Stewart Granger brings in Richard Burton as "Col. Faulkner" to assemble a special group – expense is clearly not an issue – tasked with traveling to southern Africa and freeing the ousted president, "Limbani" (Winston Ntshona). Simultaneously, his former partner, Roger Moore ("Flynn"), finds himself fleeing London gangsters after convincing one of their relatives’ nephew to fatally overdose on heroin; meanwhile, Richard Harris ("Janders") is attempting to maintain a relationship with his young son following a recent separation. He gathers them together, and that's essentially how the team comes together. Then he seeks out the stern RSM "Sandy" (Jack Watson) and crafty South African "Coetzee" (Hardy Kruger), followed by a collection of their previous colleagues – including Kenneth Griffith in a delightfully flamboyant role as “the proctologist’s friend” – before the mission officially gets underway. The operation itself proceeds adequately, but their departure doesn't unfold as expected; they’ve been double-crossed. The rest of the story focuses on their struggle to reach an airfield where they can safely extract themselves and the rescued prisoner. It's a film that shows its age considerably, however, it remains effective as a piece of action-adventure entertainment. The cast certainly doesn't seem like people you’d want to share a pint with (I once had the distinct pleasure of drinking with the late Mr. Harris at London’s “Coal Hole” – and can attest to that firsthand), and that’s part of what makes it work—there’s a sense of teamwork, a lighthearted atmosphere with some humor, lots of shooting and explosions, plus a brief song by Joan Armatrading. The conclusion isn't particularly strong (though it’s far superior to the dreadful 1985 sequel), but if you’re in the mood for politically insensitive, over-the-top jungle adventures, this does exactly what it sets out to do.

Source on TMDB