Les risques de l'aventure

Talk about an independently produced film! This one's a wonderful example of how hard the indies work, and what good movies they make.

How they ever convinced a cast like this to go sweat it out in a jungle, I can't imagine. James Brolin shines, but so do they all.

And I still can't believe they got somebody to handle a snake that BIG just for a 5-second shot, which you better believe they captured in one perfect take, 'cause that snake was headed for home the instant they released it!

This is a fine, light hearted action film, fast paced, well written and plotted and with a lot of depth. Each actor obviously got way into his role, especially Anthony Quinn. And those whacko airplane pilots! The old C-47 STILL RULES!!!

You have to admit that HIGH RISK has a once in a lifetime cast. What other movie gathers together Ernest Borgnine, James Brolin, James Coburn, Anthony Quinn, Lindsay Wagner, Bruce Davison, and Cleavon Little? (Though Borgnine only briefly appears, and Coburn more or less has an extended cameo.) It's fun to see all these actors together, and there is additional merit to be found. The movie shoots on some picturesque Mexican locations, and there is some excitement in the action sequences. The script, however, is kind of a muddle - it's never really explained how the protagonists got the information about the drug lord, his compound, and his safe. That wasn't a real problem for me, but there is still a problem with the movie, and that is with the protagonists. For some reason, I found it hard to sympathize with these fellows - they came across as greedy and not that desperate for money. Also, they make some really stupid decisions along the way, stupid acts that even an amateur in real life wouldn't make. Recommended only when you can't find a better movie.

Unusual blend of action adventure and comedy: 4 typical white-collar Californians (led by Brolin), fed up with barely making it, head down to the jungles of South America to steal a cool $5 million out of the safe of a drug kingpin (Coburn). But, as they soon find out, and the audience is a step ahead of 'em, getting in was the easy part. Besides the drug lord, who has a police force on his side, the 4 buddies also contend with a gang of bandits (led by Quinn, ornery in that good-natured way). Lindsay Wagner, formerly the Bionic Woman, pops up as a weed-smokin' American trapped in a jail cell. And that's just the start of the fun.

This was completely ignored on release; I saw it back then in '81 and was puzzled why no one else did. It's even more baffling that not even a cult appreciation has surfaced in the past 20 years (and no quality DVD - drat!). The filmmakers managed to present the 4 guys out of their element as stumbling and with a loser mentality, but not stupid, so that you're on their side all the way, and you have to admire the daring - the gall, really - of what they're attempting. The whole point is to stop losing, to come out winners, and somehow or other, you feel they'll stumble their way there, eventually - maybe. The picture treads the line between slapstick comedy and real action: there are moments when one or more of the 4 are in serious danger. There are some fine chase scenes around the exotic wilderness and, in the gun battles, though hardly anyone gets hurt, it feels kind of lifelike (there ARE deaths), since most people miss in real life too, unless they're an expert marksman.

The performances are all great. Watch Coburn when first confronted by the 4 dudes. He's a master of his domain, serene in his power; who are (?) these 4 bozos tying me up in my own mansion, he thinks. You get the feeling throughout the film, this is the way it would really happen; no well-timed explosions, no clichéd formula for escape, just a rough-and-tumble forward momentum. There's a great scene which shows how it would go if you really tried to knock someone out in real life - it's not as easy as in the movies. And, there's no real mystery for me about the ending; the whole story depicted a rush of one step forward and two steps back. The end, which may not be the end, just leaves the viewers with a final question mark - are they about to take two steps back again? If this had been a big success like "Romancing the Stone," a sequel would have answered it. But we really don't need a sequel. Each viewer can make up the next scene for these guys in their own minds.

Truth to tell, I doubt much will stay with me from this muddled tale of a group of four friends who parachute (with a Maltese-like pooch!) into fairly dense forest. From their chatting and actions prior to the drop, including the fact that they are purchasing arms of considerable firepower, it dawned on me that these fun-loving city slicks led by James Brolin were actually planning a heist.

The mark: the extremely wealthy James Coburn, who keeps $5 million in his personal vault, and likes to perform as toreador in his own bull ring. Thankfully, dialogue flows fast with attention-grabbing repartee, and some clumsy actions that reflect the level of gullibility and inexperience of these wannabe thieves.

Well, prepare yourself for a bumpy ride requiring heavy suspension of disbelief. You might ask what I found most memorable about HIGH RISK: perhaps the cameo by Quinn as a self-styled "general" guiding a crowd of gypsy-like thieves and assorted criminals and moaning about the rich, or the cameo by Jim Coburn as the tycoon who sees James Brolin and his genial sidekicks steal $5 million from his hacienda-like mansion.

Standard cinematography, repeated shootouts in the middle of lush vegetation and rocky ground, sleazy hispanic gangs, generous gore, sputtering aircraft, plenty of near-impossible stunts.

Doesn't sound like much, does it? Darned right! 6/10.

Headlining this all-star, action-adventure are four modern-day Robin Hoods, out to steal from the rich and give to themselves. They parachute into a steamy South American jungle; locate the secluded compound of a notorious Colombian cocaine dealer; get past a veritable army of his sentries; cooly break into his safe and remove five million beautiful dollars; make it through a rain forest hotly pursued by armed guards with attack dogs; survive an encounter with a crazy band of greedy revolutionaries; zigzag through a hail of bullets at a wild airstrip rendezvous to escape in a plane with most of the money intact...without getting themselves killed.