Stellead Don't listen to the Hype. It's awful

MusicChat It's complicated... I really like the directing, acting and writing but, there are issues with the way it's shot that I just can't deny. As much as I love the storytelling and the fantastic performance but, there are also certain scenes that didn't need to exist.

filippaberry84 I think this is a new genre that they're all sort of working their way through it and haven't got all the kinks worked out yet but it's a genre that works for me.

Bessie Smyth Great story, amazing characters, superb action, enthralling cinematography. Yes, this is something I am glad I spent money on.

Leofwine_draca A nice character-driven vehicle for Richard Attenborough, GUNS AT BATASI is a working example of the British army in its dying days of world domination. It's a warts and all portrayal of a forgotten breed of men who had words like courage, honour, and duty sewn into their uniforms and would sooner die than bring dishonour to their hallowed institution.This is basically a low budget character vehicle for an on-fire Attenborough, barely recognisable behind the facial hair. Attenborough plays an old-fashioned officer working in Africa whose outdated methods are a source of amusement for his men. However, when local political turmoil sees an attempted coup against his allies, he must spring into action, at which point his men discover that sometimes, the old ways are still the best.There's very little to dislike about GUNS AT BATASI, a delightfully old-fashioned and almost anachronistic little wartime thriller. I wonder what audiences would have made of its deliberately backward-looking ways in the progressive sixties? The sun-drenched locations ably bring Africa to life, even though the lack of budget means that this is a set-based story, and there are enough character actors around like Percy Herbert, Jack Hawkins, Flora Robson, and David Lodge to do justice to the material.

jfarms1956 Guns at Batasi is a movie that would most appeal to those who are 30 and older and for those who enjoy watching war type movies in black and white. The acting is good in the movie, especially the actors Richard Attenborough and Jack Hawkins who are always good. The characters in this movie are good and believable. The story and pace of the movie is fine. The musical score for the background action is very good. I was really very disappointed that a 1964 movie was in black and white. This is my biggest criticism of the movie. It could be a prime time movie, but is better watched in the afternoons or late at night because it is black and white. Any snack will do with this movie, beer and popcorn are suggestions here. Enjoy.

Robert J. Maxwell I never believed that I would ever see Richard Attenborough in a movie in which he seemed to be overacting. I mean "Attenborough" and "overacting" don't belong in the same sentence. Yet here he is, as the Sergeant Major left in charge of half a dozen non-commissioned officers at a British Army post in Africa, the highest rank an enlisted man can achieve, and he enacts a blustering stereotype, his mess hall accent full of roller coaster contours.Actually I didn't mind it too much. Make up has aged him, given him and intense, almost crazed look, and the director, John Guillerman, seems to have given Attenborough his own leash, and Sir Richard takes off with it. He's a bundle of fiercely constrained potential energy. He never walks. He strides. He snaps out orders to African and British soldiers alike. He insists on proper decorum. He will not recognize an African colonel who has just taken over the country and is threatening to destroy the British post with 40 millimeter cannons -- until the infuriated colonel removes his cap in the mess hall. First things first.It's mostly a filmed play that takes place in the Sergeants' Mess, and it looks it. There are a few outdoor scenes but they're brief, and mostly filmed at night.The performers all look properly sweaty. They're competent too, though none stand out except Attenborough and a few scenes with the ever-reliable Jack Hawkins, who breezes through his part in a state of quizzical tranquility. The women -- Flora Robeson and the teen-aged Mia Farrow, are mostly along for the ride. Farrow looks plumper, more succulent, than we're used to seeing her.The story is fairly comic at first, concentrating on the men's resigned acceptance of Attenborough's by-the-book military character. When he spins a tale at the bar, the other men can mouth the story silently word for word.He performs an heroic deed at the end, but unknowingly he does it after the conflict is resolved. At the request of the new African president, Attenborough is sent back to England. He's not reprimanded or court martialed but it's a definite slap in the face, considering what he accomplished. Later, alone in the mess, he flings a glass of whiskey at the portrait of Queen Victoria, then hurriedly tries to cover up signs of the deed. The significance of the act may have escaped me. I'd have to guess that he, who has lauded the British Army from the beginning, feels that it has turned on him, and that Victoria represents the Army. Instead of a decoration, he's gotten a boot in the pants. If that isn't why he hurls the glass at the picture, I don't know what it is.It's not a bad film and I realize Richard Attenborough has received a cornucopia of kudos for his performance, but it's still a stereotype, a kind of Colonel Blimp. This was shot in 1963 when the British Empire was in the process of contracting and it occurs to me that it might seem dated now, except that as this is being written, the United States is having an almost identical problem in Iraq.

sholton This is a brilliant representation of a classic Regimental Sergeant Major, and shows the classic values that should continue to thrive (and sadly don't) in our military of today. Over the top? Yes... a little...but show me a TRUE RSM who isn't. Such men really existed... and they were a source of inspiration, guidance and customs and traditions for many. Well done by Sir Richard. From what I've heard, he spent a year preparing for this role by understudying real RSMs at the RSM-prep school in Sandhurst.I've used this film as a training aid when teaching leadership to young soldiers - and I continue to enjoy it today.