ZULU (1964)

Physically impressive ‘Last Stand’ war film (its sweeping TechniRama® visuals best seen in Hi-Def resolution), a fact-based late-19th Century southern Africa battle of attrition with 100 British soldiers holding the Rorke’s Drift outpost against 4000 Zulu warriors fresh off major victories against large British units.  Michael Caine made his first mark here, playing a ‘toff’  officer, heavy with class attitude/short on field experience coming against lower-class army engineer Stanley Baker who just barely outranks him.  Building mutual respect as waves of Zulus attack and attack (Northern fortifications; South barrier; Chapel; Surgery, even Cattle corral).  Director Cy Endfield (who co-scripted with Baker) masters the tricky logistics while expanding on the usual formula for these things, so instead of filling only the last two reels with battle, this 2'18" film is nearly all action from the halfway mark on.  Grueling for the men; grueling for the audience.  But done up proud, as they say, and, in spite of an unmistakable Imperialist tone, for its era the film plays fairly.

ATTENTION MUST BE PAID:  *Caine, who’d quickly show range and solidify his new-found stardom with IPCRESS FILE/’65, ALFIE/’66 and GAMBIT/’66, maintained that only an American director (Endfield had been Blacklisted in the States) would have countenanced a Cockney in this role.  He does lay on the upper-crust accent pretty thick, like Robert Downey Jr faking Sherlock Holmes, when he should be speaking like Edward Fox as . . . Edward Fox. 

DOUBLE-BILL:  A prequel (not seen here), ZULU DAWN/’79, has bigger names and a smaller rep.