Killer Force

Last updated
Killer Force
Killer Force.jpg
Directed by Val Guest
Written byVal Guest
Gerald Sanford
Michael Winder
Produced by Nat Wachsberger
Patrick Wachsberger
Robert Wachsberger
Cinematography David Millin
Edited by Bill Butler
Music by Georges Garvarentz
Distributed by American International Pictures
Release date
  • January 14, 1976 (1976-01-14)
Running time
102 min.
CountriesIreland
Switzerland
United States
United Kingdom
LanguageEnglish

Killer Force, also known as The Diamond Mercenaries, is a 1976 thriller film directed by Val Guest and starring Telly Savalas, Peter Fonda and Christopher Lee. [1] It was a co-production between the Republic of Ireland, Switzerland, United Kingdom (post production at Twickenham), and the United States and was filmed primarily in Namibia (at the time of filming part of South Africa). Its plot is about a gang of criminals who plan a major robbery of a diamond mine.

Contents

Val Guest called it "a very tough picture to make." [2]

Plot

Head of security Harry Webb fears that a diamond theft is about to take place at the company's major mining complex in the desert. He quickly manages to become very unpopular, particularly with Claire Chambers, a celebrated cover girl and daughter of the mine administrator. She is visiting the man she loves, Mike Bradley, who is responsible for security at the mine.

Nelson, the mine administrator, gives Bradley a curious mission—to steal a diamond. He wants to implicate Bradley in order to bring him into contact with a certain Lewis who is preparing to rob the mine with the aid of a group of mercenaries and a local accessory known as Father Christmas. Webb, not being informed of the deceit, relentlessly pursues Bradley, who is contacted by Lewis. With the mercenaries in the process of penetrating the mine, Bradley reveals himself to be Father Christmas, the organizer of the entire operation. With Webb in pursuit, Bradley flees into the desert with the only other survivors.

Cast

Production

The film was based on an original script by Michael Winder which Val Guest says "wasn’t very good in the state it was in and it had an awful lot of changes to be made in it, I took it over and they brought an American writer, Gerald Sanford, and we wrote it between us." [2]

The film was mostly shot in Swakopmund in Namibia. Guest says they were helicoptered in every morning "into the desert because I wanted to shoot, where people hadn't shot, the dunes were virgin, so … we were dropped in every morning by helicopter, they flew the food in, it was tough going, but again enjoyable." [2]

Guest says Peter Fonda "was a gentle pain in the arse, Telly [Savalas] couldn't stand him, called him the amateur. “Does the amateur know his lines?” “Yes.” “Well why doesn’t he fucking well say them instead of all these pauses. Fonda would create. He was on the health kick and he’d asked for a blender and it hadn't arrived that morning for his breakfast of three bananas and an almond thing and he refused to come on location till it arrived, and as they’d had to fly in to Windhoek to get it, and fly back, that sort of thing." [2]

Reception

Guest says he was not paid more than $100,000 by the producer, Nat Wachsberger, "another one of filmland’s villains" so the director had to sue. The director says the film "made a fortune of money and Nat just went on a round the world cruise with his wife. Spent it." [2]

Releases

DVD

The film was released as Killer Force on DVD in 2013 by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer as part of the 12 Action Adventure Movies 3-Disc set. This marks the first time that the film has been released since the VHS era.

It is also available in a two-pack with Brannigan from Amazon.com.

Blu-ray

In May 2016, the film was released on Blu-ray in North America by Kino Lorber. The new release features a 2015 high-definition remaster. The opening credits of this release show the title as The Diamond Mercenaries; a text explanation before the movie starts explains that the film Kino received from the movie studio had those opening credits. The alternate Killer Force opening credits are available as a special feature. In addition, a previously unseen alternate ending is included as another special feature. [3]

Related Research Articles

<i>Cape Fear</i> (1962 film) Psychological thriller film

Cape Fear is a 1962 American psychological thriller directed by J. Lee Thompson, from a screenplay by James R. Webb, adapting the 1957 novel The Executioners by John D. MacDonald. It stars Gregory Peck as Sam Bowden, an attorney and family man who is stalked by a violent psychopath and ex-con named Max Cady, who is bent on revenge for Bowden's role in his conviction eight years prior. The film co-stars Polly Bergen and features Lori Martin, Martin Balsam, Jack Kruschen, Telly Savalas, and Barrie Chase in supporting roles.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Peter Fonda</span> American actor and filmmaker (1940–2019)

Peter Henry Fonda was an American actor, film director, and screenwriter. He was a two-time Academy Award nominee, both for acting and screenwriting, and a two-time Golden Globe Award winner for his acting. He was a member of the Fonda acting family, as the son of actor Henry Fonda, the brother of actress and activist Jane Fonda, and the father of actress Bridget Fonda.

