Lion of the Desert

Destined to remain a dubious footnote in movie trivia books, this occasionally impressive 1980 epic was financed with a budget of $35 million by Libyan dictator Muammar Qaddafi, who previously attempted the role of movie producer with the critically roasted 1977 film Mohammad, Messenger of God (also newly available on Blu-ray). Lion of the Desert didn't fare much better (grossing approximately $1 million worldwide), and while some of its wartime action sequences are intelligently filmed, the movie is more notable for its bad acting. Under a shaggy Muslim beard, Anthony Quinn stars as Omar Mukhtar, the Arab hero and guerilla fighter who defended Libya against Benito Mussolini and Italy's attempted conquests during World War II. As straightforward biography, the movie boasts an admirable epic sweep, but a cliché-ridden script and uniformly terrible performances (from a cast that includes John Gielgud, Oliver Reed, and Rod Steiger) make this little more than a curiosity. Presented with a lackluster Blu-ray transfer that is not even in the original 2:39:1 aspect ratio, the running time on this extras-less release is 173 minutes, not the 156 minutes listed on the jacket (and this is still well short of the full-length 206-minute version). Optional, at best. (J. Shannon)