Guns at Batasi

Despite its low budget and at times over-the-top story, Guns at Batasi does an excellent job portraying the type of men who were leaders in the British army. The film gives us hope that the army is actually made up of man who believe in principle and bravery. It is saved from being too melodramatic by the strong performance by Sir Richard Attenborough in the lead role. He is great in his scenes where he does speeches about the army and is believable in his character who is full of love for Queen and country. Director John Guillermin (Death on the Nile, The Towering Inferno) does a good job making a film that shows the intricacies of war.

During the early 1960s Africa was being decolonized by the British, but what was supposed to be a simple and peaceful change explodes into chaos and revolution. RSM Lauderdale (Sir Richard Attenborough – Elisabeth, Jurassic Park) is a devoted British soldier stationed in Africa during the time of the revolution. The British military is instructed to turn over control of the area to the local militia, which does not sit well with African officer, Lt. Boniface (Errol John – The African Queen) and so he decides to disobey the order. Lt. Boniface assembles a group of followers, a stash of weapons and begins to fight against the change over. When RSM Lauderdale hears of this he takes action as he is the only man standing between order and chaos. Unfortunately, Lauderdale soon finds out that the way he believed the army to operate is no longer valid and so he begins to question his own values.

Special Features:
-Theatrical trailer
-Fox Flix: trailers for Back Door to Hell and Immortal Soldier