<i>Capricorn One</i> 1977 thriller film by Peter Hyams

Capricorn One is a 1977 thriller film in which a reporter discovers that a supposed Mars landing by a crewed mission to the planet has been faked via a conspiracy involving the government and—under duress—the crew themselves. It was written and directed by Peter Hyams and produced by Lew Grade's ITC Entertainment. It stars Elliott Gould as the reporter, and James Brolin, Sam Waterston, and O. J. Simpson as the astronauts. Hal Holbrook plays a senior NASA official who goes along with governmental and corporate interests and helps to fake the mission.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Telly Savalas</span> American actor (1922–1994)

Aristotelis "Telly" Savalas was a Greek-American actor. Noted for his bald head and deep, resonant voice, he is perhaps best known for portraying Lt. Theo Kojak on the crime drama series Kojak (1973–1978) and James Bond archvillain Ernst Stavro Blofeld, in the film On Her Majesty's Secret Service (1969).

<i>Kalifornia</i> 1993 film by Dominic Sena

Kalifornia is a 1993 American road thriller film directed by Dominic Sena, in his feature film directorial debut. It stars Brad Pitt, Juliette Lewis, David Duchovny, and Michelle Forbes. The film tells the story of a journalist (Duchovny) and his photographer girlfriend (Forbes) traveling cross-country to research serial killings, who unwittingly carpool with a psychopath (Pitt) and his childlike girlfriend (Lewis).

<i>High Plains Drifter</i> 1973 American Western film by Clint Eastwood

High Plains Drifter is a 1973 American Western film directed by Clint Eastwood, written by Ernest Tidyman, and produced by Robert Daley for The Malpaso Company and Universal Pictures. The film stars Eastwood as a mysterious stranger who metes out justice in a corrupt frontier mining town. The film was influenced by the work of Eastwood's two major collaborators, film directors Sergio Leone and Don Siegel. In addition to Eastwood, the film also co-stars Verna Bloom, Mariana Hill, Mitchell Ryan, Jack Ging, and Stefan Gierasch.

<i>The Relic</i> 1997 monster horror film by Peter Hyams

The Relic is a 1997 American monster-horror film directed by Peter Hyams and based on the best-selling 1995 novel Relic by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child. The film stars Penelope Ann Miller, Tom Sizemore, Linda Hunt, and James Whitmore. In the film, a detective and a biologist try to defeat a South American lizard-like monster which is on a killing spree in the Field Museum of Natural History in Chicago.

<i>Horror Express</i> 1972 film by Eugenio Martín

Horror Express is a 1972 science fiction horror film directed by Eugenio Martín. It is a loose adaptation of John W. Campbell's 1938 novella Who Goes There?, and stars Christopher Lee and Peter Cushing, with Alberto de Mendoza, Silvia Tortosa, Julio Peña, George Rigaud, Ángel del Pozo, and Telly Savalas in supporting roles.

<i>The Hills Have Eyes Part II</i> 1984 film by Wes Craven

The Hills Have Eyes Part II is a 1985 American horror film written and directed by Wes Craven. The film stars Tamara Stafford, Kevin Spirtas, John Bloom, Michael Berryman, Penny Johnson, Janus Blythe, John Laughlin, Willard E. Pugh, Peter Frechette and Robert Houston. The Hills Have Eyes Part II is the sequel to the 1977 film. The film was produced by Barry Cahn, Jonathan Debin, and Peter Locke.

<i>Kraft Suspense Theatre</i> American television anthology series

The Kraft Suspense Theatre is an American television anthology series that was produced and broadcast from 1963 to 1965 on NBC. Sponsored by Kraft Foods, it was seen three weeks out of every four and was pre-empted for Perry Como's Kraft Music Hall specials once monthly. Como's production company, Roncom Films, also produced Kraft Suspense Theatre.. Writer, editor, critic, and radio playwright Anthony Boucher served as consultant on the series.

