They could have had a quick prologue showing captain Richard Johnson's background and expanded the search for his smuggled goods to make more linear sense of what was going on as opposed to the recurring flashbacks of his World War II combat past which slows everything down. The problem is that Johnson and the bulk of the characters aren't really that interesting or likable enough to care about their past so why not just get on with it.
With an ensemble of salty voiced Honor Blackman, Peter Vaughan, Jeremy Kemp, Roy Dotrice and Guy Doleman, there's plenty of conflict, and the film is an attractive but somewhat messy adventure of some very amoral people dealing with the elements in trying to find some hidden diamonds. Plenty of beautiful photography representing Malta and the Skeleton Coast, and also lots of desolation in desert sequences.
I always enjoy Blackman with her very theatrical voice, and though she's quite the opportunist, she's probably the most idealistic of the group. They may help each other through scrapes, but when it comes down to it it's obvious that if they can get away with the diamonds on their own they'd do it no matter what happened to the others. I didn't find this hideous, but not particularly interesting even though what happens with the diamonds is suitably ironic.
With an ensemble of salty voiced Honor Blackman, Peter Vaughan, Jeremy Kemp, Roy Dotrice and Guy Doleman, there's plenty of conflict, and the film is an attractive but somewhat messy adventure of some very amoral people dealing with the elements in trying to find some hidden diamonds. Plenty of beautiful photography representing Malta and the Skeleton Coast, and also lots of desolation in desert sequences.
I always enjoy Blackman with her very theatrical voice, and though she's quite the opportunist, she's probably the most idealistic of the group. They may help each other through scrapes, but when it comes down to it it's obvious that if they can get away with the diamonds on their own they'd do it no matter what happened to the others. I didn't find this hideous, but not particularly interesting even though what happens with the diamonds is suitably ironic.