Caribe: Trafic d'armes sous les tropiques

Among other mis-wrought contrivances in this horribly-designed film was the mid-script change in the female lead from Rosanna Arquette to Kara Glover (what? you didn't notice that?). I love John Savage and Stephen McHattie (have for years) but they're the only +s in this 'minus' film. In addition, there were many (too many) technical flaws from the outset and throughout this movie, including badly-contrived love scenes (mostly non-existent), extremely poor camera work and editing, poor script management, terrible continuity and timing, extended frames which shouldn't have been extended. The only thing I can recommend is the 'lighting' (nicely done!)

Two explosives specialists who work together are involved in a scam down in Belize. They travel there to make the deal, but do not realize they are being followed by a British Secret Intelligence Agent (John Savage). The agent comes upon the dealers and soon bullets fly, causing the explosives expert Helen (Kara Glover) and the Intelligence Agent Jeff (Savage) to flee for their lives. While Helen and Jeff hide in the bush, they soon fall for one another and eventually hatch out a plan to wipe out the explosives dealers all together. In obliterating the dealers, they also detonate the explosives and later Helen realizes she will be a wanted woman back in the states. With Jeff's help, she obtains a new identity and he says that he will take care of her no matter what happens.

Aside from the beautiful scenery of the tropics, this was a totally boring movie. The plot dragged on as I fast forwarded through much of the dreadful dialogue. Maybe had there been a better explanation of the characters and a more exciting plot it would have been a more interesting movie, but I doubt it.

The scenery was great with a couple of high spots, but John Savage, who is an excellent actor i.e. The Mouse, was not a convincing C.I.A. Agent leading man and had absolutely "0" chemistry with leading lady dispassionate Kara Glover.

It's too bad , Great story line but it just doesn't make you care about the characters, and the cliche ending is like a kick in the lower extremities for the viewing audience.

My review was written in October 1988 after a screening at Cine 42 theater on Manhattan's 42nd Street.

"Caribe" is a picturesque but dull actioner, vaguely reminiscent of the exotic programmers of yesteryear while lacking their energy.

John Savage toplines as a laidback agent for British Intelligence, whose mission is to abort an illegal sale of explosives in Belize. Stephen McHattie is an ex-CIA agent who's masterminding the operation, using as dupes two Yanks, Sam Malkin and Kara Glover, who are attempting to raise $500,000 to cover an embezzlement from their munitions company.

Pic's main switch is that Glover, exhibiting fashion model beauty in even the most primitive of jungle locations, handles most of the rough stuff while Savage contents himself with calling the shots. There's some okay stunt work and speedboat chases, but action tends to be languorous as we gaze at lovely Belize scenery (previously spotlighted in "The Mosquito Coast".

Glover and Savage make a comfortable team, immediately encoring together as the leads of Vestron's "The Beat". Zack Nesis has a showy role as a mystical hippy left over from the '60s ethos, who aids the duo at crucial moments.

Prepare to get tangled in the jungles of Belize when an arms smuggler loses her partner in a deadly shootout and finds herself on the run in the tropics of Central America. Helen is an amateur, making her money as an illegal arms trader to Central American terrorists. And as she runs for her life after the deal goes bad, she has no choice but to trusts Jeff, a British Intelligence Agent - it is a life and death chase, where passion and loyalty are easily confused...

That is a really long plot summary, but maybe that will help convince you to see this one. While nothing amazing, and not the sort of film I would typically watch... it has that 1980s action thing going on. Okay, not much (the action is pretty mild for Latin American terrorists) -- but enough.

This is one of the first things director Michael Kennedy ever did. And, despite a score or more of films under his belt, none jump out as anything you have ever heard of. He did nine episodes of "The Kids in the Hall", but whether or not these were good episodes is beyond me.

I would definitely give this another chance, especially if Shout Factory were to pick it up and turn it into something a little extra special.