IT CAME FROM THE BOTTOM SHELF!

The poster illustrations advertising the 1968 action film Dark of the Sun promised lurid, exploitive violence (from train-top gunfights to a Nazi with a chainsaw); and for once, the movie made good on the pulpy promise of the posters.  In fact, audiences of the time (a year before Sam Peckinpah’s The Wild Bunch) were not prepared for the extent of the nastiness that Dark of the Sun held in store.

Set in Africa during the battle for power in the newly liberated Congo of the early Sixties, mercenary Captain Bruce Curry (Rod Taylor) is hired by the Congolese President (Calvin Lockhart) to put together a band of soldiers to rescue a group of European residents that are cutoff behind enemy lines by savage Simba rebels.  However, the President’s motives are far from altruistic, as the real reason for the mission is to retrieve diamonds valued at fifty million dollars from the mining operation in the town.  Assisted by his most trusted lieutenant, Sgt. Ruffo (Jim Brown), a Congolese who is fighting out of patriotism rather than a payday, Curry outfits a steam train with ammo and explosives and loads it up with soldiers, including a disreputable ex-Nazi, Captain Henlein (Peter Carsten).  Early on, the train is attacked by their own allies, and Curry and Henlein come to blows (which covers most of the action depicted in the posters, before reaching the mining colony or encountering the sadistic, rapy Simba rebels).  Along the way, the mercenaries also pick up Claire (Yvette Mimieux), the only survivor of a bloody Simba raid on a plantation, who serves as a nominal love interest for Curry.  However, the true love story in the flick is the bromance between partners Curry and Ruffo.

Dark of the Sun (released in England as The Mercenaries) is a picture that doesn’t pull any punches.  While not as graphic as some modern action and horror films, the violence in this 1968 film is surprisingly shocking, going as far as to depict a bacchanal of atrocities when Curry and company actually encounter the Simba rebels. The violence is fierce, ugly, and occasionally racially problematic.  That said, the picture is entertaining at every turn and deserving of the dedicated cult following that it has begun to amass.

Directed by master cinematographer Jack Cardiff, who lensed such classics as Black Narcissus (1947), The Red Shoes (1948), and The African Queen (1951), the film looks fantastic, and the action is very well staged.  For fans of action films, the story has much to recommend it — men on a mission against tremendous odds and a strict deadline, ruthless enemies, explosive warfare, revenge, and a train.  Who doesn’t love a train?  Still, screenwriter Ranald MacDougall took his name of the finished film (using part of the top row of keys on his typewriter as an alias).

Rod Taylor is at his most charismatic, brutish, and athletic in Dark of the Sun.  While best known for his leads in The Time Machine (1960) and The Birds (1963), those roles were rather vanilla.  Antihero Captain Curry offered the actor a darker role that better fit the roughhousing Aussie, and he leapt (literally) into it with everything he had.  Football star turned actor, Jim Brown also shines with a couple of sincere speeches that allow him a rare opportunity to display some real acting chops.  Kenneth More (as an alcoholic doctor) and Yvette Mimieux also provide excellent support during their limited screen time.

Finally, the score by Jacques Loussier deserves a mention.  The Morricone-like soundtrack lends tremous support to the action, and you’ll be humming the melody for days after watching the movie.

All in all, Dark of the Sun has everything an action lover could want, plus an extra helping.  I highly recommend this deliriously entertaining actioner.

US-UK/C-100m./Dir: Jack Cardiff/Wr: Ranald MacDougall (as Quentin Werty)/Cast: Rod Taylor, Jim Brown, Yvette Mimieux, Peter Carsten, Kenneth More, André Morell, Olivier Despax, Guy Deghy, Bloke Modisane, Calvin Lockhart  

For Fans of: If you like “men on a mission” films like The Dirty Dozen (1967) and The Professionals (1966) and you are not turned off by violent content, you will likely love Dark of the Sun.

Video: The Warner Archive Collection released a beautiful Blu-ray edition of Dark of the Sun from a new remastering of the film prepared in 2018.  The video is more colorful, accurate, and sharp than Warner’s previous DVD release.  The audio also gets a nice boost, and Jacques Loussier’s memorable score sounds fantastic.  In short, it is a near perfect presentation of the film.

Special Features:

• A new audio commentary by Trailers From Hell‘s Josh Olson and Larry Karaszewski with the Pure Cinema Podcast‘s Brian Saur and Elric D. Kane.  This is one of the most fun commentaries I’ve heard in a long time.  Screenwriters Olson (A History of Violence) and Larry Karaszewski (Ed Wood) are not only knowledgeable about the production of the film and the cast and crew involved; they also use their screenwriting bona fides to discuss the storytelling techniques and occasional shortcomings of the script.  In addition, all four participants are enthusiastic fans of the film, so the discussion is energetic, humorous, and informative.
• Original theatrical trailer

You can purchase the double feature disc directly from the Warner Archive or from other online retailers (Amazon link below).

Streaming: At the time this review was written, Dark of the Sun was not streaming as part of any of the standard subscription services.  However, it can be rented or purchased through Amazon Instant Video and other digital outlets.

More to Explore: The Warner Archive has also released a DVD of a previous teaming of director Cardiff and actor Taylor, The Liquidator (1966), which is a pretty good James Bond ripoff. Also, Quentin Tarantino borrowed sections of Jacques Loussier’s score and actor Rod Taylor for his best film, Inglourious Basterds (2009).

Trivia: One of the weirdest aspects of Dark of the Sun is the fact that some (but not all) of actor Peter Carsten’s dialogue was redubbed by voice actor Paul Frees.  Frees often redubbed inaudible or flubbed lines for foreign actors who either couldn’t master the dialogue or were unavailable to return for dubbing sessions.  This dubbing is doubly distracting in Dark of the Sun, because not only does Paul Frees sound nothing like Peter Carsten; Frees’ voice is also instantly recognizable by anyone who grew up watching cartoons or has visited a Disney theme park.  Paul Frees provided the voice of several animated characters, including Boris Batanov on Rocky & Bullwinkle & Friends, and he is still heard as the “Ghost Host” narrator in The Haunted Mansion at Disneyland and Disney World.

For More Info: There are some informative volumes available on director Cardiff and stars Taylor and Brown, including the interview book Conversations with Jack Cardiff: Art, Light and Direction in Cinema by Justin Bowyer and biographies Rod Taylor: An Aussie in Hollywood by Stephen Vagg and Jim Brown: Last Man Standing by Dave Zirin.