Almost a very good film

Rating: Null/10 (13 May 2001)

This film seems to have everything, great camerawork, an interesting and clever plot, a great chemistry between Michael Caine and Sean Connery, its funny, its sad, its exciting, its touching...
So why do you get the feeling that it doesnt quite work? I think the problem is that it doesnt quite know what it wants to be, either an action comedy romp (Butch and Sundance go to India, as one reviewer on here described it), or a serious and quite dark psychological exploration of the idea of suddenly acheiving absolute power. It falls between two stools, and as a result is not as good as it could have been if they had taken one treatment or the other to its full extent. What we are left with feels like the mutant offspring of Heart of Darkness and It Aint 'Alf Hot, Mum (a British comedy tv show set in India). If you liked the darker side of this, I suggest you read Heart of Darkness, and if you prefered the action, Butch Cassidy or The Sting would be a good choice. Caine and Connery clearly had a great time making this film, its just a pity the viewers cant quite share it. Still, it looks wonderful.
6.5/10