March or Die

The Jerry Bruckheimer-produced March or Die (1977) is a decent enough French Foreign Legion adventure. Rousing battle scenes, excellent location work and a fine Gene Hackman performance struggle to balance a weak script and poorly-executed story.

A company of the French Foreign Legion, fresh from World War I, is dispatched to Morocco to guard an archaeological dig from Arab tribesmen. Its commander, Major Foster (Gene Hackman), is a battle-scarred American expatriate. He clashes with one of his new recruits, the charming, free-spirited jewel thief Marco (Terence Hill). With the vicious tribesman El Krim (Ian Holm) bearing down his men, Foster would just as soon abandon the dig, but arrogant archaeologist Marneau (Max Von Sydow) has the backing of the French government, provoking a showdown with the Arabs.

1975 saw the twin successes of The Wind and the Lion and The Man Who Would Be King, two excellent films which proved that old-fashioned adventure movies still had a place in the era of Jaws and Star Wars. Coming two years later, March or Die was in the same spirit. No amount of computer wizardry or mind-boggling space creatures could replace the thrill of larger-than-life period heroes in period dress, facing off against hordes of fuzzy-wuzzies, cracking wise and getting the girl. These films are politically incorrect, but usually fun, and have a charm that films like Avatar can only aspire to.

Everything is in place for a rousing adventure: the French Foreign Legion, a colorful ensemble cast, exotic locales, armies of marauding Arabs. March or Die, however, is largely indifferent in execution. Dick Richards’s direction is serviceable, with lots of nice Moroccan vistas, but the plot moves in fits and starts, never achieving momentum or generating much interest. We get a good sense of the mundanity of Legionnaire life, but this comes at the expense of story and character.

The story is cobbled together from several interesting ideas, none fully realized. Foster is an intriguing character, but his conflict with Marco is pretty rote. A colorful cross-section of troopers – German POWs, a young English adventurer (Paul Sherman), a hulking Tsarist bodyguard (Jack O’Hollaran) – spends most of the film as extras; only Andre Penvern’s (Inglourious Basterds) tragic musician makes an impression. Argument about the value of an artifact against human life is cribbed from The Train, and a brief discussion of imperialism goes nowhere. A romantic subplot with Catherine Denevue (Belle du Jour) is awkwardly shoe-horned in, and dropped as soon as is convenient. None of this amounts to anything substantial.

It must be conceded, however, that the final battle is brilliant. After an hour and a half of build-up, Richards throws out all the stops, giving our heavily-outnumbered heroes a chance to kick some Moroccan ass. Cannons fire, machine guns blaze, bayonets cross with scimitars, hundreds of extras meet their makers, and what came before is forgiven. It’s truly one of the best battle scenes ever, and is alone worth the price of a rental.

Gene Hackman anchors the film. Foster remains a wonderfully ambiguous character and Hackman does well balancing his inner torment and pompous posturing. Terence Hill (My Name is Nobody) is fine in a weak role, mostly having to smile mischievously and perform some impressive acrobatics. Of the supporting cast, the standout is the fearsome Ian Holm (Lord of the Rings), who is no more ridiculous a Moroccan than Sean Connery’s Raisuli.

March or Die isn’t a bad throwback to the days of Beau Geste and The Four Feathers, but neither is it a masterpiece. It’s the perfect lazy Saturday afternoon movie: relax, tune out during the main plot, enjoy the big battle at the end, then go out to dinner with friends or family.