Wild Geese II

What is a wild goose, exactly? Scott Glenn flexes his pecs and sets us straight. ‘I am a professional mercenary soldier,’ he declares to Rudolf Hess, who has just been busted out of Spandau disguised as a drunken football fan so he can appear on a TV chat show. ‘Wild Geese II’ kicks off with a tribute to Richard Burton, whose death prevented him from starring in his second goose role. He is replaced by actors who speak as though their jaws were wired together. Edward Fox (not a good name for a goose) hovers on balconies with beret and bazooka. Barbara Carrera goes along to Berlin as a sort of goose groupie, mainly so that she can get kidnapped and provide the plot with an excuse for blowing a lot of extras out of their boots. Hess himself bears an uncanny resemblance to a famous Lord of Stage and Screen. With heroes propelled by their allegiance to Mammon, it’s tricky trying to identify the villains. The Ruskies come in for some minor stick, but the film’s truly international appeal stems from its casual swipes at evil Irish and Palestinians, while Ms Carrera’s performance could well be a comment on the Nicaraguan situation. A right load of proper gander.