Africa Express

Africa Express is a lowbrow comedy made by the Italians, shot in Africa, and badly dubbed into English. It stars western actor Giuliano Gemma playing an adventurer trying to make some cash. He hooks up with Bond girl Ursula Andress as the pair elude a sinister big game hunter, played by the reliably entertaining Jack Palance. The film is an episodic adventure with all of the usual - i.e. clichéd - situations involving local natives and local wildlife. I found it all pretty dumb, if I'm honest, with little in the way of wit or insight to entertain. Gemma tries hard to charm but feels a bit lightweight while Andress is there as a clothes horse alone. Only Palance entertains in his small role. This is one of those films you sit through for the sake of the actors but get little from overall. Interestingly, Gemma's companion in this film is a chimpanzee, so this might have influenced the famous Eastwood pic EVERY WHICH WAY BUT LOOSE.

After four decades from its birth, only the actors can be interesting in the case of this very easy comedy. And, sure, the chimpanzee . The humor is naive, the manicheic story is at its place, Ursula Andres s remains seductive scene by scene , Giuliano Gemma makes what he knows so well and Jack Palance is the bad guy who you know from so many other films of genre. And , sure, the crumbs of Africa are good support for a kind of nostalgia about adventures on this continent. The result is just charming and that is just the most important thing.

Guiliano Gemma drives a kind of mobile Lidl around Africa with the help of a chimpanzee and gets into all sorts of scrapes and jolly japes. This seems to be kid-orientated film so don't go expecting Ursula or Jack Palance to strip off and even though this is an Italian film no one slaughters any animals. At least in the bits I was paying attention to. Gemma is a happy-go-lucky guy who just wants to make enough money to by a gas station in Detroit and perhaps bugger his chimp on a lazy afternoon, but this ideal lifestyle is shattered when he rescues what looks to be a helpless sexy nun who gets Guiliano's head a-spinning. Jack Palance is the bad guy who is exporting ivory and generally being a jerk to everyone, with his sidekick Romano Puppo providing the muscle. He's also after Ursula for some reason and keeps knocking Gemma's hat off, the cad! This is basically a light-hearted comedy with plenty of slapstick. Not bad for an afternoon's viewing for sad adults like me, but obviously aimed at annoying little brats like my kids.

Several of the locals were used in bit parts in the film. One of these locals was Fanie Pretorius, who was a top hunter in the 70's. He is now retired, but remains something of a legend in the Victoria Falls region (more so for his knowledge of the African bush than his role in the movie). In the film, he does a scene with Ursula Andress and plays (co-incidentally) a hunter. He even had a few lines of dialogue! Definitely a great film that captures the essence of Africa in the 70's.

Although the three leads are well-cast (Giuliano Gemma as the good-hearted hero who is also good with his fists, Ursula Andress as the supposed "nun" who is actually a spy on a mission, Jack Palance as the pipe-smoking villain), and Gemma's alternately helpful and troublemaking pet chimp is impressively trained, "Africa Express" is just a mildly amusing action comedy, about on the level of a lesser Bud Spencer - Terence Hill movie. And although it's always nice to see an actress like Ursula, who has been used in her career mainly as "just" a sex symbol, taking on a more empowered role, there is just too much padding between the moments where she springs into action (don't expect too much flesh-exposure either, this is basically family stuff). OK for one viewing but that's about it. (**)

Entertaining and low-budgeted African adventure with several comic touches . It deals with John Baxter (Giuliano Gemma) , an adventurer in Africa with a chimp (Biba) , he wishes save a lot of cash to get his dream : a gas station in city of Detroit. Madeleine Cooper (Ursula Andress ) is a secret agent posing as a nun as she flees from a train when is attacked by the nasties . Madeleine is looking for a war criminal named Robert Preston(Jack Palance), nowadays he's a smuggler of animals and ivory . Preston is supported by his hoodlums (Nello Pazzafini, Romano Puppo, among others). This amusing , engaging movie is crammed of fist-fights, punches , kicks, moving stunt-work , colorful African outdoors and lots of humor. Giuliano Gemma is top-notch as sympathetic freewheeling trader of goods with a dream , to save enough money to buy a gas station, meanwhile taking on a group of smugglers .Strong performance of Jack Palance as pipe-smoking big game hunter who dedicates to illegal smuggling and chase John Baxter . Special mention to pet chimp called Biba that steals the show , getting into mischief , pranks and antics , including a surprising ending . The lighting-paced storyline slows down at times , but frenetic fight-sequences and fun make up for it . It's an entertaining romp plenty of brawls , including amusing bounds and leaps . This is a nice and funny juvenile story for Giuliano Gemma fans , as he's delight and likable . It packs action, fist-play, slapdash, humor with tongue-in-cheek and is quite bemusing . This release has some cool and several hilarious moments , adding a wonderful Ursula Andress as lady in mystery . The film isn't always good , sometimes is fresh and diverting and on a couple of memorable occasions , it's frankly delicious. The movie displays innumerable laughters , jokes and slapstick . In the picture appears usual secondaries from B Italian series seen in several genres as Spaghetti Western and Peplum as Nello Pazzafini , Roberto Dell'Acqua and Romano Puppo. And master of arms and stunts by Nazzareno Zamperla , also usual secondary of the Italian genres . Catching and commercial musical score by Guido and Maurizio De Angelis -Spaghetti Western's ordinaries- and composed by synthesizer, as always , including some beautiful songs . It's followed by ¨Safari Express¨ by Duccio Tessari with similar artist and technician team . The motion picture written by Mario Amendola and Bruno Corbucci is middlingly directed by Michele Lupo who directed various Bud Spencer vehicles as ¨Bulldozer¨ ¨The Supersheriff¨, ¨Buddy go west¨, and ¨E.T. and the Supersheriff¨ . Lupo directed Giuliano Gemma , his * actor , in several films as ¨Master touch¨ with Kirk Douglas , ¨Stay away¨ with Amidou , ¨Arizona Colt¨ with Fernando Sancho and Nello Pazzafini and ¨California ¨ with William Berger and Romano Puppo. This is a passable entertaining juvenile that will appeal to Italian comedy buffs. Rating : Average , only for Giuliano Gemma and Ursula Andress fans.

This is a lot of fun to watch, I've seen it quite a few times, own the soundtrack (am playing it now - has the cool "Maeba" african song) and am a big fan of Biba the Chimp! ;-) Giuliano Gemma gets a chance to play a comic role tailored specifically for him, Ursula Andress is very sexy and Jack Palance chew up the scenery at every turn. This film had a sequel called Safari Express with the same cast as the original, but is harder to find. To add to the confusion, some distributors released both this movie and the sequel as "Tropical Express"!! I still recommend this as a great family film. Kids will love the animals and parents will appreciate the intelligent humour. Then the parents might kill the kids if they don't stop saying "Maeba" around the house. Too bad there were only two in this series. Maybe it's not too late for a reunion? :o)