A Twist of Sand Reviews

Johnson is a man haunted by his past. During WW II he had captured a Nazi U-boat and under orders killed all surviving crew members. Now he is running a smuggling operation based in Malta with Dotrice, an old shipmate. Kemp, another war buddy, approaches the pair with an idea about recovering some diamonds hidden aboard a Spanish galleon. Blackman is the widow of the man who hid the cache of gems, and Vaughan is an idiotic German thug who knows the rugged area. Though Dotrice and Kemp don't get along, the crew goes after the treasure. While crossing a South African desert, Johnson comes to realize that Vaughan is a survivor of his war crime. Finally, the galleon is found buried in a sand dune and the diamonds uncovered. However, Kemp dislodges a supporting brace on the ship, which causes it to collapse, killing Dotrice and trapping Vaughan. Johnson reveals his past connection to Vaughan, and the German recovers, attempting to get at Johnson. Kemp shoots him with a rifle, but before dying Vaughan manages to thrust a knife into his killer. Kemp falls, and the diamonds are washed out to sea, leaving Johnson and Blackman alone and empty-handed. This adventure film is skillfully put together, with all of the genre's tricks used well. Unfortunately, the players overact their roles to some degree, which hampers the overall power of the film. At points the music is also overdone, intruding on the proceedings where it clearly should not. A TWIST OF SAND is not a disappointing film; however, it falls just short of being a really good action piece and ends up as a run-of-the-mill adventure.