March or Die (1977)
The action takes place in Morocco in 1919 and revolves around a war between local guerrillas and French Legion. As always, an age-old question is "What are we doing here?" Far from the homeland, in the hot desert and in the midst of people with their own wild tempers and customs. The excellent cast has Gene Hackman, Terrence Hill, Max von Sydow, Andre Penvern, Ian Holm and Catherine Deneuve are known for me performers who brilliantly played such interesting characters as well them had unfamiliar and brilliant actor as Jack O'Halloran as the Russian soldier who escaped from the Bolsheviks and Rufus as the sergeant in subordination of Major Foster (whom played Hackman). A director of the film, which adapted his own book, Dick Richards showed ideally the life of the Legion. Those who fall and can't go are left behind. No pity. March or Die, as a title of a movie says itself. Richards beautifully showed attitude of two sides impeccable expressed in dialogue between Major Foster and leader of Reef tribes El Krim (played by Ian Holm.). When the Major talks about building roads and schools for them, El Krim replies that only they will teach children in their alien language as the road signs will in their native. Each side has reasonable arguments and a complete sympathy doesn't have to no one. To the tribes, because their savage attitudes, and to the Legion, because they have no business being here. Detailed not only each side, but individuality of many of their representatives. I especially liked a line in relation of characters towards excavation of the relics for which soldiers of the Legion are used, where you see a true face of these personages. The climax leads to a battle of both sides. Richards achieved what quite many directors fail to do. He could manage to create a scale of the battle. In today's movies with drawn crowds of warriors or just presence of huge numbers of people today aren't impressive due to unnaturalness. I'd love to paint my savoring over the ending, but I recommend to see it personally. March or Die is undisputed masterpiece.
Year of the Dragon (1985)
Not a war movie although analogies with Vietnam are probable in launched fighting with Triada by captain of New York police Stanley White played by Mickey Rourke. It’s one time when director Michael Cimino made balanced and not overdramatized and not far-fetched flick. Today I find in Stanley White America, which must to be to any kind of foreign invaders as migrants or Chinese influence. Those who don’t respect your country and put own rules. I many times watched piece where White comes in office of leaders of Triads and talks about “new marshal in town” and gives vision on traditions in thousands years by indicating that they are not in China. His close to loneliness crusade, which don’t support superiors in police are wishing a stabilization state, brings to victims and personal assassination attempts on police captain. A central standoff of Stanley White encircles with a new appointed criminal head Joey Tai played by spectacular John Lone, a man who hasn’t a big filmography, but many masterpieces. They confrontation will the Wild West in the final meeting.
One film’s line is White’s relationship with a reporter Tracy Tzu to whom he will say a very truly thing in her rich apartments, which impossible not to put in one with current news media, which became disgraceful since that. Cimino wanted to end with them on phrase “on marrying on enemy”, but it wasn’t in the final release and director, who initially got promise from producer Dino de Laurentiis on opportunity for director’s cut, didn’t get it. I don’t see as matching and like in how it went, but this always abysmal for me when attack an artist.
The Beast of War (1988)
I accidentally detected this film. I presume it was by reading in Wikipedia, which I visited back then, a list of “anti-communist propaganda...” or something similar on that left-wing site in which I met with this movie.
The Beast of War has in epigraph a quote from Rudyard Kipling whom will recall once. A tank commander Daskal by splendid George Dzundza will pronounce one word in that moment, which will say a lot and everything. The film about a tank lost in desert and chased by Afghans have in background reliable demonstration of Soviet invasion in Afghanistan. Director Kevin Reynolds, as actors and music composer Mark Isham, implemented it. Multiple cruel acts aren’t exaggeration of what actually had places there. Precisely demonstration of both belligerent sides between each other and when brings to meeting. Characters and their acts are absolutely believable. And this about ending.