Lion of the Desert (1981) Reviews & Ratings

Overview · Where to watch · Cast & crew · Reviews

Lion of the Desert reviews

Lion of the Desert holds a 7.3/10 average from 205 TMDB ratings.

***“Braveheart” in the Libyan desert with Quinn, Reed and Steiger*** After twenty years of failing to remove Bedouin rebels during the Italian colonization (aka invasion) of Libya, Mussolini (Rod Steiger) sends formidable General Graziani (Oliver Reed) in 1931 to take care of the problem. Anthony Quinn plays the titular protagonist and leader of the freedom-fighting Libyans. Did you ever wonder why “Lion of the Dese…
— Wuchak (5/10)

This is a curious hybrid of a film - it brings together some elements of "Gandhi" (1982) , "Khartoum" (1966) and even "Spartacus" (1960) to illustrate a theatre of war for Fascist colonialism of which I was largely unfamiliar. Rod Steiger (Mussolini) has decided that Italy must get in on the act of colonial powers in North Africa - and deploys General Graziani (Oliver Reed) to cement their invasion of modern day Lib…
— CinemaSerf (7/10)

Resistance leader Omar Mukhtar opposes Italian colonization before World War II. The brutal guerrilla war against Italian General Rodolfo Graziani and the Fascist forces of Benito Mussolini highlights the struggle for Libyan independence and the harsh tactics utilised by the colonisers.

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