Cuba *** (1979, Sean Connery, Brooke Adams, Jack Weston, Hector Elizondo, Chris Sarandon, Martin Balsam) -Classic Movie Review 8944

Director Richard Lester’s 1979 adventure Cuba stars Sean Connery as retired British army Major Robert Dapes, a mercenary who comes to Havana to serve as a military training adviser to the crumbling regime of General Batista at the time of the imminent Castro revolution in Cuba – 1959.

There, by chance, he comes across an old flame called Alexandra Pulido (Brooke Adams) with whom he had a love affair 15 years before but who is now with another fella, and starts to romance her again.

Connery is first-rate in this plausible, suspenseful, decently delivered, generally undervalued mix of adventure and romance and thriller set against an exotic background, all expertly handled by director Lester and well written by Charles Wood.

Among the fine cast, Jack Weston exudes his usual sweaty faithlessness as Larry Gutman and Denholm Elliott his well-bred cynicism as Donald Skinner, with Hector Elizondo, Chris Sarandon, Martin Balsam also notable. We have seen their acts often before, but they still entertain divertingly.

Also in the cast are Danny De La Paz, Lonette McKee, Earl Cameron, Alejandro Rey, Dave King, Walter Gotell, David Rappaport, and Wolfe Morris.

Cuba is directed by Richard Lester, runs 122 minutes, is made by Holmby Pictures and Sellers-Wintisky, is released by United Artists, is written by Charles Wood, is shot in Technicolor by David Watkin, is produced by Arlene Sellers and Alex Wintisky, is scored by Patrick Williams, and is designed by Shirley Russell.

24 seconds of cock-fighting footage were cut from some prints.

© Derek Winnert 2019 Classic Movie Review 8944

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