The Last Grenade (1970)

Dir: Gordon Flemyng

Major Harry Grigsby (Stanley ZULU Baker) and his mercenary company are bottled up at an industrial facility in the Congo. The only way out for Grigsby and his men is via the helicopter commanded by comrade in war Kip Thompson (Alex AIRWOLF Cord). But Thompson has other plans. He's switched over to the other side as they pay better. When Grigsby's men head towards the helicopter, Thompson opens up with the door machine gun mowing down the shocked mercenaries. Turning the weapon on the compound, within moments it is smashed to bits and the bits are on fire. Cursing Thompson's treachery, Grigsby swears vengeance.

Thompson about to give 'em hell

Grigsby and a few of his followers have made it back to Britain, it's not explained how. Grigsby is once again suffering from tuberculous but his illness hasn't stopped him from plotting the death of Thompson. Learning that his former comrade has been causing trouble along the Chinese border with Hong Kong, Grigsby manages to get monetary backing from Whitehall. They want Thompson dead as well but can't afford a possible political incident by attacking Thompson and his new mercenary band across the border. Grigsby gathers four of his most devoted men and heads to Hong Kong.

Groovy shirt, man

I must admit that I was expecting more of a film like DARK OF THE SUN (1968), more mercenary action than drama. When in Hong Kong Grigsby meets with the milquetoast General Charles Whiteley (Richard Attenborough) and his wife Katherine (Honor COCKNEYS VS ZOMBIES Blackman). Katherine takes a liking to the hard drinking man of action Grigsby and peruses him. In between rumpy-pumpy with the General's wife, Grigsby is repeatedly handed his arse by the far more cunning Thompson. The romance is out of place and may have only been included to explain a change of heart and tactics by Grigsby that leads up to the climatic show down between him and Thompson. The final fight is certainly expected but how it plays out is not.

Baker plays the focused, driven (consumed?) Grigsby well but was unable to sell me on the direction the romantic sub plot was headed. Cord is a hoot as the maniacally laughing, demented, Dartmouth t-shirt wearing mercenary who seemingly uses a love of money to hide his true love for inflicting pain on all creatures great and small (a scene with him feeding birds explains his character's motives remarkably well).

** 1/2 out of ****