The Deceivers

Although it displays the usually reliable Merchant-Ivory production banner this tale of high adventure and skullduggery in British India is only a routine B movie with exotic pretensions. The background is historically factual, drawn around the ritual murders committed by a secret religious cult of so-called 'Thuggees' (from which the word 'thug' was later derived). But the far-fetched story of a British soldier infiltrating their ranks and losing himself in a netherworld of violence and vices is, at best, contrived, even by the lowest standards of romantic fiction. The idea might have looked better on paper, before its artistic and commercial potential was crippled by a lackluster, coincidence-filled script and a star performance that drains the hero of any charisma. Director Nicholas Meyer tries to convey the allure of an ancient culture, but the film doesn't have enough style to camouflage its slapdash lack of substance, and the token gestures to period flavor and atmosphere don't extend beyond the costume design and some cut-rate esoteric mysticism. When, for example, hero Pierce Brosnan is seduced by a mysterious native girl, their shadows on the wall show him embraced by the six-armed Thuggee goddess Kali… (cue the ominous tabla music)

When a British officer gets wind of a gang of murderous highwaymen he joins their ranks with the intention of shutting down the organization. Spys and counterspys in both camps offset each other until a final battle settles who will remain in charge. Hard to believe that during all the time the officer was with the thugs they never noticed how foreign he appeared or that the stain he used never washed off. Entertaining with plenty of action and great scenery.

This is a highly entertaining historical film that had the great misfortune to be released during the height of Schwarzenegger/Van Damme/"Lethal Weapon" era. It is a film about cultures in collision and the people who are crushed by that collision.

Pierce Brosnan, in one of his best roles, plays Captain Savage, an honorable British soldier in India who is dissatisfied with the "do nothing" policies of his superiors. One day, he and his fiancée see a gathering on a riverbank. They learn that a young woman is preparing to burn herself alive in the authentic practice of "suttee"...her husband has been missing for a year and custom demands she immolate herself. Savage's girl is horrified and begs for him to think of a way out. He disguises himself as a native man and hopes the widow will see a brief glimpse of him and believe it is her husband. The suttee can thus be postponed. The scheme works, but a mob then chases Savage to ask why he has not appeared earlier. He frantically avoids the mob, but then sees a horrible sight. A band of wealthy Hindu travelers is suddenly strangled, robbed and buried. Savage has seen the secret cult of Thuggee at work! He appeals to the base commander (also the father of his intended) to apprehend the Thugs but bureaucracy prevents him from doing so. Savage becomes obsessed with uncovering the Thugs and hits upon a scheme where he will "go native" and infiltrate the Thugs himself. That way he can get incontrovertible proof of their existence. He enlists the reluctant help of a captured Thug (superbly played by Saeed Jaffrey) and goes undercover.

Savage finds himself immersed in the strange and deadly world of the Thugs. As time goes by, he is forced to participate in the ritual murders to keep his cover. His identity is starting to give way. Will his sanity last long enough to reveal the secrets of "The Deceivers"? There's a huge amount of tension in the movie. Its attention to historical and cultural detail is excellent. Doing some research on the Thugs, I discovered the exact words of their "Sugar of Kali" ritual are used in the movie. Most confusing for Savage is the fact that, when not killing innocents, the Thugs appear to be normal and even kind people. The interesting contrast is that the former Thug feels his own loyalty to his people weakening as he sees Savage losing his way.

The ending is bittersweet and not sugarcoated at all. I highly recommend this film to anyone who likes tense historical drama as well as those who want a glimpse inside a forbidden, exotic culture.

Pierce Brosnan looks a bit too European (and hairy-chested) to be completely convincing as a Kali-worshipper, but he gives an intrepid performance as an Englishman undercover with the Thugees, a sort of Donnie Brasco of the 1800s. The movie itself has some harrowing moments as we watch the thugs ply their killing trade, and the inevitable one-against- many showdown, coming when Pierce's ruse is revealed, is suitably tense. A lot of the drama, however is rather flat and unmemorable and the movie lags in the middle.

There is a nice period look here, though, similar to that of the Sharpe TV series, and fans of that one might find this an interesting diversion.

Our English word 'thug' comes from a Hindi word, 'thag,' as we often see it transliterated as 'thuggee.' The thuggees were a secret cult of assassins/robbers who preyed on wealthy travelers, usually in the months of October. It was (or still is, as some claim) an ancient order which preceded the Islamic invasion of India and which also included Muslims in its ranks. The thuggees worshiped Kali, the consort of Shiva, (or Siva) the destroyer, one of the three gods in the Hindu Trimurti or trinity (the other two being Brahmin and Vishnu). This film which is based on a fictional account of a British officer who inflitrates the cult by disguising himself as a thuggee and eventually comes to be the one who destroy it. The allusion to being based on real life events, of course, adds to the mystery and allure of this film's exotic setting. A young pre-James Bond Pierce Brosnan is the central character and is aided by the Indian veteran character actor, Saeed Jaffery. Add to that, the presence of Australian actor, Keith Michell, his attractive daughter, Helena, a face frequently seen as a supporting actor, David Robb, as the Gentleman cad, and a large cast of Indian actors that are seen in Indian films, and you have the cast. The scenery is most interesting as it was shot on location in India and shows the countryside not as a jungle, as many think of India. Historically, the East India Company which was exploiting the natural resources of India for their own colonial interests, was underwritten by the English government and the British Army was providing the administrative services. The story of this film, based on the investigations of the colonial administrator, Sir. W.H. Sleeman who eventually uprooted the Thuggee cult, took place before the Sepoy uprising in the 1840's.

This is not a bad film and maintains high level of tension. I found it entertaining and interesting and recommend it.