Lion of the Desert
1980 · Movie · PG · 173 min · ★ 7.4 · 80% critics
In early 20th-century Libya, a determined local resistance fights back against an invading colonial army that brings overwhelming force to the desert. As the conflict escalates, the story highlights the cost of occupation, the resilience of ordinary people, and the harsh measures used to try to break their will.
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Details
- Years
- 1980
- Release date
- 1981-04-17
- Language
- English
- Rated
- PG
- Runtime
- 173 min
- Max quality
- SD
- Critic score
- 80/100
- TMDB rating
- 7.4/10 (197 votes)
About
You’ll likely enjoy this if you want a large-scale, history-based war epic with desert action and an anti-colonial focus, in the vein of Braveheart or The Message; Not for you if you need fast pacing and tight dialogue.
Pros: sweeping desert battles; strong rival performances; eye-opening history | Cons: slow first act; uneven dialogue; long runtime drags
Themes
- guerrilla warfare
- libya
- africa
- resistance
- world war ii
- independence movement
- based on true story
- benito mussolini
- historical drama
- 1920s
- 1930s
- anti-colonialism
- +4 more
Cast & crew
Anthony Quinn
as Omar al-Mukhtar
Oliver Reed
as General Rodolfo Graziani
Irene Papas
as Mabrouka
Raf Vallone
as Colonel Diodiece
Rod Steiger
as Benito Mussolini
John Gielgud
as Sharif El Gariani
Andrew Keir
as Salem
Gastone Moschin
as Major Tomelli
Stefano Patrizi
as Lieutenant Sandrini
- AL
Adolfo Lastretti
as Colonel Sarsani
Directed by Moustapha Akkad