Dark of the Sun

Dark of the Sun, directed by celebrated cinematographer Jack Cardiff and adapted from Wilbur Smith's novel of the same name, is a Congo Crisis action film starring Rod Taylor and Jim Brown. The film follows mercenaries tasked with rescuing Europeans and 50 million dollars in diamonds from a mining town during the 1964-65 Simba Rebellion, racing a train across the Congo. The film's violence earned it an X certificate from British censors, with much of its most brutal footage cut before release. Director Martin Scorsese has called it one of his guilty pleasures, while Quentin Tarantino used the film's score in Inglourious Basterds and cast Rod Taylor in a cameo in that same film. Who it's for: anyone curious about a brutal Congo Crisis action film that pushed past the censors of its era, later a cult favorite for directors like Scorsese and Tarantino. Who it's not for: viewers expecting a light, family friendly adventure, since the film carries heavy violence even after being censored.