Another Hammer production line product, set in the late 19th century battleground of the Raj when Kandahar was still in India and this sort of tawdry film making was still financially viable. That so many people ‘worked’ to construct this cobbled together tosh is a wonder in itself.
Filmed entirely on set in Bray, Middlesex and stealing as much footage from the location shot ‘Zakar’ as they could get away with, this is repertory cinema with an old India viewed through a provincial British filter.
Oliver Reid is Eli Khan, the Bin Laden of his day, leading Indian rebels against the dirty Raj. It is to Reid’s benefit that the higher caste Indians that passed through the British education system of the 20th century spoke the Queen’s English with such reverent received pronunciation that his own speaking voice should pass as an ‘Indian’ accent from an earlier era. His screen time is restricted in this film, it’s probable that he withstood one day smeared in bisto to film the small number of scenes that he features in, but he does bring a swaggering buffoon braggadocio to his role and it ranks with his ‘best’ onscreen efforts.
There are traces of the sultry, eroticised titles to come from Hammer as the 60’s grew into it’s decadent self. Yvonne Romaine is sultry as the Brigand’s moll Ratina. Sporting a very contemporary ’squoob’, or squashed boob, look and a thrillingly contemptuous scowl throughout , she slowly emerges through the film as a central character. Never expected to actually act, just look good on screen, she puts in a fine performance. Katherine Woodville is vampish as Elsa, the cucklod queen of Kandahar with the temerity to bed an ‘Half-Caste’ officer, Lt Case, played by Ronald Lewis’. Her role fleshes out as the story develops and she comes good in the end.
Donald Lamont puts in a solid, if uninspiring, performance as the leader of the Garrison, Colonel Drewe, until he begins the pistol whipping of prisoners, when he come into his own. Inigo Jackson is Flashman arrogant as Captain Boyd, the Indian loathing second in command and Glyn Houston is competent as the snooping reporter Marriot.
As the film progresses there is much to delight fans of technical ineptitude and clumsy combat including some truly terrible Bray shot riders imposed on to massed hordes riding across the plains footage from ‘Zakar’.
There are themes of honour, prejudice, morality and bravery developed throughout the film but there is also jingoism, stereotyping, hammy acting and enough dime store dialogue to bring the whole thing crashing down. Guilty pleasure viewing, enjoyable in it’s own way but leaving the conscientious viewer feeling grubby once it’s all over.