SHOUT AT THE DEVIL is the splendid adaptation of the splendid Wilbur Smith novel about a British gent and an American poacher who take on the might of the German Empire in Africa in the First World War. As expected given the source material, it's an exotic and action-packed adventure yarn, delightfully old fashioned with it.The film wins plenty of kudos for the central pairing of Roger Moore and Lee Marvin, two larger-than-life actors who make for a great combination. Moore plays a slightly more serious riff on his usual persona, while Marvin is all swagger and drunken behaviour. The film wisely uses their potential for comedy by pairing them in lots of hilarious scenes, not least the never-ending fist fight.Of course, there's a serious story buried in here too, along with one or two devastating plot twists that only Smith could have come up with. Reinhard Kolldehoff is a thoroughly despicable villain, both pompous and cruel, and the countdown-timer denouement is as exciting as it was when I read the book years ago.If you like films that celebrate good, old-fashioned derring do, Dutch courage and thoroughly caddish behaviour, then you'll be sure to enjoy this one too.

When you look at this movie it's concept and settings you should think that it will turn out to be one of the most entertaining things ever. It really has all of the right ingredients in it to make a good, spectacular and enjoyable movie out of but in fact I was more annoyed by this movie than entertained.Problem with this movie is that it's a very messy one story-wise. I'm sorry, I just couldn't discover a clear main plot-line in this and I tried really hard to because I really wanted to like watching this film. Half of the time I couldn't even tell what was going on, just because I couldn't care about any of it. I just never got into this movie while watching.Anothing thing that this movie suffers heavily from is that it doesn't seem to able to make up its mind what it is trying to be. At times the movie feels like a goofy comedy, while at others it's obviously trying to be a more straight-forward adventure/action movie. Both of these approaches don't exactly strengthen one another. Perhaps this is mostly due to the James Bond background of director Peter R. Hunt. He has worked on many different James Bond movies, in many different ways, throughout the decades. James Bond movies, especially the older ones, also are the type of movies that the one moment doesn't take itself very seriously, while at the other it is still trying to be a good and clever spy thriller/action flick. This approach works for most of the James Bond movies and make them real fun to watch but this approach completely falls flat for "Shout at the Devil". And speaking of James Bond, the main character in this movie is being played by Roger Moore, which is not a coincidence of course. And I'm sorry but whenever I see Roger Moore in an '70's or '80's movie I can't see him as anyone else than James Bond. It doesn't help much that Moore hasn't tried to play many different sort of roles throughout his career and he just doesn't seem to have a very wide range as an actor. Luckily the movie also has Lee Marvin in it, who is much better and also way more fun to watch.Not half as good or entertaining as I was hoping and expecting it to be.5/10http://bobafett1138.blogspot.com/

If C S Forester had not written The African Queen the fact that Germany once had a colonial empire would be totally unknown. This little known theatre of WW1 has been the background to The African Queen and this film as well as an episode of Young Indiana Jones. Contrary to what some commentators have said Fleischer is not meant to be based on Lettow-Vorbeck. He holds a different position, namely that of commissioner for the southern district. Lettow-Vorbeck was commander of the Schutztruppe. It is a cracking good yarn but like many people who have seen it I don't like the part where the baby gets killed. The special effects are some of the best pre-CGI effects I have seen.The editing of the film leaves a bit to be desired.Lee Marvin basically reprises Ben Rumson and Roger Moore plays James Bond as an Edwardian adventurer. As I said the special effects are good for their time but when the battleship blows up the hull remains in the same position. It doesn't sink or even list. Also, if there was a bomb right in the ship's magazine the explosion would be a lot bigger and Rosa and Sebastian would not have much chance of survival being just across on the opposite bank. But still a very good film.

There really was a German cruiser in WW I (SMS Koenigsberg) that went up the Rufiji River for repairs and was sunk by the British by using mortars on "monitor" type boats. Also, there was a German officer (Colonel Von Lettow-Vorbeck: read "Guerilla" by Edwin P. Hoyt) that took the cannons off of the ship and had them manhandled around the African countryside to defeat the British. Please note that Von Lettow was a gentleman and excellent officer at guerilla warfare and NOT the stealing, avaricious fat baby killer depicted by Fleisher. That being said, this film concerns British colonists (good, farming types that use thier black conscript soldiers to defend) and German colonists (bad, tax collecting types that use their black conscript soldiers to attack). Lee Marvin is the crusty but loveable curmudgeon, Roger Moore is the con man with a heart of gold and Barbara Parkins is the farmer's daughter and, hands down, a dish in her day.***SPOILERS*** All is well until the German officer finds out that Marvin & Moore are poaching his tax targets and he revenges by burning down Marvin's house and killing the infant of Moore and Parkins. Now all bets are off and lightheartedness ends. Now the German officer, his friends, his coworkers, his countrymen, his soldiers, the people who owe him money and everyone that looks like him must die. So ultimate revenge is had and in a fitting poetic justice, Mom of infant Parkins, extracts the final measure of justice from the German officer.Another reviewer wanted to know why the title was "Shout at the Devil". The reason is that when men do evil, thier destiny is Hell, where all they can do thereafter is "shout at the devil".9 of 10 stars