SEAN CONNERY

                                                           Part 2

Here are five more good movies starring the late great Sean Connery. 

Connery convincingly plays the renegade Berber chieftain Raisuli in the adventurous The Wind And The Lion (1975). Britain, Germany and France are all trying to get a piece of 1904 Morocco. Raisuli kidnaps Eden Pedecaris and her two children in an effort to force out the corrupt Sultan (don’t ask). There’s a botched exchange of the kidnap victims and Raisuli is betrayed by a confederate. President Theodore Roosevelt gets into the game and winds up admiring the Berber. Based on a true incident? Uh, no. 

The Man Who Would Be King (1975) is based on a Kipling adventure story. Sean Connery plays Danny Dravot. He and companion soldier Peachy Carnehan (Michael Caine) trek to faraway Kafiristan where they help the natives with modern weapons and tactics to defeat their enemies. When an arrow hits Danny but is stopped by his leather bandolier the natives then think he is a god and make him their king. He loves the adulation, and wants to meet Queen Victoria as an equal ruler. 

A Bridge Too Far (1977) is a film too long. Good lord, what a cast: Sean Connery, James Caan, Michael Caine, Edward Fox, Dirk Bogarde, Elliot Gould, Gene Hackman, Anthony Hopkins, Laurence Olivier, Robert Redford, etc, etc. And that is the problem. Too many names, all of whom have to have screen time. The story of an allied attempt to land paratroopers behind German lines and secure needed bridges is a good one. Just 4 minutes short of three hours, it’s pretty good if you have a comfortable chair. Sean Connery is quite good as British Major General Urquart. 

The Great Train Robbery (1978) is the best of several films about an amazing and complicated heist. Sean Connery is gentleman thief Edward Pierce. He recruits a specialized gang to rob a large and heavily guarded gold shipment. Every time there’s a hump to get over, the gang seems to rise to the occasion. The ending is quite good and this is a fun movie. Author Michael Crichton adapted the screenplay from his novel and also directs. 

Sean Connery’s only Oscar (for Best Supporting Actor) came from The Untouchables (1987) in which he plays Jim Malone, part of a police squad gathered by Elliot Ness (Kevin Costner). Their principal task is to take down mobster kingpin Al Capone. Their moniker comes from the fact they are immune from the corruption surrounding law enforcement in Chicago. Unable to pin any of Capone’s more violent crimes on him, they go after his tax returns and discover a way to get to him. The way forward is not easy, and many of the incorruptible group are killed. There’s plenty of action and a neat ending. 

All of the movies in this article are available on DVD. All are for grown-ups. Next time, the third and final installment about Sean Connery films.