Two-time Oscar® winner Richard Attenborough (1982 Best Director and Best Picture, Ghandi) stars as a dedicated British soldier caught in the midst of a revolution in Africa in this compelling war drama. Co-starring Mia Farrow (in her film debut), Guns at Batasi is an ?intriguing, thought-provoking? (Hollywood Citizen-News) and ?rousing tale!? (The New Yorker)
When the head of the British military in Africa is instructed to turn over command to the native militia, he defies orders and arms himself and his followers with a cache of weapons. When Regimental Sergeant Major Lauderdale (Attenborough) learns of this defiance, he springs into action with all the authority at his command, knowing full well that he?s the only thing that stands between order?and massacre!
Customer Reviews:
Avg. Customer Rating: 5.0 / 5.0
Sunset For the Raj:
I have watched this film multiple times over the years. It is a great piece of miltaria, and a fine example of Sir Richard's tremendous range as an actor of the old school. The details of a mixed BA/native contingent Battalion in the last days of the Empire are spot on. The frustration of a proper RSM doing his duty in the manner that has served his sovereign and country well for decades only to be stimied by politics can be appreciated by current and former NCOs of all nations. I simply adore this movie.
Attenborough at his best:
This film is one of those "quiet" pieces of work that didn't make much of a splash when it came out, yet more than 40 years on, remains a compelling and absorbing production. Attenborough gives an inspired performance as Regimental Sergeant Major Lauderdale, a consummate professional soldier who collides head-on with political expediency. Attenborough's Lauderdale is utterly convincing-- a soldier who is unbendingly loyal to centuries of military tradition, experienced and effective in combat, and fiercely... more info
Excellent military suspense drama:
I bought this film due to seeing it pop up on Amazon's recommendations. I'd never even heard of it before but I was amazed to find that it's a superlative film. I was expecting standard British stiff-upper-lip fare that the British did so well in the 1950s and '60s, but what I wasn't expecting is that a film I'd never even heard of rivals and even exceeds top-notch British dramas like Sidney Lumet's 'The Hill'. The film stands squarely on Richard Attenborough's performance as a Regimental Sergeant... more info
Attenborough, the quintessential British RSM:
Guns at Batasi is a great movie. Not only does it tell a story about the old British Commonwealth countries obtaining home rule and going through the typical violent political changes most of these nations experienced then and some are still experiencing today, but it showed accurately the life of a British Empire soldier and his professionalism.
Flora Robson played the typical do-gooder middle class socialist MP - a breed that exists even today.
The rest of the cast did an excellent job and the... more info
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