Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		4.0
Audio		4.5
Extras		2.5
Overall		3.0

Wild Geese II Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov July 17, 2021

Peter Hunt's "Wild Geese II" (1985) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Kino Lorber. The supplemental features on the disc include exclusive new video interview with actress Barbara Carrera; new audio commentary by critics Steve Mitchell and Howard S. Berger; and vintage trailer for the film. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-A "locked".

The professional

I am unfamiliar with Daniel Carney’s book The Square Circle, but if Peter Hunt’s film Wild Geese II accurately recreates events that are chronicled in it, it should not be taken seriously. Indeed, any book speculating that a group of mercenaries could have figured out how to enter Spandau Prison in West Berlin and then walk out of it with one of its top prisoners is essentially selling a big exotic adventure of the kind that Alistair MacLean’s mind loved to invent. This isn’t how the spy game was played during the Cold War era, folks. West and East Berlin, Vienna, Prague, and Budapest were deadly playgrounds that did not tolerate heroes like the ones you would see in Wild Geese II. In these cities, the riskiest jobs were done by seasoned moles that acted alone and usually stayed in the shadows.

Hunt’s film opens up with a short prologue that highlights events from Andrew V. McLaglen’s film, but the original characters are permanently discarded. Leading the new pack is John Haddad (Scott Glenn), a seasoned pro, who agrees to enter Spandau Prison, kidnap an aging and very sick Rudolph Hess, (Laurence Olivier) and then transfer him to the CIA so that his secrets are used to right all kinds of different wrongs. But Hess is wanted by the KGB and MI5 as well, so once Haddad’s mission is officially greenlighted, other top players launch counter missions to get the precious target either on behalf of the competing spy agencies or for other parties with ambitious geopolitical agendas. In the ensuing chaos, Haddad realizes that he can trust only his old pal Alex Faulkner (Edward Fox) and the beautiful American operative Kathy Lucas (Barbara Carrera).

Wild Geese II bombed at the box office primarily because it failed to meet a whole range of lofty expectations. For example, most mainstream critics expected a serious Cold War espionage thriller with strong, award-winning performances. Among moviegoers expectations were high as well, though there plenty of folks who thought that Hunt had been working on a big-budget spy extravaganza that would have imitated the style of his James Bond film On Her Majesty's Secret Service. So, when the fist reviews came out, the general consensus was that Hunt had somehow managed to disappoint both camps for completely different reasons.

The truth is that Hunt did underperform, but contrary to the popular opinion it was not because he had delivered an unwatchable dud. Indeed, virtually all of the serious troubles in Wild Geese II can be traced back to Reginald Rose’s mediocre screenplay, which is so busy and oddly inconsistent that it is actually unsuitable for a proper Cold War thriller or spy extravaganza. On top of this, Hunt also worked with a large cast of stars that were no longer in their prime and reportedly not particularly interested in helping him deliver a solid film. In other words, instead of committing to do a great film, Hunt went to work to shoot a film that did not disappoint.

You don’t have to look long and hard to conclude that Wild Geese II is precisely that kind of a patched-up project. Different parts of it actually have the right period ambience and look quite impressive because Hunt and his team shot on locations that are outstanding. However, many key developments are either rushed or prolonged in ways that essentially work against the pursued period authenticity. This is an undisputable flaw and one that sadly keeps reoccurring until the very end.

It also needs to be said that Olivier should have never been asked to contribute. His cognitive decline is so obvious that it is painful to watch him struggle before Hunt’s camera.

Wild Geese II Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in its original aspect ratio of 1.85:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Wild Geese II arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Kino Lorber.

The film looked very nice on my system. There are were some small yet obvious density fluctuations that revealed the age of the current master, but overall the visuals had a very pleasing organic appearance. Delineation and depth, for instance, range from good to very good, though in darker areas it is easy to tell that some of the blacks become too prominent and produce light crushing. (See the footage with the post-game celebrations). There are no traces of problematic degraining corrections. Density levels can be better, but as you can tell from the screencaptures we have provided with our review they are already quite nice. Colors are stable and natural. I think that saturation levels on the primaries and supporting nuances are very good, but there is certainly room for small improvements. While not ideal, balance was satisfying as well. Image stability is very good. There are no large debris, cuts, damage marks, spots, warped or torn frames to report in our review. (Note: This is a Region-A "locked" Blu-ray release. Therefore, you must have a native Region-A or Region-Free player in order to access its content).

Wild Geese II 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 English SDH subtitles are provided for the main feature.

The audio is clear, stable, and nicely balanced. The dialog is very easy to follow. Roy Budd's score is surprisingly effective as well. In fact, it is one of the real treats in what is essentially a film with numerous flaws. There are no audio dropouts, pops, or background distortions to report in our review.

Wild Geese II Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• The Square Circle - in this new video interview, Barbara Carrera remembers how she became involved with Wild Geese II, her desire to work with Richard Burton, Laurence Olivier's arrival, and Peter Hunt's directing methods. In English, not subtitled. (7 min).

• Trailer - a vintage trailer for Wild Geese II. In English, not subtitled. (3 min).

• Commentary - exclusive new audio commentary recorded by critics Steve Mitchell and Howard S. Berger.

Wild Geese II Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Wild Geese II offers the type of exotic entertainment you will discover in the various cinematic adaptations of Alistair MacLean's novels. Plenty of folks believe that it is a genuine dud, but I disagree. It is a flawed film, for sure, but it has a nice period ambience and some decent action. I really, really like the orchestral score Roy Budd created for it as well. Kino Lorber's release is sourced from a nice organic master that was supplied by MGM. RECOMMENDED.