Unfortunately this film wasn't helped by the fact that the sound was out of synch for the second half. It didn't help either that it jumped about quite a bit.
We start with Richard Johnson and Roy Dotrice narrowly evading customs officials in Malta by throwing their contraband rifles and ammunition, meant for Cyprus, over board. All this during the opening credits.
Johnson feels reminded of his most dangerous mission during the war when he had to command a submarine through dangerous reefs and rocks in what is now Namibia to reach a secret newly designed German U-Boot, sink it without trace and ensure no one survived. He botches the mission by accidentally letting off a flare and we learn that he personally shoots anyone jumping overboard to escape and also, possibly, the native folk who have come out onto the shore to observe. (Quite how he did that with one pistol and in about 30 seconds is left to our imagination...) Roy Dotrice (who spends a lot of time with his shirt off) was a member of the crew.
All of a sudden (back in 1968) Jeremy Kemp, another ex-member of the crew, jumps on board the torpedo boat, along with his sidekick, a non-verbal German played by Peter Vaughan. Quite whether Kemp's accent is British or South African is left to the imagination. At least he can't be playing his usual German (can he?). It is also a mystery that, whilst everyone is sweating like mad in the Maltese heat with either their shirt off or with most of their buttons undone, Kemp turns up in a black high-necked sweater and a donkey jacket!
(The two scenes - the flashback to the war and Jeremy Kemp turning up should, in my opinion, have been the other way round.)
For no apparent reason and to Johnson's annoyance, Honor Blackman turns up the next morning. Further to doing a good job later in the film of falling over and having evidently smuggled a whole trousseau on board, she does actually have something to do with the storyline. Kemp and her husband were involved in smuggling diamonds but Blackman is the only one to know exactly where the biggest stash of diamonds is hidden as her husband has died. She will only say that they are inland from the bay where Johnson sank the German U-Boot and, of course, if he steered through the reefs and rocks then, he can do it again.
No sooner has Johnson agreed than they are off the coast of South West Africa. There is a completely useless scene along the way at a port where they call to pick up supplies. A Diamond Security Police Inspector threatens to arrest them on the way back if they are smuggling diamonds (SDPOILER ALERT) but, of course, we never see the return trip! Johnson manages to steer the boat through the rocks but does so in such a violent way that a) he throws everyone about, b) loses the lifeboat and c) makes you wonder how the hell he managed to get a submarine through there during the War in the first place! (The boat is very obviously a model as the 'person' at the wheel a) never moves and has no facial features and b) is wearing a white shirt when Johnson at the helm is wearing a blue shirt!)
Lo and behold, they moor up right next to the rusting German U-Boot's tower and it is confirmed that Peter Vaughan's character was the only survivor of the attack. Honor Blackman now reveals that the diamonds are hidden in an old ship wreck 3 miles inland. So they all set off. With no visible bottles of water...!
When they reach the ship wreck it is now half buried in sand, the half where the diamonds are, and so our adventurous group decide to work their way along inside. Roy Dotrice actually finds the diamonds but Jeremy Kemp shows his true colours by snatching them off him and causing an old iron cannon to fall on him and kill him. He inadvertently also injures Peter Vaughan. The group returns the best way they can. Johnson, out of remorse, helps Vaughan and they all narrowly escape not only a sandstorm but also any accusations of plagiarism from the writers of Ice Cold in Alex!
Back at the bay we wonder how they got off the boat in the first place when they lost the wooden lifeboat getting there, only to see an inflatable rubber dinghy for the first time. When Kemp tries to shoot Johnson, Blackman throws the bag containing the diamonds at him but the bag ends up in the sea, lost forever. Vaughan is by now beside himself with guilt at being the only survivor of the sunken U-Boot but, in his attempt to calm him down, Kemp runs into Vaughan's flick knife and Vaughan collapses on the rocks. All of a sudden, Johnson and Blackman make their escape in the boat. The trip and, quite frankly, the film have all been for nothing...
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