The Wild Geese review – Richard Burton and Roger Moore lead cast of amigos in preposterous African caper

<p>Reactionary boy’s own adventure sends craggy gentlemen mercenaries Burton, Moore and Richard Harris into somewhat implausible action</p><p>The outrageously ridiculous, instinctively reactionary Wild Geese take arthritic flight once again in this re-release of the 1978 action adventure from director Andrew McLaglen, featuring the by-then-rather-superannuated stars Richard Harris, Richard Burton and mid-Bond Roger Moore. All of these senior gentlemen are in military berets, some smoking rakish cigars – but looking as if they are wearing gentlemen’s support girdles under their camo to keep them upright, and giving the impression they would be happier taking a long lunch at Langan’s Brasserie in London’s West End.</p><p>There’s an outrageous “parachute training” sequence in which we are expected to believe that Roger Moore has jumped from a height, hit the ground and then got up. Never was a stunt double more obviously needed, with Rodge raising a wry eyebrow of complaint afterwards as the drill sergeant yells at him: “You are jumping from an aeroplane not a whorehouse window!”</p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/film/2025/nov/14/the-wild-geese-review-richard-burton-richard-harris-roger-moore">Continue reading...</a>