Rorke's Drift... now I know.

Rating: 8/10 (9 March 2020)

I was brought up in an English village that borders army land and is home to army barracks; one of the roads in the village is named Rorkes Drift, which I knew had a connection with the armed forces, but I was never sure quite what that was (military history is not my forte). Zulu, a tale of heroism and bravery in the face of great adversity, has cleared up the matter for me - it was named after the mission station defended by 150 or so British soldiers when several thousand Zulu warriors launched a series of attacks.
As directed by Cy Endfield, working from a screenplay by John Prebble, this is a fairly faithful and hugely entertaining recreation of the events that unfolded in 1879, when Lt. John Chard R. E. (Stanley Baker) successfully commanded his brave men against seemingly insurmountable odds. Endfield expertly builds the tension, as the men of Welsh 24th Regiment of Foot wait for the enemy to attack; the sound of 4000 Zulus marching, singing and bashing their shields in unison is truly frightening, and would have had me heading over the hills as quick as my legs could carry me, but these men hold fast, even though they are vastly outnumbered.
It's hard to believe that so few men could repel such relentless savage assaults, but history tells us otherwise, making this film a powerful piece of cinema that illustrates the indomitable spirit of man. When the chips are down, the British rise to the occasion with a rousing rendition of Men of Harlech that more than equals the Zulus chanting, before picking up their rifles for yet more bloody action. By the time that the remaining Zulu warriors gather on the hill crest to honour the bravery of the opposition, you'll feel emotionally drained yet ebullient, astounded by the courage and tenacity that you have witnessed.
The battles are spectacular and violent, Endfield making great use of his widescreen format and massive cast of extras; the bodies literally pile up as the Zulus swarm over the barricades to be met with a hail of bullets and the pointy bit on the end of the gun (one of my favourite directors, Paul Verhoeven would draw inspiration from this film's onslaught for the Klandathu bug attacks in Starship Troopers). Baker puts in a suitably strong performance as Chard, but it is Michael Caine, in one of his earliest big screen roles as plummy Lt. Gonville Bromhead, who steals the show, becoming an A-list star in the process. Also impressing are James Booth as unlikely hero Pvt. Henry Hook, Nigel Green as Colour-Sergeant Bourne, and Patrick Magee as Surgeon Reynolds, who patches up the men as the fighting rages outside.
I admit that I've never been a massive fan of the war genre, but there are certain movies that demand one's attention; Zulu is definitely one such film. 8/10.