Escape from Zahrain (1962)
1h 33m | PG-13
Yul Brynner plays political leader Sharif who is sprung from a police van on his way to a firing squad by young loyalists led by Sal Mineo. Yul and the other prisoners kidnap an ambulance and head into the Arabian desert with the police in hot pursuit. All the performances are magnificent: Sal Mineo showing his acting talents, Jack Warden in a wiseguy performance as an employee of Zahrain oil who was involved in embezzlement, Anthony Caruso as a slimy psychotic and the underrated Madlyn Rhue as a nurse who becomes emotionally involved in the proceedings.
Director: Ronald Neame
Studio: Paramount Pictures
Genre: Action, Adventure, Drama
Video: 720p
Cast
Yul Brynner
as Sharif
Madlyn Rhue
as Laila
Sal Mineo
as Ahmed
Jack Warden
as Huston
James Mason
as Johnson
Anthony Caruso
as Tahar
Reviews
Yul Brynner, Sal Mineo and Jack Warden star in this sort of revolutionary "Ice Cold in Alex" yarn about a wanted freedom-fighter and a rag-tag band of followers who try to escape from the tyrannical government of Zahrain by taking an ambulance across the desert. Any budget was spent on the stars (and, probably, the aircon) leaving little left for script or decent photography. It's a run-of-the-mill vehicle for the star that moves along well enough. Not one of Ronald Neame's best efforts, though his only of 1962.