old fashion war movie

Rating: 6/10 (18 January 2016)

It's 1879. A column of troops consisting of 1800 British and 400 natives are wiped out by the Zulus at the Battle of Isandlwana. Swedish missionaries Otto Witt and his daughter Margareta are sitting with Zulu King Cetewayo when he's informed of the victory. They set off to the mission station at Rorke's Drift to warn them and take away the wounded from the hospital. Lieutenants Chard (Stanley Baker) and Bromhead (Michael Caine) don't agree on much. Engineer Chard assumes the command based on a few extra months of enlistment. Soon they have to face an overwhelming Zulu force.
This is a rip-roaring old fashion war movie notable for Michael Caine before his international fame. People die slowly in overly-dramatic ways. The British overcome waves of Zulu attacks. Surprisingly, it's not one-sided and plenty of British get killed. There are lots of action. For me, the main problem is the character Otto Witt. The movie makes him to be a drunken pacifist. I get that they want to build drama with the wounded. They don't need to make him a drunkard so as to demean his position. It's a last hooray for the empire but it's got a few false moments.