Ashanti (1979 re-release)

Being a big fan of her early work, particularly the 2002 booty-shaking classic Foolish, I was excited to see Ashanti’s silver screen debut.  But what’s this you say?.. Ashanti is not a biopic big screen crossover for the R’n’B songstress, but in fact a 1979 action/adventure film set against the modern slave trade in Africa starring such film luminaries as Sir Michael Caine, Peter Ustinov and Omar Sharif.  I was intrigued.

Unfortunately this turned out to be the peak of excitement in an otherwise arduous 113 minute journey through this forgettable farce.  Caine plays a UN doctor whose wife is kidnapped by the evil slave trader Suleiman (Ustinoff). This inevitably leads to a camel-back chase across Africa with Caine aided by a mysterious mercenary Malik (played by Kabir Bedi in one of the great unintentional comedic performances of our time).  While the impressive North African scenery may hold your attention for half an hour or so, every other aspect of the film is truly dire, and surprisingly so considering the names on offer.  The action is laboured and the score sounds like it belongs in a 70s erotic thriller. The film simply  fails at the first hurdle off storytelling, managing to dig itself crater-sized plot-holes in what is essentially a very simple story.  A personal favourite of mine was when Caine jumps out of a helicopter into a vast river in the middle of a dense African jungle, all the while being shot at by slave traders.  Cut to the next scene, you guessed it, a clean-clothed Caine arrives for check-in at a large international airport without a hint of explanation.  Presumably he had secured his passport and travel documents in a nice waterproof bag…

By his own admission Caine has claimed that along with The Swarm, this was the worst film he has ever been in and you can’t help but agree with the man.  He is in spectacularly un-inspirational form here but you can’t help feel that even an Alfie-esque performance would not have saved this stinker.    So, if you are in the mood for some Ashanti action, head for the CD rack….not the DVD rack.

Last edited: 31st May 2009