User reviews

Shout at the Devil finds Lee Marvin in sub Sahara Africa in 1914 just before the start of World War I. He's a rollicking, live by your wits character named Flynn, very much similar to Humphrey Bogart's Charlie Allnut in The African Queen. Marvin takes up with an Englishman played by Roger Moore who's been stranded in Africa on his way to Australia.

Marvin has a running rivalry with the local German governor played with Teutonic relish by Reinhard Kolldehoff. He's the Road Runner to Kolldehoff's Wily Coyote. During the first half of the film, it plays just like a road runner cartoon.

When war is declared however, Kolldehoff crosses into British territory where Marvin has operated with sanctuary and exacts a terrible vengeance for being constantly made a fool of. On Marvin, on Moore, and on Barbara Parkins, Marvin's daughter who Moore has now married and had a child with.

This is World War I so the Germans aren't behaving like the Nazis of the second World War. But Kolldehoff you can see a potential recruit for Hitler in the post war years. In fact I don't think it's an accident that Kolldehoff and his character Fleischer look very much like German Field Marshal Ludendorff who was sympathetic to the early Nazi party.

Shout at the Devil is a broad comic adventure for the first half and turns serious in the second half. Moore and Marvin have a nice easy chemistry between them, Marvin is reaching back to his Cat Ballou days and the bag of scene stealing tricks he used to get an Oscar. Moore is hard pressed, but does keep up.

And who doesn't like a live road runner cartoon.

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.

This rollicking, exotic adventure is one that happens to be inspired by a true story. It gets some mileage out of the teaming of Lee Marvin and Sir Roger Moore, who for a while are at each others' throats. It does go on for an awful long time, and have silly digressions, but that should be no problem for patient viewers who don't mind a film that takes its time telling a story. There is a good portion of the running time with strong comic overtones, until politics and the reality of war rear their ugly head. Then our ne'er-do-well main character must take on a mission for reasons that aren't purely selfish.

Marvin plays rascally American ivory poacher Flynn O'Flynn in the African country of Zanzibar in 1913. He makes the acquaintance of "young" Englishman Sebastian Oldsmith (Moore, who was in his late 40s during filming, but looks good regardless). Oldsmith is stranded in Zanzibar because his property is stolen from a hotel and he is now unable to sail to Australia, which was his plan. He becomes O'Flynns' sidekick, and joins in as the jovial scoundrel makes constant battles with German commissioner Herman Fleischer (Reinhard Kolldehoff). Eventually they will take part in a daring plan to destroy a German vessel docked for repairs in Zanzibar.

The filmmakers, led by director Peter R. Hunt ("Death Hunt"), are quick to remind viewers that they made no move to actually harm animals (there are disclaimers at both the beginning and the end of the film), in case any animal lovers watching get squeamish during some scenes. They deliver a fairly engrossing and rousing action / comedy /drama that really comes to life through the chemistry between Marvin and Sir Roger. Marvin has never been quite this hammy, to the best of this viewers' recollection, and that includes his Oscar winning comedic performance in "Cat Ballou". Still, he's quite watchable, as is the lovely Barbara Parkins ("Valley of the Dolls") as Marvins' daughter and a strong supporting cast also including Karl Michael Vogler, Horst Janson, Maurice Denham, Murray Melvin, and George Coulouris. The real scene stealer for much of the two hour 30 minute run time is Ian Holm, cast as O'Flynns' mute associate Mohammed. The snarling Kolldehoff makes for an effective bad guy.

The music by Maurice Jarre is good, as is the use of eye catching African locations and the expansive widescreen photography. All in all, this is a somewhat predictable but pleasing diversion.

Seven out of 10.

A British action adventure; A story about unlikely partners in the East African ivory trade who join forces to fight occupying German troops in German East Africa. Adapted from the Wilbur Smith novel, it is based on a true story about a raid on the SMS Konigsberg by an ivory hunter in World War I. It is an opulent film, well photographed but pastiche, the sort of actioner that harks back to an older generation of films featuring exploitative, larger-than-life characters put through a cavalcade of action and unlikely situations, out of which humour and thrills naturally arise, with a cartoonish villain to satisfy all tastes. Lee Marvin plays wonderfully, a man on the make, out to plunder the environment, downing copious amounts of hooch in the process, and Roger Moore, as Sebastian Oldsmith, fits his part well, giving contrast as an establishment toff. Both commit and play amiably amidst some slack and silly slapstick comedy. Peter R. Hunt stages scenes with workmanlike efficiency, although some sequences are like longueurs. Overall, it is a treat as a postprandial Sunday matinee. As an aside, the full theatrical release is the version that garnered more credit for the fuller and more rounded characters it portrays, though some extra scenes are stark in portraying the ivory trade.

