1979·Adventure·1h 57m
7.0
★
In 1879, the British suffer a great loss at the Battle of Isandlwana due to incompetent leadership.
Directed by Douglas Hickox
fight
british empire
victory
prequel
battlefield
battle
death
colonialism
spear throwing
surrounded
standoff
mortar
zulu
tribal warfare
army life
Trailer
IMDB
N/A
Where to Watch
Cast
Burt Lancaster
Col. Anthony Durnford
Peter O'Toole
Lord Chelmsford
John Mills
Sir Henry Bartle Frere
Denholm Elliott
Colonel Pulleine
Simon Ward
Lt. Vereker
Nigel Davenport
Col. Hamilton-Brown
Michael Jayston
Col. Crealock
Peter Vaughan
QSM Bloomfield
James Faulkner
Lt. Melvill
Christopher Cazenove
Lt. Coghill
Bob Hoskins
C.S.M. Williams
David Bradley
Pte Williams
Crew
Douglas Hickox
Director
Cy Endfield
Screenplay
Elmer Bernstein
Original Music Composer
James Faulkner
Co-Producer
Cy Endfield
Story
Peter MacDonald
Second Unit Director
Colin Arthur
Makeup Department Head
Popular Reviews
16 reviews
Wyatt
6.0★ · 03/21/26
Only barely worth the double feature, took too long to get going
Only barely worth the double feature, took too long to get going
Kieran
6.0★ · 09/25/25
Seeing Burt Lancaster and Peter O’Toole interact is my version of DeNiro and Pacino meeting in Heat.
In fact, this is almost a dream cast for me: Burt Lancaster, Peter O’Toole, Denholm Elliot, Peter Vaughan, Nigel Davenport. What a lineup, and they almost cloud my vision.
Same problems, previous day. This half-heartedly attempts to solve the criticisms of the first film but only partway succeeds through the demonstration of the colonist’s hubristic stupidity, not by reframing the conflict or humanising the Zulu. We do get subtitles this time and, in all fairness most of the characters are thinly drawn on both sides, but it’s no excuse.
Still, it’s filmed and staged stunningly, the landscape is exploited beautifully and the final battle is technically remarkable. My dream cast all perform stoically, especially Lancaster. I can’t say I wasn’t enjoying what I was watching, even if the bitter taste of Zulu remains.
What you can glean- and try and think on after the credits roll- from this film is the damn-near visual perfection. Some of those shots man: a bugler heralding the dawn that will eventually kill them all, looming over the rising sun; the split diopter of O’Toole and Lancaster, the latter in profile casting a look that defines ennui; O’Toole lit infernally by the aflame vestiges of the front.
That’s what I’m going to take away.
In fact, this is almost a dream cast for me: Burt Lancaster, Peter O’Toole, Denholm Elliot, Peter Vaughan, Nigel Davenport. What a lineup, and they almost cloud my vision.
Same problems, previous day. This half-heartedly attempts to solve the criticisms of the first film but only partway succeeds through the demonstration of the colonist’s hubristic stupidity, not by reframing the conflict or humanising the Zulu. We do get subtitles this time and, in all fairness most of the characters are thinly drawn on both sides, but it’s no excuse.
Still, it’s filmed and staged stunningly, the landscape is exploited beautifully and the final battle is technically remarkable. My dream cast all perform stoically, especially Lancaster. I can’t say I wasn’t enjoying what I was watching, even if the bitter taste of Zulu remains.
What you can glean- and try and think on after the credits roll- from this film is the damn-near visual perfection. Some of those shots man: a bugler heralding the dawn that will eventually kill them all, looming over the rising sun; the split diopter of O’Toole and Lancaster, the latter in profile casting a look that defines ennui; O’Toole lit infernally by the aflame vestiges of the front.
That’s what I’m going to take away.
Seeing Burt Lancaster and Peter O’Toole interact is my version of DeNiro and Pacino meeting in Heat.
In fact, this is almost a dream cast for me: Burt Lancaster, Peter O’Toole, Denholm Elliot, Peter Vaughan, Nigel Davenport. What a lineup, and they almost cloud my vision.
Same problems, previous day. This half-heartedly attempts to solve the criticisms of the first film but only partway succeeds through the demonstration of the colonist’s hubristic stupidity, not by reframing the conflict or humanising the Zulu. We do get subtitles this time and, in all fairness most of the characters are thinly drawn on both sides, but it’s no excuse.
Still, it’s filmed and staged stunningly, the landscape is exploited beautifully and the final battle is technically remarkable. My dream cast all perform stoically, especially Lancaster. I can’t say I wasn’t enjoying what I was watching, even if the bitter taste of Zulu remains.
What you can glean- and try and think on after the credits roll- from this film is the damn-near visual perfection. Some of those shots man: a bugler heralding the dawn that will eventually kill them all, looming over the rising sun; the split diopter of O’Toole and Lancaster, the latter in profile casting a look that defines ennui; O’Toole lit infernally by the aflame vestiges of the front.
That’s what I’m going to take away.
In fact, this is almost a dream cast for me: Burt Lancaster, Peter O’Toole, Denholm Elliot, Peter Vaughan, Nigel Davenport. What a lineup, and they almost cloud my vision.
Same problems, previous day. This half-heartedly attempts to solve the criticisms of the first film but only partway succeeds through the demonstration of the colonist’s hubristic stupidity, not by reframing the conflict or humanising the Zulu. We do get subtitles this time and, in all fairness most of the characters are thinly drawn on both sides, but it’s no excuse.
Still, it’s filmed and staged stunningly, the landscape is exploited beautifully and the final battle is technically remarkable. My dream cast all perform stoically, especially Lancaster. I can’t say I wasn’t enjoying what I was watching, even if the bitter taste of Zulu remains.
What you can glean- and try and think on after the credits roll- from this film is the damn-near visual perfection. Some of those shots man: a bugler heralding the dawn that will eventually kill them all, looming over the rising sun; the split diopter of O’Toole and Lancaster, the latter in profile casting a look that defines ennui; O’Toole lit infernally by the aflame vestiges of the front.
That’s what I’m going to take away.
Christopher Russell
7.0★ · 02/16/25
No good as Zulu but a great film nonetheless. I didn’t realise this was telling the battle referenced at the start of Zulu. I think it is fairly accurate as a whole but there obviously embellishments like the former. I also like how it looks older than it is, this came out the same year as Apocalypse Now but it looks like it came out only a couple years after the original.
No good as Zulu but a great film nonetheless. I didn’t realise this was telling the battle referenced at the start of Zulu. I think it is fairly accurate as a whole but there obviously embellishments like the former. I also like how it looks older than it is, this came out the same year as Apocalypse Now but it looks like it came out only a couple years after the original.
Ruaidhri
6.0★ · 02/07/25
I watched this with my grandfather when I was little he cheered every time there bullets hit wouldn’t recommend
I watched this with my grandfather when I was little he cheered every time there bullets hit wouldn’t recommend
JacobRob
7.0★ · 09/14/24
Nowhere near as good as Zulu and the first 45 mins or so can be dull at times but still a solid war film with a legendary cast and great battle sequence at the end
Nowhere near as good as Zulu and the first 45 mins or so can be dull at times but still a solid war film with a legendary cast and great battle sequence at the end