Taraparain Tells a fascinating and unsettling true story, and does so well, without pretending to have all the answers.

Mischa Redfern I didn’t really have many expectations going into the movie (good or bad), but I actually really enjoyed it. I really liked the characters and the banter between them.

Brennan Camacho Mostly, the movie is committed to the value of a good time.

Cissy Évelyne It really made me laugh, but for some moments I was tearing up because I could relate so much.

Spikeopath Dark of the Sun (AKA:The Mercenaries) is directed by Jack Cardiff and adapted to screenplay by Ranald MacDougall (alias Quentin Werty) and Adrien Spies from Wilbur Smith's novel "The Dark of the Sun". It stars Rod Taylor, Jim Brown, Yvette Mimieux, Peter Carsten and Kenneth More. A Panavision/Metrocolor production, music is by Jacques Loussier and cinematography by Edward Scaife.A band of mercenaries embark upon a dangerous mission during the Congo Crisis...Back upon release it was met with some consternation by critics who thought it overtly violent and unpleasant, today it is met with disdain by the PC brigade who are unable to view a 1968 movie and accept it as just that! Anyone order a curry in a hurry?!Jack Cardiff's picture is a ballsy men on a mission piece, full of meaty muscular mayhem, acetylene augmented action and preposterous political postures. Wonderfully raw, story sends Bruce Curry (Taylor) and his band of not very merry men on a steam train journey based mission through the Congo. They are to retrieve some diamonds and enact the rescue of civilians caught up in the rampage of the Simbas. Enter a very fractured group dynamic - with Carsten's Swastika sporting merc very much a fulcrum - a number of brutal confrontations involving all manner of weapons, and an exhaustive last quarter of film that's in turn terrifying and troubling as it is potent. A major flip-flop in the narrative annoys a lot, and Mimieux - although not doing anything wrong - is merely dressage to lower the testosterone levels.It should be noted that the pic was filmed in Jamaica and not as listed in some reviews as Africa (splendid scenery utilised, though some pointless back projection work annoys and is baffling), while caution is advised on purchasing a home format copy since cuts have been made over the years. This may lack the ferocious nastiness of The Dirty Dozen, or the intelligent action strains of Where Eagles Dare, but it sure as heck fire punches the gut and tingles the adrenaline beats. 8/10

angelsunchained The Dark of The Sun starts off great and could of stayed that way if not for bad dubbing and very stupid scenarios. The movie takes place in Africa's Congo during the brutal Simba Revolt which is portrayed realistically in all its brutal violence. Rod Taylor is excellent as Captain Curry a mercenary with a heart of gold. Jim Brown places Taylor's sidekick and the two play very well off each other. There is also an ex-Nazi mercenary thrown in for drama. Here is where things go.as astray. The German actor is clearly dubbed in and the dubbing and voice over is terrible. Supposedly, the Nazi is needed to pull off their mission, but does nothing but attack and try to kill Taylor throughout the film. The ending is extremely stupid and non-believable. After killing JimBrown's character and stealing the diamonds, the ex-Nazi killed by Rod Taylor. Taylor then tells his military aid to arrest him for murder. That is the ending. Stupid as heck. Dark of the Sun could have been a truly great action film, it ends up as just an okay one.

bkoganbing Dark Of The Sun is one superior action film showing the difficulties of the African liberation period of the 50s and 60s. A whole continent of nations gained their independence from European powers no longer able to govern. In many places the struggle goes on with different players and different issues. No place was more bloody than the Congo now renamed as the Republic of Zaire.The mineral riches of Africa however are still controlled by the west and nobody wants to lose their investment. Rod Taylor and Jim Brown are a couple of mercenary soldiers who are asked by diamond merchants to retrieve a cache of diamonds from a small town and by the way rescue the people there if you can.The conflict of Taylor and Brown and their motivations are what sets the story going. Taylor is strictly for hire on a cash basis. Brown likes money, but he's from Africa, got a scholarship for an education in the USA and wants to see democracy and stability in his country. They like, but don't quite get the other.Into the mix comes Peter Karsten a former Nazi who proudly wears a swastika necklace that Taylor orders him to can. He's absorbed all the values of the country he formerly served.All of them have to face the rebels who are a bloodthirsty lot. Of all the places that was exploited the former Belgian Congo was far and away the worst. A lot of rage is fueling these people as you'll see in this film.Yvette Mimieux is one of the rescued people and she ignites a lot of sexual tension between all three men. There's also a nice performance from Kenneth More who is an alcoholic doctor in the John Ford tradition.Something Jack Cardiff picked up no doubt from Ford when he took over direction of Young Cassidy. The whole espirit de corps notions among the mercenaries is pure Ford and Taylor's breach of that is also dealt with in the film. What the breach is I won't say, but Taylor had just provocation.Dark Of The Sun holds up well as a portrait of Africa in turmoil in the Sixties. As for the diamond connection, that's still alive and thriving as a viewing of Leonardo DiCaprio's Blood Diamond will show.In fact they really ought to be viewed back to back. Was Jim Brown a bit too optimistic?

Adam Peters (89%) A mostly forgotten gem of a film that truly deserves to be more widely seen as it doesn't even have an English region 2 DVD release, which is a travesty owing to the British talent involved. Rod Taylor is perfect playing a tough soldier-of-fortune with a good heart, likewise big Jim Brown as his sidekick and Ken More as the missions alcoholic doctor. If you can get hold of a region 1 copy, which probably won't be cheap, but it will be worth it, as this is one of the best war films ever made, with fantastic direction, gut wrenching tension and brutal action. A theatrical re-release would be a real treat as the film hasn't hardly aged at all.