his unit had moved on, the telling everyone he'd singlehandedly wiped out a battalion while returning to his lines...)
efnissien Read 'Firepower' - very well written and detailed account of the madness and utter mayhem of Col Callan's Mercs. ( Book written by Dave Tompkins and Chris Dempster).
That is solid Britisn Army tradition. A cool clip was a sergeant giving a junior officer hell for not properly trooping the colors. "That's blood awful, Sir. It just won't do at all!!"
was,nt the sergant major just brilliant ,could have cried when he was killed.must have watched this movie 50 times, my wife just shakes her head when she see,s it on again
