That was an excellent one.

Sadly Over-hyped

People are voting emotionally.

Story: It's very simple but honestly that is fine.

Black anti-apartheid activist , a "Kaffir" (in South Africa , the term is regarded as highly racially offensive) from African National Congress ("Black Congress") , called Shack Twala (Sidney Poitier) and an Englishman named Jim Keogh (Michael Caine) on the wrong side of the law are forced to run from South African secret police . As they escape from Cape Town to Johannesburg , across 900 miles or 1,448 kilometers . They team up to getaway the clutches of a prejudiced law agent (Nicol Williamson) , a violent cop and other underlings in Apartheid Africa . Meanwhile they pursue some smuggled diamonds along the veld and are themselves relentlessly pursued by the AfriKaner Police . The film's closing credits declare: "This motion picture is fictional and any resemblance to actual persons or events in South Africa is purely coincidental". The focus of the movie is on the moving pursuit with bigotry creaming the surface , not the political uprising taking place around it , though in the course of entertaining and amusement may also make people think about racism and other thought-provoking themes . Well-done chase movie that contains thrills , emotion , interracial screwing , crossfire , profound racial issues are overseen and action as well as thriller is maintained throughout . The flick is more an action movie than a racism yarn , it is about man's humanity to man . Based on a story by Peter Driscoll and released three years after its source novel that first published in 1972 and screen-written by Rod Amateu who provides an agreeable script . The film is pretty well , but some moments results to be unpleasant , extremely violent , and invidious . Over-the-range performances from Sidney Poitier as the hand-cuffed African and Michael Caine as a British engineer who is served with some amusing deadpan sentences . Support cast is frankly good , as Prunella Gee , Saeed Jaffrey , Persis Khambatta , Rutger Hauer , Patrick Allen and shinning Nicol Williamson as a leering security cop . Stanley Myers's musical score is characteristically cool , with an attractive initial song and plenty of Indian sounds . Colorful cinematography by John Coquillon , most of the film is set in Johannesburg and Cape Town , but due to the political sensitivity of anti-apartheid , no attempt was made to film there , in fact it was shot in Kenya and Pinewood Studios, Buckinghamshire, England, UK . The motion picture was compellingly made by Ralph Nelson . He has got himself a ¨South African Soldier Blue¨ . Being the third collaboration between Nelson and Poitier and final film together, after previously collaborating on Duel at Devil (1966) and The lilies of the field (1963) . Director Ralph was expert on all kinds of genres as Western : ¨Soldier Blue¨, ¨Duel at Diablo¨; Sci-Fi : ¨Embryo¨ ; Wartime : ¨Soldier in the rain¨ , ¨Father goose¨ ; and Drama : ¨Charly , ¨A hero ain't nothing' but a Sandwich¨ , ¨lady of the house¨ and his greatest hit ¨Lilies of the field¨ who had an inferior sequel titled ¨Christmas lilies of the field¨.

This is a good film, but just a tad "off". I think what bothered me was the rather flip attitude of Michael Caine's character. Just doesn't seem like a situation in which one would be so flip.On the other hand, I would guess that it gives a pretty good idea of how things may have been in South Africa before freedom. And, there are so very powerful segments in the film.However, just when you think you've got a great political thriller -- and you do -- you then find the story is really about diamonds in a sink hole (albeit diamonds that are to be used for Black freedom fighters). And who is helping them -- an Indian dentist. And then there's a scene dropping down into a sink hole followed by a sort of silly chase scene.So, it starts out kinda serious and then gets kinda silly. Then has an improbable ending that nevertheless is very serious.It's quite a good cast. Sidney Poitier may have been trying to move into action films with this film; and after this film is when he turned more to directing. Michael Caine is a foreigner in South Africa who gets dragged into the plot through his lawyer-girl friend Prunella Gee. Nicol Williamson plays a South African security officer chasing Poitier and Caine. Saeed Jaffrey plays the dentist and Persis Khambatta as his shady female partner. Rijk de Gooyer plays a Nazi-like security agent. Rutger Hauer plays the wife of Gee, needed only in the plot because he flies a plane.The problem with the film is that it never quite figures out what it wants to be. Serious drama, sort of a buddy pic, slightly adventure pic. And that's the problem. Entertaining yes, but a split personality.

The years in which South Africa was under the Apartheid rule are viewed in this film of 1975 directed by Ralph Nelson. We watched it recently on what appears to be a remastered DVD that has a great look, something that other films from that era have not kept.The story involves a man, Shack Twala, that has served ten years in Robben Island, where most political prisoners were sent, for being a voice that was a threat for the white ruling class. Shack Twala's lawyer, Rina Van Niekirk, makes a case for the violation of human rights being taken away from him, and surprisingly enough, the prisoner is set free. Happiness for his release is only short lived. As Rina, her boyfriend, Jim Keogh, and Twala go downtown, their car is stopped and the police apprehend the just released man again.There were forces in higher places that did not take lightly the fact that a black man would get away, because they understood that Twala would naturally try to go North to the friendly Bostwana, to get away from his tormentors. Major Horn, one of the most cruel men in the police force, follows Keogh and Twala as they move up North, a chase that will bring them to a final battle in which justice will prevail.Not having seen this film, we were interesting in watching the duo formed by Sidney Poitier and Michael Caine, two excellent actors in an action film that is never dull. Mr. Poitier has a steamy scene with the gorgeous Persis Khambatta in a closet, as he is being sought by the police. Saeed Jaffrey offers some comic relief with his dentist Mukerjee. Nicol Williamson plays Major Horn.The film, for obvious reasons, could not have been shot in South Africa, so Kenya was used for the exterior photography by John Coquillon, who gets the beauty, and barrenness of the country it tries to stand for.

There are two missing scenes from the version that I saw in Europe in 1979. The first scene is a longer (by 4 min.) of the medical examination of Mrs Van Niekirk as the secret police are trying to find Caine and Portier. The sex scene in Dr Mucherjee's closet is a little longer...a great great sleeper...sardonic and well choreographed.