A Big Man's adventure set in East Africa in 1913 in the days of German and English brinkmanship , with two roguish adventurers , Irish-American called Flynn (Lee Marvin providing a hamming ridiculous acting) and English officer Sebastian Oldsmith (likeable Roger Moore , though unusually wooden , at times) involving ivory poaching , fights , a love story -between Roger Moore and Barbara Parkins- while they seek to blow up a German battleship out for repairs before the outbreak of WWI .The Greatest African Adventure Ever Filmed ¡A spectacular adventure you will always remember and a beautiful love story you will never forget ¡.

This is an ostentatiously flick with some ludricous moments , displaying a large budget , being full of manly sentiments but makes a mostly unsuccessfully return to the world of colonial intrigues . The film is packed with noisy action , thrills , brawls , suspense, violence , tension and lots of humor with tongue-in-cheek . From the novel by Wilbur Smith and based on an actual incident , but that doesn't make the comedy adventure any more palatable . Resulting to be an impressive epic so vast it took two years to create and a whole continent to contain . It has uncomfortable mix of comedy and drama , some flaws and gaps with little believable situations and regularly developed , but the big budget permits any number of fairly poinless action-oriented excursions and explosions . The picture offers an amusing comedy adventure adding some tragic elements , combining a slim script with African Queen malarkey . Main cast is frankly good , giving sympathetic performances . Lee Marvin behaves increasingly like a caricature of himself , turning to leer at the camera at the end of each take , as he seems incapable of controlling his excesses and Roger Moore showing certain aptitude and conviction for comedy . While Barbara Parkins provides the only emotional complexity on display . And brief appearances from other British and German secondaries such as : Ian Holm , Reinhard Kolldehoff , Karl Michael Vogler , Horst Janson , Jean Kent , Maurice Denham , George Coulouris.

Displaying colorful cinematography by Michael Reed shot on location in Malta , South Africa , Port St. Johns, South Africa. As well as moving and attractive musical score by Maurice Jarre. This overlong motion picture was middlingly directed by Peter Hunt who had a long career as a cinematic editor . Having started out in the film industry as a clapper boy , by the 40's he was working in the editing department and by the 50's he was an assistant editor then a fully fledged editor. In 1962 as editor on the first James Bond film , Dr No . Subsequently , he made one of the best Bond films : ¨On her majestic's secret service ¨, furthermore ,¨Death hunt¨ and this ¨Shout the devil¨. Rating : 6/10 . Acceptable and passable . The yarn will appeal to Lee Marvin and Roger Moore fans .

I decided to watch this FLICK on TV, because of the Historical Connection to WWI in the TV Guide Summary. The period history was weak, however I watched the entire film, because I wanted to know who the lead actress was, ie the Sandra Bullock of the 70's? The answer - Barbara Parkins. It's rather amusing that I'm smitten with her now after seeing this film and when I was a College Student in the 70's, I didn't have a clue about her. And the Movie wasn't bad either.

In SHOUT AT THE DEVIL, Roger Moore and Lee Marvin are a pair of misfits living in Africa just before World War 1. Moore is an elephant poacher and Marvin is a drunk living with his adult daughter (Barbara Parkins) in what is now Tanzania. Marvin and Moore fight over any little thing, not the least of which is the delectable daughter. But then they must work together to defeat the Germans at the onset of World War I. Seems the Germans have a battleship anchored in the cove, for repairs. At the behest of the British government, Marvin and Moore seek to destroy the ship before it can relaunch. Because of its age and director (Britisher Peter Hunt), the film looks creaky as all hell today. The fights are clumsily staged. The sincerity of the plot is questionable. Only Parkins seems to feel she is acting in a drama. Moore and Marvin play their parts very broadly. Even with bodies dropping like flies and both Moore and Marvin periodically being injured, you're not so sure this isn't a comedy. Is it worth a look? Not really.

This one has it all. Adventure, slapstick, war, love, buddy-cops and cartoon villains. It is a cooking pot of everything, and while this should have meant disaster, it is the opposite, and it makes for one hell of an entertaining film. Lee Marvin and Roger Moore were two very big names to have here, and two very different actors. Fitting, then, that they play two very different characters, pitted together in German East Africa at the onset of the Great War in 1913 and 1914, to take on the tyranny of the local German commander in the region when their ivory hunting comes under his radar.

The film bounces from one adventure to the other, in almost non-linear fashion. Marvin and Moore have great chemistry, and they deserve some credit for playing roles which were completely out of character for them. Marvin, in particular, is a joy to watch as a hard-drinking rogue of an Irish-American, pitting his trade in this exotic land. This brings me on to the cinematography. The film is well-shot, with DOP Michael Reed utilising the potential of the filming locations in South Africa and Malta. Mr. Reed died last week, and his work included Hammer films like "The Gorgon", "Dracula: Prince of Darkness", "Prehistoric Women", "Rasputin: The Mad Monk" and the Bond film "On Her Majesty's Secret Service".

