I don’t remember the first time I watched the mercenary film, The Wild Geese. It is quite an old film, released in 1978, however I know I didn’t go to the cinema to see it. I have seen a fair few times since though.
The story revolves around a group of seasoned mercenaries who are recruited by a wealthy businessman to rescue a deposed African president from the clutches of a ruthless dictator. The (rather old) mercenaries, led by Colonel Allen Faulkner, embark on a dangerous mission into the heart of Africa, facing numerous obstacles and deadly encounters along the way.
There is an ensemble cast including Richard Burton, Roger Moore, Richard Harris, and Hardy Krüger.
It was quite controversial at the time as it was filmed in apartheid South Africa. Despite the political issues, it is a film which I have always enjoyed. There are some interesting scenes that would make for interesting skirmish games for the tabletop. These scenarios would be in the main infantry versus infantry. You could add air attacks as was seen in the film as well. The air transports would make for good background scenery, these included a Hercules and a DC3-Dakota.
Miniatures for these kinds of games are readily available as are vehicles. In the film it was Land Rovers and Bedford trucks.