The British Army has suffered a major defeat at Isandlwana and the Zulus are out to find more soldiers to attack. Rorke's Drift, an outpost on the border of Zululand, is an obvious choice. Lt. Chard (Stanley Baker) happens to be in the area to build a bridge across the Buffalo River. Though he is an engineer officer, he has seniority over Lt. Bromhead (Michael Caine). Though there are calls to retreat, the last orders were to hold the position; Chard intends to do just that. He gets the men working on redoubts to protect the mostly open compound, stacking barriers and overturning wagons to create a curtain wall. Even so, he doesn't have enough men to defend all the walls. He has roughly 150 men standing against 3,000 to 4,000 Zulus. The first wave of Zulus do little more than determine the defensive strength; it is practically a turkey shoot. The next wave comes to the walls and bayonets are needed to defend Rorke's Drift. With each succeeding attack, more and more Zulus get over the walls and the British retreat to inner redoubts. Can they hold out until reinforced?
In his first high profile role, Michael Caine is shaky. He plays the dilletante with a haughty attitude. His early scenes are unlike what one expects of Caine. Baker is good as Lt. Chard, providing a strong leader in a hopeless situation. Nigel Green is the standout as Color Sergeant Borne. He exudes command despite rarely raising his voice. He is unflappable and always on the spot to get the men in action. He is somehow gentle as a pillow but solid as a rock. Strange. Impressive. Most of the support characters are quite good with the sole exception of Henry Hook (James Booth). The character arc for him is much too cliche and rings hollow. That it was unlike the real Henry Hook makes it all the worse.
Overall, great popcorn fun. Recommended.
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