Breakinger A Brilliant Conflict

Roy Hart If you're interested in the topic at hand, you should just watch it and judge yourself because the reviews have gone very biased by people that didn't even watch it and just hate (or love) the creator. I liked it, it was well written, narrated, and directed and it was about a topic that interests me.

Payno I think this is a new genre that they're all sort of working their way through it and haven't got all the kinks worked out yet but it's a genre that works for me.

Phillipa Strong acting helps the film overcome an uncertain premise and create characters that hold our attention absolutely.

Desertman84 King Solomon's Mines is a two-part TV miniseries that features the late Patrick Swayze as Allan Quartermain (not Quatermain as in the credits) together with Alison Doody. It is the fifth film adaptation of the 1885 novel of the same title by Henry Rider Haggard.In it,Elizabeth Maitland seeks the services of American safari hunter Allan Quartermain to locate her father,Sam whom apparently was kidnapped by the Kukuanas as he has drawn near to the location of the legendary mines.The Russian Tsar was funding Sam to locate it and then he send his people to put away Quartermain and his men.Patrick Swayze did a marvelous performance as Allan Quartermain.He definitely was great in it.Despite the fact that it definitely isn't the best film adaptation of Haggard's novel,it manages to be enjoyable and entertaining with his performance alone.

ma-cortes This new agreeable version from H. Rider Haggard adventures follows again Allan Quatermain (one of the members of the League of Extraordinary Gentlemen) played by an old-looking Patrick Swayze . He is leading a safari in search of legendary diamond mines and save the damsel's father (John Standing) . He is accompanied by a gorgeous woman (Alison Doody) and a captain (Roy Mardsen) , among others . They are pursued by Russian soldiers and must confront natives , wildlife and several dangers and risks until they find the King Salomon's mines .This overlong television picture displays exciting action , numerous shoot-outs , extraordinary adventures and outlandish cliffhanger situations abound . Patrick Swayze (unforgettable in Dirty dancing) as Quatermain is wooden , Stewart Granger in the classic of the 50s (directed by Compton Bennett and Andrew Marton with Debora Kerr) is incredibly missed . Alison Doody as his mate and lover is better than Patrick . After filming ¨Indiana Jones and the last crusade¨ roller-coaster which made her a successful star , Doody played a few more films and did some publicity but in 1994 she retired and went back to Ireland where she married a magnate . Alison finally came out of retirement since she realized how much she missed acting though she never regretted quitting movies to take care of her family and after divorce she has decided to give another chance to her acting career and is slowly coming back to performance and shooting this remake . Other versions of this known story are the followings : directed by Robert Stevenson (1937, in which the main role was performed by the singer Paul Robeson) , Kurt Neumann (titled Watusi with George Montgomery and David Farrar) and J.Lee Thompson (with Richard Chamberlain and Sharon Stone) . The film was well produced by Larry Levinson and Robert Halmi , famous producers of big budget television movies based on historic events or remakes . The motion picture was professionally directed by Steve Boyum (Time cop II).

Robert W. I like Patrick Swayze, I've liked him since his early days when he was on top of Hollywood with the incredible Ghost, RoadHouse, Dirty Dancing, and Point Break. He really was a star and proved he could act too with his incredible role (which should have been Academy Award Nominated) in To Wong Foo Thanks For Everything. His career then slid into oblivion and he hasn't had a comeback yet sadly but he's still around and I was more than anxious to check out King Solomon's mines and see him in action. There is nothing awful about this film, it's well done, well acted, the setting for the film is breathtaking (filmed on location in South Africa.) The film is filled with cultural information whether partly fictional or not it's well worth seeing for those interesting tribes and people. Swayze's Allan Quatermain is emotional, brooding, sad, tough, a real fighter and honest and the perfect good guy.I was just struck with how old Swayze looks in this film, worn and tired. I realize the man is well into his fifties but he's still Johnny Castle to me. King Solomon's Mines tries to be less action and more drama and adventure and it scores in that vein but there is so little action that the 3 plus hour movie drags so heavily. It might not have felt so long had I seen it on Television in different parts as a mini series but watching it all on DVD, it seemed to go on forever...walking, walking, more walking, searching, and so on and so forth. The whole story relied entirely on the characters and as good as they were they couldn't support the whole film without some different story lines. Leading lady Alison Doody does a good job playing the rather proper Miss Maitland while still being an adventurer of sorts. She seemed a lot tougher back in her Indiana Jones days but then the character was very different. Roy Marsden, Sidede Onyulo, Ian Roberts, all did a great job as supporting cast. They all had a very different characters and they all added to the story in their own ways. Hakeem Kae-Kazim as the evil king Twala was excellent but not nearly as well used as a great bad guy should be. His scenes were brief and I think he really could have been used in a much bigger way. One of the great characters in the film is the spooky witch of the tribe Gagool played by first timer Lesedi Mogoathle. Her role is disturbing and although she's not an evil character in the film but rather someone who really does look out for her tribe. Her make up and character is very cool!! I don't know if they simply signed on some of the local people to be in the film but they do a great job. Anyone looking for a rebirth of Indiana Jones in this film won't find it. It's a completely different genre and it's not entirely lacking action. There are some gun fights and some fist fights and an elaborate battle to the death in the end, but it's just sparse.The film has a very classic feel to it, it's a very family friendly, modest, clean film. I was struck by a very nostalgic feeling while watching the romance between Elizabeth Maitland and Allan Quatermain because director Steve Boyum really gave it that old Humphrey Bogart saves the girl kinda feel to it...a classic love story. Overall probably a good family film but most adults on their own will want more action out of it. It could have been much better done with a much director as Steve Boyum tends to strike out frequently. Come back SWAYZE!! 6/10

reblit King's Solomon's Mines brings us Patrick Swayze (playing Allan Quatermain)who has spent a lot of time in Africa, but decides it is time to return to England and be a father to his son. He finds that his wife's parents have taken custody of his son and that he has very little chance of getting custody of him with lots of money for a law suit. In comes Alison Deedy (playing Elizabeth) whose father is in Africa and being held by an African tribe for ransom of the map Elizabeth's father had sent her. Elizabeth seeks out Quatermain to take her back to Africa to find her father.There is a good cast of supporting characters that go along with Quatermain and Elizabeth and of course there are some enemies (Russians) who want the map also.The movie holds your attention until the end. Patrick once again plays a ruggedly handsome honorable man who comes to the rescue of the damsel in distress. Patrick is a great dramatic actor who can easily portray passion, loss and despair, the rugged silent good man, anger and strength; In King Solomon's Minds his character actually smiles a few times. I would really like to see Patrick Swayze in a relaxed live-loving story again, one in which he doesn't have to clench his jaws and be quite so strong. Maybe a little dancing would help. But this is a good movie for the entire family and worth the time to watch it.