Hank, Hennery en Vriend

Made in the 1970s, a time when South Africans were constantly being reminded about the communist onslaught, this features Hank (originally English-speaking) and Hennery (Afrikaans-speaking), two very laid-back secret agents who, together with a black colleague (Vriend), manage to foil a terrorist plot to take over the country. They are introduced as beach bums and for at least the first half the film comes across as a not very good buddy movie. For much of the time we're not too certain of just who they are and from whom they get their orders, though once in a while they speak to someone in Pretoria. On the way into the mountains of Lesotho, they pick up a girl (a communist agent who switches sides without any qualms when she falls in love with Hennery). The unlikely baddies are an Afrikaans-speaking group of communists, disguised as members of a monastic order. Interestingly, the agents' black comrade is treated throughout as an equal and the race question doesn't really come into it.

Directed by —, Hank, Hennery en Vriend leans on a strong ensemble — Rod Alexander, Lieb Bester, Ray Msengana — to carry a story that balances spectacle with character.

The film landed with audiences for its craft and performances, and remains one of the most talked-about screen titles of 1976.