Huievest Instead, you get a movie that's enjoyable enough, but leaves you feeling like it could have been much, much more.

Livestonth I am only giving this movie a 1 for the great cast, though I can't imagine what any of them were thinking. This movie was horrible

Bluebell Alcock Ok... Let's be honest. It cannot be the best movie but is quite enjoyable. The movie has the potential to develop a great plot for future movies

Ortiz Excellent and certainly provocative... If nothing else, the film is a real conversation starter.

oscar-35 *Spoiler/plot- 1966, The British Empire and Queen Victoria is influencing the global politics. Queen Victoria's government needs a problem solved in Sudan and calls on a famous principled Christian retired general to solve the problem of a Muslim uprising in the Sudan. This mission is accomplished, just not in the way the politicians want. He succeeds where others fail at the cost of his life but not his career or fame.*Special Stars- Charlton Heston, Sir Laurence Olivier, Richard Johnson, Nigel Green, Sir Ralph Richardson, Peter Arne, Roger Delgado *Theme- The British Empire is complex and politics will not necessarily worthy issues. A Victorian general with Christian beliefs and scruples is asked to solve a political problem that no one will touch without plausible 'deny-ability'.*Based on- Trivia and historic s of Victorian General Gordon exploits.*Trivia/location/goofs- ONLINE. General Gordon was only 5' 5" and not a towering hero as Mr. Heston. Also the heroic stature featured at the end of the film was moved from Sudan when that country got independence. That stature is now at the Royal Engineer's academy in the UK because General Gordon was a graduate of the Royal Engineers college. In London's St. Paul's cathedral basement cellar crypt area, there is a very regal funeral monument to Gen. Gordon that looks like his tomb, but it isn't. General Gordon was buried in the Middle East. There was a great upstaging competition between Heston and Olivier in their film scenes together. Sir Olivier was in the successful stage play about Moors, Othello. Also in an earlier version of the film, several 'unsuitable' censored removed scenes showing the many decapitated heads of the Europeans ambassadors leaving Khartoum and the killed General Gordon were cut out in the public theatrical print releases. They have never been put back in and rumors say that Mr. Heston use to keep his Gen. Gordon prop make-up death's head in his Hollywood home to scare visiting quests for laugh.*Emotion- A very enjoyable heroic and well acted film. Tells of an interesting episode of Middle East history and is very relevant today.

Jakester If you watch this film with modest expectations, you will probably like it fairly well. It's not "Lawrence of Arabia," not even in the same ballpark; I mention this because I think "Khartoum" got made because of the success of "Lawrence" a couple of years earlier. (Both films depict obsessed and quite weird Brits in the desert.)"Khartoum" is much too flat and talky, but it definitely has its moments. Olivier's performance as the Mahdi is stunning, unforgettable, filmdom's greatest depiction ever of a radical Islamic fundamentalist who's convinced he can rule the world. The performance is actually far more relevant today than in 1966, when it probably struck many viewers as quaint, an artifact of a bygone era. I don't know if Larry got an Oscar nomination for his work here; if not, shame on the Academy.The battle sequence at the end is good but it's over far too quickly - the whole darn movie points toward it, and then boom, it's done in maybe 10 minutes - it could have been stretched out to twice as long. (I suppose the filmmakers were more interested in historical accuracy than in dramatic zest; this is often a mistake in films.) The spoken words at the very end are spine-chillingly inspiring if you've got a romantic bent; if you're a hard-headed political realist, they probably will strike you as cheesy. I consider myself a romantic realist so I sorta liked 'em. If you get interested in Gordon (the Charlton Heston character), Lytton Strachey wrote a classic profile of him in "Eminent Victorians" that you might enjoy reading. One more word about Olivier's performance. It strikes some people as hammy and over-the- top. In fact, the Mahdi himself was hammy and over-the-top in the manner of people who (a) believe they are anointed by God and (b) wish to lead superstitious and susceptible warriors into battle and need to generate a certain awe. The Mahdi was an actor as much as anything. Olivier perfectly captures this quality.

screenman Not quite on a par with 'Lawrence Of Arabia' or 'Zulu'; 'Khartoum' still looks good in an age when squillions of human extras would be replaced by a dubious CGI riot.Charlton Heston is in tip-top form as the knight-errant. He plays it as stiff-necked and resolute as Ben Hur, though he never really cuts it as an Englishman. Lawrence Olivier is for once out of his depth as the Mahdi with a muddled accent, determined to drive the infidel from Arabia. Theirs is a collision-course.Some 90% of the movie addresses the political shenanigans that lead up to the siege of Khartoum and Gordon's sacrifice. It doesn't present Britain in a very positive light. And although a host of liberties are probably taken with historical fact, the dilatory blundering depicted here is entirely typical of every overseas campaign to which Britain has been a party, including both World Wars, Eden, Suez, the Falklands, Iraq and Afghanistan. We never, ever learn.When the siege finally happens it is short and sweet and very much an anti-climax. Even as a very amateur tactician/strategist, I wouldn't have fought it in quite the same way Gordon did. Being substantially outnumbered, he should have turned the enemy's hoards into a weapon against themselves, as the Romans used to do. And in the months leading up to the conflict he could have trained the 12,000 or so adult male civilian population into a viable auxiliary army. However; it's easy to be wise with hindsight.Well worth a watch if you get the chance. It's authentically placed, colourful, dramatic and epic, with excellent script and fine performances all-round.

bilgerat99 I first saw this movie on a flight to Hawaii in 1966 and have watched it many times since, showing it to friends and family who were unaware of it - all of whom enjoyed it immensely. Although slightly dated by today's (2009) standards, don't let that dissuade you from seeing this film, it holds up to the test of time like very few movies do and sures most, at that.So, what's it all about? Khartoum depicts the last chapter in the remarkable life of Gen. Charles "Chinese" Gordon; another one of those larger-than-life-personages seemingly produced uniquely by Victorian England; such as Sir Richard Francis Burton (1821-1890) or T.E. Lawrence (of Arabia). To that last personage is the best probable comparison, as they were both considered the best commanders of "irregular" forces of their respective times and like Lawrence of Arabia, this movie barely scrapes the surface of the man's life (but it would take a 6 hour movie in either case to do them justice).Set in 1884, in what was the Sudanese portion of then Egypt, this is an epic historical movie that succeeds on every level. The conflict centers around an uprising to Egyptian rule, led by the Mahdi and the subsequent attempt to evacuate foreigners from the besieged Sudan's main city, Khartoum, by Gordon. It is epic in scope and production, detailed, believable and almost completely accurate. Political intrigue, minor and major battles, beautiful scenery, top notch acting, this movie has it all. I would place it smack dab between Lawrence of Arabia and Zulu (and much closer to Lawrence because of it's epic nature).This is one of my absolute favorite movies of all time (and I was at the opening of Ben Hur at the Coronet Theater in San Francisco, which was a lot of movies ago ;-) and watching this film has led me to read several books on this event, including Gordon's own diary written at the time.Unfortunately, they don't make too many like this anymore.