| The Hot Air and the Boredom |
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| written by Saroz |
February 3, 2004 - 11:15 PM PST |
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1 out of 2 members found this review helpful
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This film takes a historical incident and twists it way out of proportion. It's the story of an American woman and her children, who are kidnapped by the Raisuli, an Arabian bandit and self-proclaimed hero. The film is entirely predictable: the Raisuli turns out to be an honorable man, he and the American slowly find affection for each other, yadda yadda yadda. The climax, especially, with American and German soldiers battling it out for control of Morocco, is utterly preposterous. Sean Connery also makes a horrible Middle-Eastern man.
There is one bright spot, though: Brian Keith's portrayal of Theodore Roosevelt. His scenes are easily the best in the film, lovingly recreated and given some excellent dialogue, including prophetic words for America as a world power: "[Other countries] may respect us, even fear us, but they will never love us." His performance alone doubled my rating of the film.
Milius' commentary proves two things: he was far more in love with the Roosevelt material than any of the rest (that much is obvious), and he has delusions that somehow, his picture can even hold a candle to David Lean's Lawrence of Arabia. It can't. That film is eminently worth your time - as is The Man Who Would Be King, a far better, but similar film from the mid-seventies with Sean Connery in the lead. Give one of those films your time. This one doesn't deserve it. |
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