Gratuitous Llama Netflix Movie Review

The Last Valley (1970)

I tossed this flick into the queue just on an impulse, and I must say that I'm very glad I did. Omar Sharif plays a teacher running for his life during the Thirty Years' War. Dodging brigands, starvation and plague, he stumbles into a remote valley so far untouched by the war. However, shortly after he gets there, he is set upon by a band of mercenaries under the captainship of Michael Caine. Sharif manages to talk himself out of immediate butchery and the tiny village in the valley from being put to the sword and flame. The balance of the film is about the multi-cornered political tug of war among the peasants, the soldiers, the local Priest and the local rich man.

The film was made in 1970, so is pretty heavy-handed in its anti-war sentiments. And because the Thirty Years War (in which Europe beat the bejaysus out of itself) was also a religious war, it gets to toss in a lot of gratuitous anti-God talk as well. Sharif, as the Sensible Man at the center of the socio-political maestrom, gets to spend a lot of time muttering things like, "Vat madness ees dis?" Nonetheless, the plot is intriguing, the dialogue intelligent and the action well worth watching.

But the two things that make the film really worthy are the scenery and Michael Caine. The film was shot on location somewhere in Germany in a perfectly gorgeous little valley, and the cinematography makes full use of the setting.

As for Caine, every time I see him in something new, I feel I haven't sufficiently appreciated his talent heretofore. Here, he is cool, calculating and commanding, even when speaking with a high, somewhat hit-or-miss German accent. Aaaaand he has the satisfaction of shtunking Brian Blessed - of I, Claudius fame and here decked out in a near Road Warrior-style outfit - right in the guts mit der shpike of his helmet.

All in all, if you like historickal drama (and who doesn't?) well acted, I would say that you should give this film a try.

Robbo's Recommendation: Four Yips! out of five.