The Wilby Conspiracy (1975)

User Rating:

6.3/10   

Director:

Ralph Nelson

Writers:

Rodney Amateau (writer)
Peter Driscoll (novel)

Release Date:

February 1975 (Austria)

Genre:

Drama | Thriller

Tagline:

In the fight for freedom, you have to break all the rules.

Plot:

Black anti-apartheid activist and British engineer are forced to run from South African secret police.

Plot Keywords:

Political | South Africa | Apartheid | Racism | Chase

Cast

Sidney Poitier	...	Shack Twala
Michael Caine	...	Jim Keogh
Nicol Williamson	...	Major Horn
Prunella Gee	...	Rina Van Niekirk
Saeed Jaffrey	...	Mukarjee
Persis Khambatta	...	Persis Ray
Rijk de Gooyer	...	Van Heerden (as Ryk De Gooyer)
Rutger Hauer	...	Blane Van Niekirk
Patrick Allen	...	District Commissioner
Joe De Graft	...	Wilby Xaba
Archie Duncan	...	Gordon
Abdulla Sunado	...	Village Headman
Helmut Dantine	...	Prosecuting Counsel
Peter Pearce	...	Highway Policeman

Runtime:

105 min

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Germany:16 | Iceland:16 | UK:15 (video rating) | Australia:PG | Finland:K-16 | Netherlands:16 | Norway:16 | Sweden:15 | USA:PG (original rating) | USA:TV-14 (TV rating) | UK:AA (original rating)

Filming Locations:

Kenya

Company:

Baum/Dantine Productions

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: While hiding the car in a village on the way to Johannesburg, Twali speaks Swahili with the villagers. Swahili is only spoken in East and Central Africa, for example in Kenya, the location of the shooting, but not in South Africa.

Movie Connections:

References Aamne Samne (1967)

Soundtrack:

All the Wishing in the World

On the whole, a good chase thriller.

Sidney Poitier and Michael Caine strike a winning screen partnership in this chase thriller set in South Africa. However, the most memorable portrayal comes from Nicol Williamson (an oft-underrated actor who steals the show in virtually every film he's in), as a particularly unpleasant racist security agent. The film is set against a background of volatile race relations, but the political angle of the story isn't thrust forth too heavy-handedly. First and foremost, this is a chase story... and it's all the better for it.

Bantu activist Shack Twala (Sidney Poitier) is acquited of terrorism charges in a Cape Town court. He is on his way for a celebratory drink with his lawyer Rina (Prunella Gee) and her English boyfriend Jim Keogh (Michael Caine), when they are assaulted by two racist policemen. They turn the tables on the policemen and give them a pretty thorough beating. Twala and Keogh go on the run, hoping to reach Johannesburg where Twala has a contact who can get them out of the country. However, they are pursued all the way by the bigoted Major Horn (Nicol Williamson). Horn's ultimate plan is to let Twala unknowingly lead him to the hideout of a rebel leader named Wilby.

The Wilby Conspiracy is generally a good film. The acting is excellent throughout, and the film has an unexpected element of humour, with Caine and Poitier providing several dynamic exchanges. The script is sharp, with enough incidents and twists to stay a step ahead of the viewer, and an interesting central theme. There aren't many shortcomings in The Wilby Conspiracy, though that's not to say it is perfect. The ending seems rather fudged, and some of the plot developments don't quite ring true. (The bit where Saeed Jaffrey's pretty young dental assistant attempts a treacherous double-cross is a good example of an unlikely plot contrivance). However, on the whole this is a slick, well-made and absorbing movie.