Flight of the Doves (1971)

When a tyrannical emperor(Ben Kingsley) executes her father, an exiled princess(Aisha Hart) rallies rival tribes to fight for their freedom.

Unfortunately, Desert Warrior is another example of inaccurate marketing that sabotages a great film. With trailers that featured Anthony Mackie, we half-expected to see “Captain America:The Desert Avenger”. Be aware, Mackie is not the designated protagonist. He is barely in the movie at all. He usually drops in just to grunt a few lines in a pretty decent Arabian accent then disappears for 20 minutes.

Although his performance does bookend the movie, it’s not enough for him to be recognized as the “desert warrior”. It’s only by the end of the movie do we realize that Hind(Aisha Hart) is the titular character and the heroine we should be cheering on.

Audiences are treated to an international film with a Princess of Mars feel. It’s not a sentimental, romanticized, hero movie with a Caucasian protagonist. Most of the cast were of Middle Eastern descent, with cultural sensibilities from that region. There were plenty of swords and galloping horses but also a few camels. The battles were realistic but not gory. They would cut away just before the blood splatters which was an interesting technique further identifying it as a film meant for an audience not accustomed to gratuitous violence.