Mercenaries return to spring Hess

Press, 4 July 1985, Page 18

Mercenaries return to spring Hess

The legendary Wild Geese mercenary group, which has already had one film made about its exploits in Africa, returns again in the adven-ture-drama, “Wild Geese II” — this time to spring the Nazi war criminal, Rudolf Hess, from Spandau prison. The action in “Wild Geese II,” which will start tomorrow at the Westend, has its genesis in the determination of a TV mogul (Robert Webber) to release Hess (Laurence Olivier) from life imprisonment and scoop a story that will “make Watergate look like kids stuff.” His London station chief, Michael Lukas (John Terry), is given the job of masterminding the coup regardless of cost, and Lukas and his sister, Kathy (Barbara Carrera), the network’s top reporter in Europe, set out to hire one of the legendary Faulkner brothers to do the kidnapping. The Faulkners are the mercenaries of legend — adept at building armies, pulling off coups and generally changing the shape of the emergent nations of the Third World. They have always been considered the best in the business, the most daring and the most expensive, but now Allen Faulkner — the role created six years ago

by the late Richard Burton in “The Wild Geese” — has been killed in Africa, and his younger brother, Alex (Edward Fox), who was wounded in the same action, declares himself to be past his prime for this sort of action. Not even the exorbitant sum offered by Lukas can tempt Faulkner. It would take an army to get Hess out of Spandau and then he would still be in Berlin, right in the middle of East Germany. It would start a war. If Allen were alive, he would agree. Maybe when they were both “younger and crazier.” That phrase brings a name to mind. There is just such a mercenary operating — John Haddad (Scott Glenn), an American raised in the Lebanon. For a finder’s fee, Faulkner agrees to locate him and Haddad — after a

thorough reconnaissance — decides there is an outside chance of success, if he has Faulkner to watch his back, unlimited expenses and the promise of an outsize fee. Haddad’s terms are ac-

cepted, Kathy goes along to make sure they earn their money and, like countless mercenaries before them — right back to the original Wild Geese Irish soldiers who fled their starving

homeland to serve in « foreign wars and . provide ; for their families — Haddad’' and Faulkner are launched ’ forth on a new chapter in J their life of drama, action, - spectacle and excitement. ;

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