As a World War One naval buff, I enjoy this film on one level. As a film enthusiast, I enjoy it on another, all the more so for it being based on fact.

The actual story of the Koenigsberg is actually far less glamorous than the fate of the Blucher in this film but no less enthralling. After the ship was destroyed, her crew joined the German land forces under Count Paul von Lettow-Vorbeck and, together with their few thousand fiercely loyal African troops, fought 1 million British soldiers to a standstill for 4 years until, after the Armistice, they surrendered to the Portuguese, undefeated and proud. A tale well worth reading, far better than the fiction.

Back to the film. The central character is one Flynn O'Flynn, a thoroughly disreputable character, played by Lee Marvin. Always good value for money, he merely reprises Ben Rumson in Africa - no effort required! Roger Moore, aged 49, plays the 'young' interest! Mind you, he don't look bad for it! He is married to the delectable Barbara Parkins, Flynn's daughter Rosa, really the only female character in the film, a grim role she carries off to perfection. Fleischer, the evil German, the exact opposite of von Lettow-Vorbeck, is brilliantly overplayed by Rene Kolldehoff - he really is unlikeable! Also look out for Ian Holm as the mute Arab servant Mohammed.

The film has great pace, really rolling along, well shot in wonderful scenery. It has been well researched too. The Blucher, an actual German cruiser, has been pretty accurately recreated. The whole film has a very genuine feel.

I can see why it's not popular with female viewers. It's quite bloody, very cruel and Barbara Parkins character has a dreadful time of it. The scene in which the farm is burned is quite harrowing.

There are plenty of laughs too. Flynn O'Flynn has all of Ben Rumson's comic characteristics. The big fight between Marvin and Moore is very funny. And then there's Roger Moore blacked up as an African porter - he's about as convincing as I would be - and I'm blond!

If you're a fan of Ripping Yarns, then this one is for you. If not, then I wouldn't bother.

There is something of the "African Queen" (1951) about this rather disposable, but enjoyable tale of "Flynn" (Lee Marvin) whom, along with his daughter "Rosa" (Barbara Perkins) and her posh British husband "Sebastian" (Roger Moore) set out to avenge the destruction of their East African livelihood by taking on the pride of the Kriegsmarine - the "SMS Blücher" as it undergoes repairs near Zanzibar. It's a fun adventure with all concerned looking as though they enjoyed themselves, and Reinhard Kolldehoff makes for almost as good a German foil as Gert Frobe might have done. It's very much a tongue-in-cheek exercise, this - history plays only a fleeting part in this story of empire and bloody-mindedness. It's fun, pure and simple - and I bet the evenings after filming were lively, 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.

5/10

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I feel I should mention that the version of "Shout at the Devil" that I watched was the full length 150 minute version. When the movie originally played in theaters, it had been cut by about half an hour. Normally, I feel that the original full length version of a movie is the version to see, but in the case of this movie, I think that the edited version might play better. I'm not saying that the full length version is bad, but I'm saying that it's too long for its own good. There is quite a considerable amount of padding on display, and as a result the movie moves quite slowly at times. There are some good things along the way all the same - there is some good action and suspense, the African backdrop is colorful and catches the eye, and it's fun to see Lee Marvin and Roger Moore paired up and generate considerable chemistry. So it's nowhere near a total loss. All the same, I think a more snappy pace would have helped things considerably.

See it- This superb actioner is very light-hearted, but packs quite a punch. Adventure meets war when hunters in Africa run into Germans during World War I. This underrated film starring Lee Marvin and Roger Moore has a recipe with just the right blend of comedy and action. But its Marvin who offers the lions share of the hilarity in the first half of the movie. The second half of the movie is much more serious, as the two main characters volunteer to go on a dangerous mission with the objective of blowing up a German battleship docked for repairs. To those who don't like this movie, I say, in the words of Lee Marvin, "See you in a minute…We'll shout at the devil together!" 3.5 action rating

On the whole, this is a mostly faithful adaptation of Wilbur Smith's novel and a cracking adventure story.

Shortly before the outbreak of World War One, Irish poacher Flynn recruits a clueless, upper-class Englishman named Sebastian to help him steal ivory from German-occupied territory in Africa. For a while, the pair make a great team and succeed at humiliating the local German officer, Fleisher - but the fun comes to a sudden end when war is declared and Fleisher gets a chance for revenge.

As others have mentioned, this is definitely a film of two halves, as much as the book was. But the rollicking pace and sweeping storyline offer all manner of scrapes and situations that the film is never less than enjoyable. Lee Marvin is thoroughly amusing as the drunken poacher who flits between immature outbursts at those around him and total inebriation. Roger Moore is also impressive as Flynn's opposite, Sebastian, whose a gentleman at first but quickly learns to toughen up as the story becomes more serious.

