Ashanti (1979)

Directed by: Richard Fleischer | 110 minutes | action, drama, thriller, adventure | Actors: Michael Caine, Peter Ustinov, Kabir Bedi, Beverly Johnson, Omar Sharif, Rex Harrison, William Holden, Zia Mohyeddin, Winston Ntshona, Tariq Yunus, Tyrone Jackson, Akosua Busia, Jean-Luc Bideau, Olu Jacobs, Johnny Sekka, Marne Maitland, Eric Pohlmann, Harry Aaten, Jack Cohen, Jay Koller, Enzo Patti, Ori Levy

‘In the first instance I choose the best roles. If those don’t come, I’ll pick mediocre roles. If they don’t come either, choose roles with which I can pay my bills.’ Michael Caine has never made a secret of the fact that he is a bread and butter actor. The adventurous thriller ‘Ashanti’ (1979) even calls the sympathetic Brit one of the worst films he ever starred in. He only worked on it for the money. There’s a good chance that this also applies to the other great actors who committed themselves to this project. Because in addition to Caine, Rex Harrison, William Holden, Omar Sharif and Peter Ustinov can also be seen. The theme of ‘Ashanti’ is slave trade. David Linderby (Caine) and his African wife Anansa (Beverly Johnson) are doctors working in Ghana on behalf of the United Nations. When Anansa takes a dip in a lake, she is kidnapped by the Arab slave driver Suleiman (Peter Ustinov) and his entourage. It’s up to David to rescue his wife from the hands of vile merchants.

He gets the help of British anti-slave trade lobbyist Brian Walker (Rex Harrison) and American mercenary and helicopter pilot Jim Sandell (William Holden). Ultimately, it is the mysterious Malik (Bollywood star Kadir Bedi), eager to take revenge on Suleiman, who puts him on the right track. David and he must speed up their journey across Africa; Suleiman is about to sell the beautiful but rebellious Anansa to the Arab prince Hassan (Omar Sharif).

The setup of ‘Ashanti’ is promising. Of course the cast is full of big names, but nothing has been spared on the locations either. Shoots were made in Kenya, the Sahara, Israel and Sicily, among others, resulting in lush images. The beautiful camera work and decent to good acting, however, does not save the film. The biggest flaw in ‘Ashanti’ is the wafer-thin script – based on a novella by Alberto Vázquez Figueroa – that is stretched too long. In the meantime, director Richard Fleischer and actress Beverly Johnson were fired and it shows: the character Anansa disappears into the background and the film loses its focus. Let that be lethal for a film that already does not score highly. Caine plays too flat, Ustinov makes Suleiman a grotesque appearance and the contributions from Sharif, Holden and Harrison are marginal. The only one who really knows how to captivate and draw the film to itself is Bedi, as the Bedouin with the mysterious glance. However, he does not save the film. The story is messy and here and there incoherent, the tension is lacking and you simply expect more from a cast with such great guys.

‘Ashanti’ – after the tribe to which Anansa belongs – looks attractive with its beautiful and authentic Sahara statues, but appearances are deceiving. This adventurous thriller has remarkably little going for it. On paper, the cast is one to die for, but it turns out to be nothing more than a mirage. Michael Caine himself will be the last to recommend this unmemorable chapter of his long career to his fans.