DARK OF THE SUN 1968 on Blu-Ray

       Based upon a book by African adventure specialist Wilbur Smith, 1968's DARK OF THE SUN is a balls-to-the-wall action film that barely pauses to catch its breath during its nail-bitingly intense 100 min. running time. Directed by Academy Award cinematographer Jack Cardiff (BLACK NARCISSUS) it features Rod Taylor as a mercenary Capt. Curry in the war-torn Congo of the 1960's. Curry who along with his buddy/comrade Sgt. Ruffo (Jim Brown) is hired to rescue a group of stranded Europeans who are caught behind the lines. Jacking up the tension considerably is the real motive behind the "rescue"- $50,000,000 worth of diamonds held in a bank there.
      Regulated to some late-night TV showings and a pan & scan VHS, this was mercifully rescued by Warner Archive for a DVD release a few years back and now we have a beautiful Blu -Ray that brings forth the sweaty violence in startling clarity.
     Gathering together a group of mercenaries including Peter Carsten dubbed by Paul Frees) as a sadistic ex-Nazi turned mercenary and in a very touching performance that could have easily gone the wrong way Kenneth Moore as an alcoholic doctor they travel by a heavily armed train their destination, picking up missionary Yvette Mimieux (reuniting with Taylor from THE TIME MACHINE) along the way. The plot gives us a nice lead-up, spending just enough time in preparation of and the train journey itself to let each character develop their own individuality. Mimieux at first seems hopelessly out-of-place in the midst of the mission, but she along with Jim Brown will become a conscience for Taylor and the audience.

     Thankfully a hinted at burgeoning romance between Mimieux and Taylor never materializes, leaving the plot free to move from one action sequence to another. Although the plot has politics as a basis for the recovery of the diamonds, the mercenaries for the most part are guided by money, greed or revenge (or sometimes all three) and once the train gets underway it's a non-stop adrenaline rush. Browns made out as the most sympathetic of the bunch and a couple of dialogue scenes with Taylor help flesh out both characters.
    Taylor has never been better here and it's one of those roles that once you seem him here, you'll never look at him the same way again. There's an excellent chemistry between himself and Brown with a real sense of longtime friendship and camaraderie between them. Taylor's revenge-driven transformation at the end all of film, as he turns into almost feral-like animal on the hunt for blood is an amazing piece of acting.
    The film's much heralded violence still packs a wallop to this day with several startling wince inducing images and sequences including a covert trip to a town to retrieve the diamonds that's like a trip to one of the outer circles of hell. If all this weren't enough, you also get fight with a chainsaw and Rod driving the literal piss out of a Land Rover.
     Extras on the disc include the theatrical trailer and a new commentary with Trailers From Hell Larry Karaszewski & Larry Olson along with Brian Saur & Elric Kane.

All above screen-caps are from the Warner Archive Blu-Ray