Save your money for something good and enjoyable

A Masterpiece!

This film is so real. It treats its characters with so much care and sensitivity.

Although I seem to have had higher expectations than I thought, the movie is super entertaining.

I do not care for the pretentious reviews that seem to befall this great, fun-filled movie. This movie is now 40 years old...and STILL holds a certain charm, a certain value. Nothing in time has diminished its appeal. All of the cast played to their strengths. The story is NOT a political-statement...it is a MOVIE. Nothing more, nothing less. The camera work is great, the action-scenes stand the test of time. Brian Keith and Connery set a stage which can match any two-some in any movie. And I LIKE Candace in her part. The military depictions show a side of the life which is rarely seen today - men who simply believed in what they did, and enjoyed a good fight. You will not see that in movies today....its a 'macho-thing' our culture is trying to expunge. Bah! The ending shot of the Raisuli riding thru the fighting to grab the gun from the boy....is as fine a movie action-shot was ever made. Magnificent.

Mid 1970's - Sean Connery, Candice Bergen, Brian Keith- formula for action and romance? Nope, there is plenty of action, but only the slightest hint of romance. That is because Candice Bergen is already a Murphy Brown in development in this movie. This is a great movie because of the script and the action. When the CIA started tinkering in the middle east they should have watched this movie to better understand what they were getting into. John Milius script addresses a few issues we are quite acquainted with now only the film is set in the time of Teddy Roosevelt. Brian Keith get kudos here for his role as Teddy. The script was nominated and should have won an award. Connery plays the Sultan of Morrocco, a violent sort. Years before Isis came along, he beheads at least 2 people in this movie. He and his small army kidnap Bergen and family. This makes Teddy Roosevelt upset.Connery, the Sultan then shows her what he does with his enemies when he beheads 2 of his enemies. Luckily all he is after from Roosevelt is gold for their return. Bergen starts giving him a consult at one point and he gets upset and retorts "I usually don't take any consults from women, and your not even one of my wives." That ends the Murphy Brown discussion.He does mention Jihad a few times in the movie but in the end of this one, they finally negotiate a settlement with Teddy Roosevelt to release his hostages. The release turns into quite an event with the US Marines that are sent in to pick the family up. This is a film which gives the viewer an idea that Middle East turmoil is no where near new.The trouble is this Sultan is much more intelligent than the Sophomore Isil people who are now beheading people. He only kills for a reason, not just to do it for their own pleasure. He has pride and justice in his make up. This film does a fine job getting into this, and the battle sequences and locations used look great on film. I thought at one point they borrowed the beach location used in Grease, but I might have been seeing things.

I'm not entirely sure what this movie was aiming to be, I enjoyed it when I was younger, but watching it now it is very uneven and has no real flow to it. Plot In A Paragraph: Morocco 1904. Raisuli, Sheriff of the Berbers (Sean Connery, who appears to be having a great deal of fun) kidnapped an American Widow, named Mrs Pedecaris (A gorgeous looking Candice Bergen) and her two children. He offers to ransom then in exchange for rifles, money and sovereignty. American President Theodore Roosevelt (A Brilliant Brian Kieth) looks to improve his election chances, issued an ultimatum "Mrs Pedecaris alive or Raisili dead" and sent in the marines. Three good performances from Connery, Bergmen and Keith are not enough to paper over the cracks in this muddled movie. The movie is violent at times and camp at others, neither sit well with it. This movie blends historic facts into a fictional adventure story (The real Perdicaris incident involved the kidnapping of a middle-aged man and his stepson.) Im guessing the sex was changed to have a romance develop between Connery and Bergman.Connery looks fantastic (giving a great performance in a clichèd role) but sounded awful. Watching Conery talk about Allah spouting things like "I am but a servant of his will" in his usual Scottish accent is awful, and something I never wish to see again.Connery is as watchable as ever, but these are not two of his better hours. Thankfully he followed this with the brilliant "The Man Who Would Be King"The Wind & The Lion opened the same weekend as blockbuster Jaws, but still managed to gross $9 million at the domestic box office, on a budget of $4 million.

I did like this movie and I think that Sean Connery is a fantastic actor. I also am a great fan of historical/period films full of adventure and romance and intrigue. I just noticed that people in their reviews seemed to be mixing up one fact. It is not something that would be known to many people outside of North Africa. I just wanted to point out that the Berber people of Morocco/Algeria etc. are the native people of North Morocco and that the Arab people came later to live there. They are not the same. Berbers are not Arab and although they live together peacefully the Berber people are a very traditional and gentle people.