Dynamixor The performances transcend the film's tropes, grounding it in characters that feel more complete than this subgenre often produces.

CrawlerChunky In truth, there is barely enough story here to make a film.

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.

Bessie Smyth Great story, amazing characters, superb action, enthralling cinematography. Yes, this is something I am glad I spent money on.

Leofwine_draca A nice character-driven vehicle for Richard Attenborough, GUNS AT BATASI is a working example of the British army in its dying days of world domination. It's a warts and all portrayal of a forgotten breed of men who had words like courage, honour, and duty sewn into their uniforms and would sooner die than bring dishonour to their hallowed institution.This is basically a low budget character vehicle for an on-fire Attenborough, barely recognisable behind the facial hair. Attenborough plays an old-fashioned officer working in Africa whose outdated methods are a source of amusement for his men. However, when local political turmoil sees an attempted coup against his allies, he must spring into action, at which point his men discover that sometimes, the old ways are still the best.There's very little to dislike about GUNS AT BATASI, a delightfully old-fashioned and almost anachronistic little wartime thriller. I wonder what audiences would have made of its deliberately backward-looking ways in the progressive sixties? The sun-drenched locations ably bring Africa to life, even though the lack of budget means that this is a set-based story, and there are enough character actors around like Percy Herbert, Jack Hawkins, Flora Robson, and David Lodge to do justice to the material.

MattyGibbs A British army base in Africa encounters a coup against the African commandant and has to use his experience to help his men through it. On the face of it, it doesn't sound particularly riveting and I hadn't heard of this film before chancing upon it and therefore had very few expectations. Guns at Batasi although essentially a war film has very few fight scenes and is more a character driven drama. The film is easy to follow and never less than entertaining. The dialogue and speeches are superb, there is some good humour and some tense scenes as the film progresses. What really elevates this film above other films of it's genre is the outstanding cast. Richard Attenborough is outstanding as the Sgt Major and he is given fine support from Flora Robson ( as an MP) Jack Hawkins as the Colonel and Errol John as the Lieutenant Boniface the face of the Coup. It also features a very young and an attractive looking Mia Farrow in a rather superfluous love subplot. This is a well made and highly enjoyable film that is recommended for fans of old war films.

thinker1691 Africa is no stranger to revolutions. There, few countries can boost of a lasting stable government. This film called " Guns at Batasi " is based on the novel written by Robert Holles called 'The Siege at Battersea. ' Although the country in turmoil is never mentioned by name, it resembles the Country of Keneya. There, in a military compound call Batasi, an British Outpost is surrounded and taken hostage by Rebels, enclosing a group of British Sargents who must surrender to the New Government. It's up to their Royal Sargent major to maintain order and defend the hostages until proper authorities send written orders to them. Sir Richard Attenborough plays Regimental Sgt. Major Lauderdale who is in charge of discipline to one and all. His tour De force is one of the best performances ever given. Jack Hawkins plays Colonel Deal the last of the out-going British authorities. John Leyton and Mia Farrow give a brief Stein as besieged lovers during the takeover. All in all, the movie is a great testimony to British Military life in the fading days of the British Empire. A Good English military movie and one which is exemplary of Richard Attenborough's work. Easily recommend. ****

robertguttman "Said England unto Pharaoh, "I must make a man of you, That will stand upon his feet and play the game; That will maxim his oppressor as a Christian ought to do," And she sent old Pharaoh Sergeant Whatisname"Rudyard Kipling wrote the above over a century ago, but no doubt it was what the author of "Guns at Batasi" had in mind when he created the remarkable character of Regimental Sergeant-Major Lauderdale.Set in the 1960s, at a time when Britain's former African colonies were in the process of achieving independence as members of the British Commonwealth, "Guns at Batasi" is the story of how the members of the sergeant's mess deal with a combination of simultaneous crises. Along with the visit of a British female MP (Dame Flora Robson playing a sort of Labor Party version of Margaret Thatcher), comes the eruption of a coup d'etat staged by the native officers and troops, followed by the arrival of a native officer wounded by the rebels. In charge of dealing with the situation is Regimental Sergeant-Major Lauderdale, the ultimate British Senior N.C.O., played to perfection by the great Richard Attenborough.And deal with it he does! While "Guns at Batasi" is a great story, as in the case of most of the great British films, it is character rather than action that prevails here. In R.S.M. Lauderdale, Richard Attenborough may well have created the finest performance of his illustrious career. If you haven't heard of this great but little-known movie, give it a chance. The story and the characters will grab you!