Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		4.5
Audio		5.0
Extras		3.0
Overall		4.0

Dark of the Sun Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov April 21, 2023

Jack Cardiff's "Dark of the Sun" (1968) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Warner Archive. The supplemental features on the release include exclusive new audio commentary recorded by critics Larry Karaszewski, Josh Olson, Brian Saur, and Elric D. Kane, as well as vintage trailer for the film. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-Free.

In a relatively safe area of war-torn Congo, the country’s leader (Calvin Lockhart) and a representative of a big Belgian diamond company offer veteran mercenaries Curry (Rod Taylor) and Ruffo (Jim Brown) a deal. If they recover $50 million in uncut diamonds from an area partially under the control of the Simbas and other local rebels, they will be rewarded with bonuses that would allow them to retire in style. They will have three days to do the job. Curry, the more experienced of the two, agrees to do the job for the money. Ruffo accepts because he is originally from Congo and wants to see his homeland become peaceful and prosperous again. If the uncut diamonds end up with the right people, perhaps they could speed up Congo’s recovery.

Shortly after, Curry and Ruffo assemble a team of soldiers, mechanics, a doctor, and a couple of machinists that can operate the train they will use to reach their destination. After final instructions are given, the entire team gets on the train and the dangerous journey begins.

Directed by Jack Cardiff in 1968, Dark of the Sun (a.k.a. The Mercenaries) is an old-fashioned action-adventure film that does just about everything right to entertain a mature audience with particular expectations. This a very important detail to keep in mind when evaluating Dark of the Sun -- it is not the type of action-adventure film that would have been promoted to everyone, but an old-fashioned macho film for adults.

The original material for Dark of the Sun came from a very good novel written by Wilbur A. Smith that takes the politics behind the bloody conflict in Congo quite seriously. While there are some scattered descriptions of the clashing sides and the presence of UN forces in the area, Cardiff effectively avoids the politics and focuses on the action. However, once the mercenaries begin fighting for their lives, the personal drama becomes a very good litmus test for the different antagonistic forces and business and political interests that have collapsed Congo.

A modern audience will almost certainly be surprised by the nature of the violence that is depicted in Dark of the Sun. While it is not comparable to that witnessed in more recent similarly themed films like Johnny Mad Dog (2008) and Beasts of No Nation (2015), it is pretty hard-hitting. Also, several episodes ooze that very unsettling destructive raw energy that is practically everywhere in Johnny Mad Dog and Beasts of No Nation. This is why Dark of the Sun is not a conventional late 1960s action-adventure film -- it goes pretty far, perhaps as far as a film of this caliber could have at the time.

What makes it impossible to describe Dark of the Sun as a timeless masterpiece is the inability of the supporting actors to match the quality work of the leads. Taylor and Brown are very good together but there is enough important material where they are absent that makes the disparity quite obvious. Peter Carsten’s performance is particularly disappointing because instead of introducing a believable replica of a repulsive Nazi commander delivers a laughably poor cinematic cliché. Sadly, the beautiful Yvette Mimieux looks quite unconvincing as well.

But Cardiff was a remarkable stylist and the visual brilliance of Dark of the Sun more than makes up for the few unconvincing characterizations. Once the train begins moving, Cardiff’s camera produces many striking period visuals that one could easily argue are representative of his very best work. His director of photography was Edward Scaife (The Dirty Dozen).

*This Blu-ray release of Dark of the Sun, produced by Warner Archive, introduces a 2K restoration of the film that was completed in 2018.

Dark of the Sun Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in an aspect ratio of 2.35:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Dark of the Sun arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Warner Archive.

The release is sourced from a recent, very good 2K master. However, there are plenty of prominent density fluctuations that affect delineation, clarity, and depth. The original cinematography produces virtually all of them, but there are certain areas where it is easy to tell that time has left its mark as well. I doubt that Dark of the Sun will ever be treated with a big 4K makeover so this will almost certainly be the definitive presentation of the film, but with enough money and time some of these areas can be made to look a little better. Color balance is excellent. However, this is hardly surprising because the folks at Warner Archive always do a spectacular job of reproducing the original theatrical color values of a film when it is restored in 2K or 4K. Here the primaries and supporting nuances look fantastic, though they are some very small stability issues in some of the areas I mentioned above. There are no traces of problematic digital corrections. The overall dynamic range of the visuals is very good, though this is the only other area where some minor improvement can be made. All in all, this release offers a very strong and convincing organic presentation of Dark of the Sun. (Note: This is a Region-Free Blu-ray release. Therefore, you will be able to play it on your player regardless of your geographical location).

Dark of the Sun Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There is only one standard audio track on this Blu-ray release: English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0. Optional Engish SDH subtitles are provided for the main feature. When turned on, they appear inside the image frame.

All exchanges are clear and very easy to follow. If there were any serious age-related anomalies before, it is impossible to tell now. Dynamic intensity is good too, though you need to keep in mind that the film's original sound design is not easy to compare to those of modern action films. I did not encounter any encoding anomalies to report in our review.

Dark of the Sun Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Commentary - this exclusive new audio commentary was recorded by Larry Karaszewski (Trailers From Hell), Josh Olson, Brian Saur, and Elric D. Kane. These gentlemen are very big fans of Dark of the Sun and have nothing but great things to say about it. THere are some particularly good observations about the attitude and style of the film which have transformed it into a cult classic. Also, there is quite a bit of good information about the careers of Jack Cardiff and the various stars that worked with him.

• Trailer - presented here is a remastered vintage U.S. trailer for Dark of the Sun. In English, not subtitled. (3 min).

Dark of the Sun Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

If Jack Cardiff had attempted to make Dark of the Sun a little more macho, he almost certainly would have gotten in trouble because this film goes as far as it could have without evolving into a risky exploitation project. While I do not think that some of the supporting actors are as good as Rod Taylor and Jim Brown, the action is superb and the visuals are often breathtaking. Dark of the Sun can make a pretty good double bill with Johnny Mad Dog or Beasts of No Nation, but I do not think that they should be considered distant relatives of it. This release from Warner Archive is sourced from a predictably wonderful recent 2K master. It is Region-Free. HIGHLY RECOMMEDED.