- Code Name: Wild Geese
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Code Name: Wild Geese
Original film posterDirected by Antonio Margheriti Produced by Gianfranco Couyoumdjian
Erwin C. DietrichWritten by Tito Carpi
Gianfranco Couyoumdjian
Michael LesterStarring Lewis Collins Cinematography Peter Baumgartner Release date(s) 5 October 1984 Running time 101 minutes Country Italy
West GermanyLanguage Italian Code Name: Wild Geese (Italian: Arcobaleno selvaggio, German: Geheimcode: Wildgänse) is a 1984 Italian "macaroni combat" war film directed by Antonio Margheriti and starring Lewis Collins.[1]
Contents
Plot
In Hong Kong, DEA man Fletcher (Borgnine) heads up an operation to cut off the supply of opium to the west; to fund this operation Fletcher has found himself allied with wealthy American businessman Brenner.
Brenner and his partner, ex-mercenary Charlton, employ Robin Wesley, a father who's still grieving over his dead heroin addict son, to destroy opium factories in the Golden Triangle. Wesley's team consists of other mercenaries from around the world, some who have been on the wrong side of the law (China and Klein).
As the team enters the Golden Triangle by boat, while Fletcher, Brenner and Charlton remain in Hong Kong waiting on every piece of news transmitted from their base. After travelling a distance down river, the team disembark for a march through the jungle, where they meet up with Kim and his guerrilla fighters. Kim and his men guide Wesley's team through the jungle to a remote base located in a quarry, one of Kim's men and Klein eliminate a sentry in a watch tower each. As Wesley, China, Klein, Stone and Kim and his men prepare to descend the steep incline into the quarry, Arbib and Kowalski rig a rope slide across the top of the quarry. Kowalski firstly slides over the communications hut before dropping through the bamboo roof, killing one soldier and capturing the other even though he's been impaled through his upper left arm by a foot long piece of bamboo. Then Arbib drops into the sleeping quarters hut, there he's forced to kill all the occupants who are awakened and try to attack him. The rest of the commandos descend the steep quarry sides and shoot any enemy that escape Kowalski and Arbib, except for China who secures the bases lone helicopter and readies it for flight. With the base secured, Kim removes the bamboo splinter from Kowalski's arm and bandages it while Wesley uses the base's radio to inform his own base that they have captured the helicopter intact. Leaving Kowalski with two of Kim's men to guard the base and its radio, the rest join China aboard the helicopter before China takes off and heads deeper into the triangle.
While Brenner and Charlton are enjoying a round of golf, Fletcher interrupts them to let them know that Wesley had neutralized the quarry base and captured the helicopter. As China pilots the helicopter towards the opium manufacturing depot, the depot radios the quarry to see if the radar contact they have is the quarry's helicopter. The lone survivor at the quarry confirms it is and is just on a routine trip, under the watchful eye and gun of Kowalski. Satisfied, the depot allows the helicopter to land and the commandos shoot their way out of the helicopter, killing all the enemy soldiers that stray into their sight. As Wesley, Arbib and Stone destroy heroin laboratories with C4, Klein blows the opium container silos with grenades and C4. While the destruction is happening, Stone is unfortunately wounded and Klein and Chine race to help him and Kim and his men locate prisoners and free them. All return to their homes except for a North American woman who behaves in a bizarre manner. China intervenes when he misjudges Kim to be attacking the woman, only for Arbib to point out that the woman is a heroin addict with puncture marks on her forearm. Wesley enters an office and rifles through a safe, when he finds a computer disk, which he loads on a nearby computer and browses its contents.
The story follows the much the same as The Wild Geese; as the survivors get fewer and fewer, it is left to Wesley to act out his revenge.
Cast
- Lewis Collins as Captain Robin Wesley
- Lee Van Cleef as China
- Ernest Borgnine as Fletcher
- Klaus Kinski as Charleton
- Manfred Lehmann as Klein
- Mimsy Farmer as Kathy Robson
- Thomas Danneberg as Arbib
- Frank Glaubrecht as Stone
- Hartmut Neugebauer as Brenner
- Wolfgang Pampel as Baldwin
- Luciano Pigozzi as Priest
- Rene Abadeza as Kim the Guide (uncredited)
- Bruce Baron as Kowalski (uncredited)
- Protacio Dee as General Khan (uncredited)
- Eric Hahn as Freedom fighter (uncredited)
- John Ladalski as Klaus's gang soldier (uncredited)
See also
- Euro War
- War Film
References
- ^ "New York Times: Code Name: Wild Geese". NY Times. http://movies.nytimes.com/movie/10165/Geheimcode-Wildganse/overview. Retrieved 2008-10-26.
External links
Categories: 1984 films | Italian films | Italian-language films | German films | War films | Films directed by Antonio Margheriti | Films shot in the Philippines
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