Supporting characters are also memorable, with Fleisher a mixture of comical and nastiness. Barbara Parkins plays Flynn's daughter and Sebastian's romantic interest with fiestiness and Ian Holm is amusing as Flynn's mute assistant Mohammed.

In terms of action, the film has plenty to offer; gunfights, fistfights, shipwrecks and man-eating crocs for a start. This is all edited in the same frantic style that Peter Hunt's 'On Her Majesty's Secret Service' was, giving a lot of energy to the film. I also love Maurice Jarre's score for 'Shout at the Devil'; epic and tense.

While 'Shout at the Devil' is a cracking yarn and I have loved it since I was little, the bad news is that no decent version currently exists on DVD. German characters (who spoke English in the film) have now been dubbed into German, which is one thing... but no subtitles(!) mean that entire scenes become useless and impossible to follow for the rest of us.

There is of course the issue of running time and to be honest I can't remember if I've actually seen the full version or not (it's been a while). Some TV companies have been known to show the full version and, because of the awful DVD versions, it's a case of pot-luck that anyone sees the film as it should be (I personally have held onto a VHS recording from 1988 which is wearing very thin now).

This is a film that is hard not to dislike. The action was great, the characters were great, and Fleisher is an awesome bad guy.

Can`t say I was too blown away by this movie . The main problem I have is with the main villain Fleischer . Being set long before 1933 he`s not the goose stepping " ve haff vays of making you talk pig-dog " Nazi villain of WW2 war films but he`s the next worst thing - A fat stupid slob who tries to shoot everyone while calling them a " Schwienhund " . This stereotypical characterisation isn`t helped by the OTT performance of Reinhard Kolldehoff

I don`t know if it`s the fault of the BBC using an old print of the film but the editing is haphazard and all over the place like the scene on the reef which seems more like a random series of camera shots rather a scene , and you really do get the feeling ( At least with the version the BBC showed tonight ) that whole chunks of the film are missing . How else would Fleischer be able to describe Sebastian as " The Englishman " when they`ve never met . There`s no way Fleischer would know Sebastian was English

Another thing that annoyed me was the laughably unconvincing crocodile . How bad was it ? Well it looked like a man dressed up , that`s how bad it was . In fact as it approached Flynn I expected Sebastian to jump out of the crocodile costume and say " Trick or treat ? "

One last point . Why is this movie called SHOUT AT THE DEVIL ?

I am posting a warning about this film. While it clearly states that no animals were harmed in making the movie, there are elephant hunting scenes early in the story which are rather upsetting to see. Just be prepared and remind yourself that these animals weren't killed for the movie...though the footage COULD be stock footage of real elephant deaths (and this is what it appears to be).

The story begins in 1913...just before the First World War. A heavy-drinking adventurer, Flynn (Lee Marvin), has a scheme to harvest elephant ivory...though it is in German-ruled Tanzania. So, with the help of an Englishman, Sebastian (Roger Moore), they sneak into the country and go on a very successful hunt. However, soon the German military governor, the Commissioner, arrives...killing many of Flynn's men. Flynn, Sebastian and a few others manage to escape...but later their small boat is run over by a German cruiser...and their treasure in ivory is gone. And, after another attempt, Sebastian must flee for his life! He then marries Flynn's daughter...and what follows REALLY makes Flynn and Sebastian hate this Commissioner.

When WWI is declared in 1914, Flynn and Sebastian see a chance to get revenge...and set out to destroy the S. M. S. Blücher---the cruiser that sunk their boat and nearly killed them. What's next?

This story is very BROADLY based on the actual sinking of a German cruiser in East Africa...but the original story and the film are so different that it really is pretty much fiction. It's also played mostly for laughs...despite all the carnage and a scene involving a baby that certainly CAN'T be seen as funny. It makes for a strange combination of serious and silly.

So is it any good? It's not bad, though I think I would have enjoyed the story more if they hadn't played it mostly for laughs but simply told the story of the sinking and the people who really did it. But, this would have pretty much been an entirely different tale since the film takes so many liberties when it comes to the actual details...even the name of the ship and who did the actual sinking!

A tedious two-hour+ drag of a cliché 1970's historical action film. If you're not bothered by plot holes, cartoonishly absurd alcoholism as a running gag, racial stereotypes, bad acting, longwinded scenes that seem to serve no purpose and two dimensional characters then this film might be for you.

This film has all the hallmarks of the kind of movie actors make when they desperately have to pay bills and it would probably be a favor to the memories of both Lee Marvin and Roger Moore if every copy of this film would suddenly vanish.