Il grande safari

"Rampage" is definitely one of Robert Mitchum's lesser-known films. It is about two hunters to work together to bring back big cats for a German zoo. But there is tension between them, as Otto (Jack Hawkins) is big in killing animals to prove his virility and Harry is a trapper with no interest in killing (Robert Mitchum). The Freudian aspect of this is that Otto uses his gun to prove his manliness....as his wife (Elsa Martinelli) and her carnal needs apparently cannot be satisfied by him. Not surprisingly, the two men are going to butt heads...over killing animals and over the wife.

There's a subplot involving a leopard called 'The Enchantress'. But it's so stupid and nonsensical that I won't even bother discussing it further!

The film looks nice...with Hawaii substituting for location shooting in Malaysia. The actors are also good. But the story itself is a bit silly and dull at times....and the dialog a bit ridiculous. So it's pretty obvious why the movie isn't well known compared to other Mitchum films. Not terrible...but also pretty silly and boring, which is odd since it's about trapping big cats! It's also a bit sad to see some of the natives are played by white actors (such as the Malayan chief, played by German actor Stefan Schnabel). All in all, watchable but you could easily do a lot better.

By the way, sadly, this was Sabu's penultimate film. He died at age 39 of a heart attack after making one more film, "A Tiger Walks".