<i>Wanda Nevada</i> 1979 film

Wanda Nevada is a 1979 American Western film directed by Peter Fonda, who co-stars alongside Brooke Shields as the eponymous character, with Fiona Lewis, Luke Askew and Ted Markland in supporting roles. This was Fonda's last feature film as director.

<i>Birdman of Alcatraz</i> (film) 1962 film by John Frankenheimer

Birdman of Alcatraz is a 1962 American biographical drama film directed by John Frankenheimer and starring Burt Lancaster. It is a largely fictionalized version of the life of Robert Stroud, who was sentenced to solitary confinement after having killed a prison guard. A federal prison inmate, he became known as the "Birdman of Alcatraz" because of his studies of birds, which had taken place when he was incarcerated at Leavenworth Prison where he was allowed to keep birds in jail. Although known as "The Birdman of Alcatraz", Stroud was never allowed to keep any birds after his transfer to Alcatraz Federal Penitentiary in 1942.

<i>Ashanti</i> (1979 film) 1979 action-adventure film by Richard Fleischer

Ashanti is a 1979 action adventure film directed by Richard Fleischer and starring Michael Caine, Peter Ustinov, Kabir Bedi, Beverly Johnson, Omar Sharif, Rex Harrison, and William Holden. It is based on the 1974 novel Ébano by Alberto Vázquez-Figueroa, with a screenplay written by Stephen Geller and an uncredited George MacDonald Fraser. The story is set against the background of modern-day slave trading, with a man who determinedly takes on a perilous journey in order to find his beautiful wife, who has been kidnapped by brutal slave traders.

<i>Bodies, Rest & Motion</i> 1993 film by Michael Steinberg

Bodies, Rest & Motion is a 1993 American drama film written by Roger Hedden based on his 1986 play, and directed by Michael Steinberg. The film stars Phoebe Cates, Bridget Fonda, Tim Roth, and Eric Stoltz as four friends whose interests in life and each other start to change. The film takes place at small gas stations in the Arizona desert, and Bridget Fonda's real-life father, Peter Fonda, has a cameo as a motorcycle rider. Bodies, Rest & Motion premiered at the 1993 Sundance Film Festival and was screened in the Un Certain Regard section at the 1993 Cannes Film Festival.

<i>The Champagne Murders</i> 1967 French film by Claude Chabrol

The Champagne Murders is a 1967 French crime thriller film based on a story William Benjamin, directed by Claude Chabrol and starring Anthony Perkins. It was the first of two films that Chabrol made with Perkins.

<i>As Cool as I Am</i> (film) 2013 American film

As Cool as I Am is a 2013 American comedy-drama film directed by Max Mayer. It is based on the novel of the same name by Pete Fromm. Claire Danes, Sarah Bolger and James Marsden star as the Diamond family. Filming on the adaptation began in New Mexico in May 2011. The film was released in the United States on June 21, 2013, by IFC Films.

<i>The Killer Is on the Phone</i> 1972 film

The Killer Is on the Phone is a 1972 giallo film directed by Alberto De Martino. It was released in the U.S. in July, 1975. The film is set in Bruges, Belgium, and stars Telly Savalas and Anne Heywood. The story follows an attractive actress who suffers from amnesia and paranoia triggered by a chance encounter with a professional assassin, who in turn begins to follow her with his knife.

A Town Called Bastard is a 1971 international co-production spaghetti Western. It was shot in Madrid with Robert Shaw, Telly Savalas, Stella Stevens and Martin Landau.

<i>Goldstone</i> (film) 2016 film directed by Ivan Sen

Goldstone is a 2016 Australian crime thriller film directed by Ivan Sen. It is a sequel to Mystery Road (2013) and stars Aaron Pedersen, Alex Russell, Jacki Weaver, David Wenham and David Gulpilil. It was released in Australia on 7 July 2016. According to the film's end credits, it was largely shot on location in the small town of Middleton, Queensland, Australia.

<i>Mind Twister</i> 1994 American film

Mind Twister is a 1994 American erotic thriller film directed by Fred Olen Ray, written by Mark Thomas McGee, and produced by Luigi Cingolani and Smart Egg Pictures.

References

  1. The Diamond Mercenaries (1975)
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 Fowler, Roy (1988). "Interview with Val Guest". British Entertainment History Project.
  3. "Killer Force Blu-ray Review". Blu-ray.com. Retrieved 10 June 2016.