Hatari! (1962)
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68% of critics liked it
(22 reviews) -
75% of users liked it
(8,457 ratings)
Hatari! is Swahili for "danger"--and also the word for action, adventure and broad comedy in this two-fisted Howard Hawks effort. John Wayne stars as the head of a daring Tanganyka-based group which captures wild animals on behalf of the world's zoos. Hardy Kruger, Gérard Blain and Red… More Hatari! is Swahili for "danger"--and also the word for action, adventure and broad comedy in this two-fisted Howard Hawks effort. John Wayne stars as the head of a daring Tanganyka-based group which captures wild animals on behalf of the world's zoos. Hardy Kruger, Gérard Blain and Red Buttons are members of Wayne's men-only contingent, all of whom are reduced to jello when the curvaceous Elsa Martinelli enters the scene. In tried and true Howard Hawks fashion, Martinelli quickly becomes "one of the guys," though Wayne apparently can't say two words to her without sparking an argument. The second half of this amazingly long (159 minute) film concerns the care and maintenance of a baby elephant; the barely credible finale is devoted to a comic pachyderm stampede down an urban African street, ending literally at the foot of Martinelli's bed. The other scene worth mentioning involves comedy-relief Red Buttons' efforts to create a fireworks-powered animal trap. Not to be taken seriously for a minute, Hatari is attractively packaged and neatly tied up with a danceable-pranceable theme song by Henry Mancini. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Directed By
- Howard Hawks
- Written By
- Harry Kurnitz, Leigh Brackett
- Genres
- Drama, Action & Adventure, Classics, Comedy
Unrated,
- In Theaters
- May 24, 1962 Wide
- Studio
- Howard Hawks
Critic Reviews
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, Variety
The strapping physique of the film unhappily emphasizes the anemic condition of the story streaming within.
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, Chicago Reader
A broader canvas for the interaction of comedy and drama than its immediate predecessor (Rio Bravo), this is both discursive and leisurely.
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Dave Kehr, Chicago Reader
This late masterpiece (1962) by Howard Hawks transcends every literary value in the book to become a brilliantly entertaining and insightful work of pure cinema.
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Derek Adams, Time Out
All in all, one of those rare films that genuinely constitutes a 'late masterpiece'.
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A.H. Weiler, New York Times
Perhaps the accent on the trapping of free-roaming critters for use in zoos is a mite too heavy, but this aspect of African business rates the attention it receives here.
See more critic ratings and reviews on Rotten Tomatoes
Fresh (60% or more critics rated the movie positively)
Rotten (59% or fewer critics rated the movie positively)
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Cast
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John Wayne
as Sean Mercer
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Hardy Kruger
as Kurt Mueller
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Elsa Martinelli
as Anna-Maria D'Alessandro (Dallas)
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Gérard Blain
as Chips Chalmoy
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Red Buttons
as Pockets
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Bruce Cabot
as Vaughn
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Michèle Girardon
as Brandy Delacourt
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Eduard Franz
as Dr. Sanderson
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Jon Chevron
as Joseph
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Val de Vargas
as Luis Francisco Garcia Lopez
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Sam Harris
as Man in the Store
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Queenie Leonard
as Nurse
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Emmett E. Smith
as Bartender
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Jack Williams
as Masai Warrior
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Henry Scott
as Sikh Clerk
- Valentin de Vargas
