I've never read Max Catto's novel but the synopsis indicates why it would be attractive to filmmakers - the tale of a conman in modern African who natives think is a version of Moses; he leads them to safety and finds redemption. Movie stars love playing rogues with a heart of gold.
Robert Mitchum is ideally cast in the title role. The film benefits from location filming in Kenya, brisk Ronald Neame direction, a jaunt John Barry score, and the delectable Carrol Baker as the female lead. Baker is spirited, funny, beautiful, with that great voice; she matches well with Mitchum (even though he's old enough to be her father, like several of Baker's co stars during her early Hollywood years eg Karl Malden, Clark Gable).
But I didn't really like the movie. It's racist. I mean, you can say that about pretty much any Hollywood film in Africa, but the black characters are still poor - the locals are exemplified by one dumb elder (Orlando Martins), no more, and a shonky dude who is from America (Raymond St Jacques) and wants to con his own people.
The adventures this Mr Moses has aren't particularly exciting - the ticking clock is a dam about to be flooded, but that doesn't happen. You keep waiting for someone to chase after them, or to have extra baddies, or a development or something but it's all too easy. Moses in the Bible had floods and pursuing Egyptians and plagues and interesting conflicts among the Jews... this doesn't.
Ian Bannen is annoying as a district official engaged to Baker (I kept waiting for him to do something treacherous but it never happens). Alexander Knox's character feels superfluous in many ways too - it's like if Robert Morley didn't die at the beginning of African Queen and went along with Kate and Bogie.
Still, nice music and Baker/Mitchum completists will get something out of it.
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