As most Hawks' films, Hatari! a light and unpretentious film in which the plot doesn't really matter, the most important things are the characters and their relationships. Although here both are not very deep, they are responsible for some great moments. The cast is good, specially Red Buttons in the traditional Walter Brennan role as the comic relief and the best friend of John Wayne, who plays the tough guy who wants distance from women after being left by one, nothing new in his and Hawks' careers, and seems to be having a lot of fun. but the elephants are the ones who steal the show. Mancini's score is pretty good, one of his best, and the pacing is slower than the director's screwball comedies, but faster than Rio Bravo (which is a little too slow), and because of that and the other elements mentioned above, it's perhaps the best one to begin with him.
