"The Hell With Heroes" (1968) Rod Taylor plays Brynie MacKay, a former World War II hero turned cynical pilot-of-fortune. Brynie and his partner, Mike Brewer (Peter Deuel), are former ace flyboys adventuring in an Africa that's in its last throes of anti-colonialist turmoil. The idealistic Mike and the cynical Brynie live an uncomplicated life, running an air-freight company in North Africa. They spend long days on the beach, and enjoy nightclubbing and belly dancers by night Trouble starts after they accept an ill-advised job to transport goods for black-marketeer Lee Harris (Harry Guardino). After being framed by Harris for transporting drugs, Brynie's plane is impounded. He cuts a deal with Harris to get the plane back, but it involves flying more crooked missions. On one of the missions, Harris kills Mike, bringing violence and emotion to a head. Amid the danger, Brynie begins an affair with Elana (Claudia Cardinale) -- the bad guy's mistress. The bond between Brynie and Elana goes well beyond their physical attraction -- even though there's plenty of that. They're both damaged souls, courtesy of the war. The scenes between Cardinale and Taylor are beautifully crafted and well-acted, conveying the complicated nature of their relationship.

LINKS Internet Movie Database: Full cast and credits Screen captures from the movie can be found at The Pete Duel Site. The full story, reprinted from Screen Stories, September 1968, can be found at the Alias Smith & Jones Collection.

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