A British mercenary arrives in pre-Revolution Cuba to help train General Batista's Army against Castro's guerrillas while he also romances a former lover now married to an unscrupulous plant... Read allA British mercenary arrives in pre-Revolution Cuba to help train General Batista's Army against Castro's guerrillas while he also romances a former lover now married to an unscrupulous plantation owner.A British mercenary arrives in pre-Revolution Cuba to help train General Batista's Army against Castro's guerrillas while he also romances a former lover now married to an unscrupulous plantation owner.
- Nunez
- (as Roger Lloyd-Pack)
- Director
- Writer
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaSteven Soderbergh, director of Che: Part One (2008) and Che: Part Two (2008), in an interview with Alex Simon, said of this movie: "That's a fascinating movie. Flawed, but really the things that people disliked about it when it came out are what makes it interesting now, it's refusal to sort of play to the idea of a war-torn romance. An absolute refusal to be sentimental or easy about anything. Brooke Adams' character was really fascinating. Here's a woman who says 'Look, I don't know what little fantasy you've got in your head, but don't play it out on me, because I'm not that.' And this guy (Sir Sean Connery) who's wrestling with the fact that the kind of guy he is, is obsolete now. It's a really interesting movie."
- GoofsAt the start of the film, a subtitle announces "1959", indicating the year in which the story takes place. However the actual date of the last event of the film - Fidel Castro riding into Havana, marking the completion of the Revolution - was 1 January 1959. All of the preceding events must have occurred in 1958.
- Quotes
Maj. Robert Dapes: Why were those people shot?
Capt. Raphael Ramirez: Perhaps they tried to escape.
Maj. Robert Dapes: From what?
Capt. Raphael Ramirez: From being shot.
Maj. Robert Dapes: But how did they know they were rebels?
Capt. Raphael Ramirez: Because they tried to escape.
Maj. Robert Dapes: Well, wouldn't you?
Capt. Raphael Ramirez: Of course.
Maj. Robert Dapes: Are you a rebel?
Capt. Raphael Ramirez: If I try to escape, I am. Wasn't it the same in Malaya? You didn't know them till they ran.
Maj. Robert Dapes: No, it wasn't!
Capt. Raphael Ramirez: Very well, you're here to teach us!
[Ramirez is shot dead.]
- Alternate versionsThe UK release was cut, cuts required to remove scenes of real cockfighting in accordance with BBFC policy relating to the Cinematograph Films (Animals) Act 1937, in order to obtain a 12 classification. An uncut classification was not available.
By following the individual characters around Cuba, and by observing the personal backgrounds & lives of these characters, one gets a decent idea of what Cuba was like at this period of time (from the corruption to the guerrilla war) that is at the same time entertaining. Although at points some of the subplots interfere with the overall film, a decent job was done in this well-acted, well-shot film that combines a lot of themes and a lot of ideas with a diverse story. Overall, worth watching.
- jmverville
- Oct 2, 2004
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Details
Box office
- Budget
- $7,000,000 (estimated)
- Gross US & Canada
- $5,610,280
- Opening weekend US & Canada
- $527,540
- Dec 25, 1979
- Gross worldwide
- $5,610,280