Movies About Mercenaries

A mercenary is defined as an individual who works under contract for payment. Movie mercenaries tend to be tough, smart, and deadly – former MMA fighter Gina Carano of Steven Soderberg’s Haywire being one of the toughest examples.

An ex-CIA operative embarks on an impossible mission to rescue a girl kidnapped from his country by an international terrorist network, joined by a band of hardened warriors.

The Wild Bunch (1949)

The Wild Bunch was one of the first major films to explore mercenaries from a different perspective. While its brutal violence dismayed viewers at first, today most Western film enthusiasts place it among their Top Ten Westerns. Additionally, its impact on Hollywood was immense; opening doors for new directors to explore themes and characters previously ignored within its genre.

Peckinpah used this film to highlight both the perils of mercenaries and limitations on law, with protagonists driven purely by greed and cynicism rather than any sense of morality or ethics. Furthermore, Peckinpah made sure to show just how quickly violence could turn against them as well. His film stood in stark contrast to millions of Western films where heroes ride off into the sunset with full fanfare of praise from audiences worldwide.

While The Wild Bunch was an unparalleled success, it did present certain difficulties. Made at a time when the MPAA (Motion Picture Association of America) was actively pushing to rerate movies, The Wild Bunch became one of its early targets. When initially released to theaters with an R rating – meaning no children under 13 could watch – Warner Bros appealed and won permission from MPAA to release a longer, more viewer-friendly version both theatrically and on VHS.

This version ran for 145 minutes and was the one most American audiences saw until its DVD release in 1995. Now available to buy is a two-disc special edition with the Director’s Cut; though still fairly long it offers several extras such as B&W behind-the-scenes footage as well as filmmaker Nick Redman visiting Durango where filming took place.

This special edition also includes a commentary track by Peckinpah himself and a featurette that addresses its controversial censorship issues – making this experience all the more worthwhile if only for that alone! Unfortunately, all gunshot sound files sound the same instead of each firearm having its distinct noise.

The Red Berets (1969)

The Red Berets is a solid war movie with good acting, action, and ideas; yet its lasting impression may leave viewers struggling to recall exactly what transpired during viewing due to being filled with standard war movie tropes.

John Wayne stars as a Green Beret trying to persuade a liberal journalist that the war in Vietnam is beneficial to America and Vietnam alike. He is joined by an ensemble cast populated with the usual stereotypes found in war films of that era – black men with facial hair similar to Black Panther members, an Asian orphan named Hamchunk that sounds similar to Upchuck’s pronunciation, and others. Finally, there are the familiar war battle scenes seen elsewhere.

As this film was released just as support for the war was starting to decline, it unsurprisingly caused controversy and accusations of propaganda; yet in truth, it wasn’t anymore so than other movies from that era about war. Unfortunately, this sort of criticism does an injustice both to soldiers who took part and those who died as a result of their service.

Other than its usual war movie cliches, this film offers an intriguing plotline that examines some of the psychological problems experienced by men living together under intense stress for extended periods. There are subtle traces of racism and sexism throughout their interactions and an overwhelming feeling that these men have been damaged by what they have witnessed and experienced.

This film may not be all that well known today, but it certainly holds its place among classic American war movies. Recently, however, we have witnessed an upsurge in this genre with films like Saving Private Ryan, Tears of the Sun, and Windtalkers.

The Wild Geese (1978)

Richard Harris, Roger Moore, and Richard Burton were three of the biggest British stars of their day when they signed on as shared top billing in The Wild Geese (1976). It proved an instant classic of war adventure cinema from that era – often depicting them as heroic heavyweights in action films.

This film recalls the 1968 blockbuster Where Eagles Dare in its plot structure; with a group of hardened soldiers parachuting into hostile territory to complete a dangerous mission led by their leader (Stewart Granger). Instead, however, in this instance the mercenaries are hired by an unscrupulous merchant banker (Stewart Granger) to free an imprisoned president from an African state; their escape plans however take an unexpected and more complicated turn when their plans unravel amidst betrayals and twists than anticipated – taking them by surprise at each step along their path of escape!

Director John Glen, known for his Bond second unit work, gave this movie its signature look and exciting action sequences. Additionally, Michael “Mad Mike” Hoare served as a military advisor; Jack Watson and John Kani made appearances too with Kani portraying Jesse Blake.

One thing that distinguishes this film from its competitors is its bold decision not to shy away from killing characters who aren’t particularly important, including several of the mercenaries themselves. This adds a more authentic, visceral experience for viewers while underscoring how devastating and brutal this situation is.

Overall, The Wild Geese leaves a strong impression, featuring an engaging story, excellent acting, and thrilling action sequences. Beyond its four-star actors, The Wild Geese boasts an amazing cast including Barry Foster as Barrat Man and Ron Fraser’s Scottish villain with a taste for human flesh boiled on an open fire pit.

The film shows strong camaraderie and loyalty between its mercenaries, many of whom face their lives fighting alongside one another to survive despite all odds. Though violent at times, this picture was considered an outstanding example of its genre at its time.

Cuba (1979)

Cuba has its moments but ultimately suffers under its weighty script, poor casting choices, and overall lack of coherence. Although its sweaty multi-character plot and chaotic backdrop could lend it classic noir thriller qualities, director Richard Lester can’t quite elevate this film to that level. Sean Connery plays his role as a British mercenary hired by Batista’s crumbling regime to train its army but little opportunity is provided for him to shine due to a weak storyline and poor support from the supporting cast.

Robert Dapes (Sean Connery), an English mercenary who travels to pre-revolution Cuba to assist dwindling government troops against Castro’s guerillas, falls for Brooke Adams who’s married a callous plantation owner despite their past affair. The story weaves between an action-adventure, political tract, and romance novel- but never fully commits to one genre or the other.

Alea captures this crucial event in Cuban recent history in a poetic retelling that showcases cinema as a cultural recording tool. As Alain Resnais did with Hiroshima Mon Amour, Alea uses film as a means to connect to the collective consciousness and preserve national memory.

There is some visible print damage, dirt, and artifacts present; overall this image demonstrates surprisingly great detail for such an old movie. Audio quality remains excellent throughout, even during scenes filled with gunfire or noise.

Kino Lorber’s release of this classic film is impressive and its transfer to Blu-ray looks very good given its age. The 1.85:1 theatrical aspect ratio and MPEG-4 AVC encoded picture quality will play on most modern widescreen TVs; audio is presented via two-channel mono audio which doesn’t need to be turned up too loud for this flick.