The
premise of "Code Name: Wild Geese"
isn’t exactly a mind bending one. In fact, you could argue that it’s
pretty basic at best. But director Antonio Margheriti’s ("Vengeance",
"Cannibal Apocalypse") story
of a commando team hired to take down an opium operation is a fast paced
and action packed film that, despite its shortcomings, is hard not to
enjoy.
Lewis
Collins (who also shows up in Commando Leopard and
The Commander, once again directed by Margheriti) plays Commander
Robin Wesley, who has been assigned the task of assembling a crack unit of
soldiers to aid in his mission to whip out a heroin plant hidden in a
jungle in South East Asia. Who gave him this job? Why, a couple of big
wigs including Fletcher (Earnest Borgnine of "The
Wild Bunch"), and Charlton (Klaus Kinski of "Aguirre,
The Wrath Of God"), that’s who. They don’t really go
into detail on why they want Wesley to do this, but they specifically
state that he’s the man for the job and who are we to doubt them? They
also let him know that a local General who may have a sizeable army to
deal with once they arrive and he finds out what their intentions are runs
the plant. So Wesley puts together his team of mighty fighting men
and sets out to get himself a pilot in the form of a man called China,
played by Lee Van Cleef. Good choice there on his part. I know if I were
going into the jungle to take down a heroin plant and possibly have to
fight my way out against a drug lord’s army, I’d want Captain Apache
himself by my side. He also drives his car through a tunnel along the side
of the wall to evade some people who are following and also to prove,
beyond a shadow of a doubt, that he is a bad ass.
Anyway,
Wesley, China and the crew head into the jungle, steal themselves a
helicopter, and head into the thick of it all to bag themselves some
fiends. They do just that, take down the processing plant, and rescue a
hostage named Kathy Robson (Mimsy Farmer). They also find out that
Charlton’s name is on the list of contacts that the drug lord kept in
his computer. After they head out of there they take one of their
wounded to take shelter with a priest who runs a church in the middle of
the jungle. He informs them that there is a second plant that they’re
going to need to take down as well. The evil drug peddling General tracks
them to the church they’re hiding out in and bombs it to kingdom come
but our heroes aren’t there when it happens and make it out ok. Finding
out that the priest was among the dead though pisses Lee Van Cleef off
pretty good, so you know what’s coming. As the remaining commandos
head off to the second plant, who should we see heading up the river
standing at the front off a boat with some other soldiers? Charlton.
Now,
if you’ve seen "Aguirre, The Wrath Of God",
you know that if you see Klaus Kinski heading towards standing at the
front of a boat heading up river, you should get the Hell out of there.
But Wesley and China are tough SOBs so they stay and fight. They’re
determined to do whatever it takes to complete their mission and get to
the bottom of the drug-dealing ring no matter who is involved.
While
the first twenty minutes of the film move a little slow, once they get to
the jungle and start blowing stuff up, the movie keeps going at a brisk
pace and it seems like there’s a new explosion every two or three
minutes. Kinski and Van Cleef are both great in their respective roles,
and Kinski’s final scene is wonderfully over the top, though both actors
really should have been given a bit more screen time.
Regardless, even with the two powerhouses in supporting roles, "Code
Name: Wide Geese" is a lot of fun and is worth watching
just for the car chase scene alone. Throw in plenty of gratuitous
violence, some great tough guy dialogue, and oodles of quality explosions
and you’ve got yourself a winner.
Worth noting is that the version of the film on this DVD is the theatrical
version and it is slightly trimmed of some violence present in other
versions.
Review
by: Ian Jane
- (Courtesy
of www.dvdmaniacs.net )
