Dark of the Sun

"Brutes! Savages! Heroes! They're Mercenaries... They're Paid to do a Job!"

1968 1h 41m EN

👍

6.6

SOLID

★6.6TMDB · 86

WarAdventureDrama

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

A band of mercenaries led by Captain Curry travel through war-torn Congo across deadly terrain, battling rival armies, to steal $50 million in uncut diamonds. But infighting, sadistic rebels and a time lock jeopardize everything.

“Brutes! Savages! Heroes! They're Mercenaries... They're Paid to do a Job!”

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Where to watch · US

Cast

Rod Taylor
Curry
Yvette Mimieux
Claire
Peter Carsten
Henlein
Jim Brown
Ruffo
Kenneth More
Doctor Wreid
André Morell
Bussier
Olivier Despax
Surrier
Guy Deghy
Delage

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Jack Cardiff
Writers: Ranald MacDougall, Adrian Spies
Languages: English
Countries: United Kingdom

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Shot for just $2.0M — micro-budget by Hollywood standards.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Earned back only 75% of its budget on initial theatrical — a commercial disappointment on release.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

ERA

Did you know

58 years old — a genuine piece of film history.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Jack Cardiff, shot by Edward Scaife. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Jacques Loussier. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Ernest Walter shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Rod Taylor and Yvette Mimieux and Peter Carsten carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "Brutes! Savages! Heroes! They're Mercenaries... They're Paid to do a Job!".

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Jack Cardiff directs. Edward Scaife behind the camera. Jacques Loussier scores. Ernest Walter cuts. A commercial under-performer on release. Produced in United Kingdom. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Shot for just $2.0M — micro-budget by Hollywood standards.
2Earned back only 75% of its budget on initial theatrical — a commercial disappointment on release.
358 years old — a genuine piece of film history.
4Directed by Jack Cardiff, shot by Edward Scaife. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
5Original score by Jacques Loussier. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
6Editor Ernest Walter shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
7Rod Taylor and Yvette Mimieux and Peter Carsten carry the top of the cast.
8Marketing tagline: "Brutes! Savages! Heroes! They're Mercenaries... They're Paid to do a Job!".
9IMDB entry: tt0062863 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
10Only 86 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.

The technical file

Cinematography: Edward Scaife
Original score: Jacques Loussier
Editing: Ernest Walter
Runtime: 101 min · 1h 41m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Budget: $2,000,000
Box office: $1,500,000
Return: 75% of budget
Original language: EN
Certification (US): NR
IMDB: Dark of the Sun (1968)

Also by

Jack Cardiff

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Community reviews

What people are saying

John Chard2017-08-10
★ 8/10
Muscular Mayhem! 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

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