Skullduggery

Between an eclectic television career and hitting big with the big-screen DELIVERANCE, Burt Reynolds appeared in mostly westerns and/or adventure b-movies... two of the latter titled IMPASSE and then SKULLDUGGERY, with Reynolds as one of those cocky fortune hunters, here smitten with classy female scientist Susan Clark while paired with friendly sidekick Roger C. Carmel...

But right when the expedition into the scenic, potentially perilous mountains of Papua New Guinea begins... with the man and dame sleeping together too quickly to evolve into an AFRICAN QUEEN-style anti-chemistry romance... a group of ape-like/missing-link creatures are discovered, and quickly exploited...

First in a spontaneous, companion-like fashion by Reynolds, trying to make something of the country's phosphorus that he was initially seeking... then becoming burdened slaves to sophisticated British heavies in what's offbeat enough to derive from European cinema before confusing American audiences, never capturing any particular audience, cult or otherwise, since Burt Reynolds was relatively unknown...

Although he's more affable and loose than the rudimentary monotone before discovering the value of self-deprecating scoundrels... and the moral dilemma turned third-act courtroom drama about enslaved primal creatures is simply too deep and idealistic for what should be (and what somewhat began as a) traipsing adventure.

I watched this movie in the early seventies, at my hometown in Mexico. I must have been 14 or 15 at the time. I liked the movie a lot not because of the acting, but because of the subject, which captivated me. The ethical and philosophical question of what constitutes humanity. Maybe the cinematographic quality of the film is not great, but having seen this movie only once and still remembering its impact on me after almost forty years is a tribute to its merits. I remember vividly the shock the climax scene caused in me, and the anger at the injustice done to the poor critters, and their unresolved fate, which undoubtedly would not be a good one if we go by the conventional wisdom of the time. I do believe this movie is much better conceptually than it is generally considered. I hope it will someday be released on DVD. I would certainly buy it.

This was not a film about "action", nor was it "boring", unless you are the type that requires external stimulation as a substitute for actually thinking. This was a very poignant film about human rights and what, exactly, being human means. As another reviewer said, the climactic ending brought me to tears. This is not a film that should be viewed by a bunch of kids at a sleepover... it will be totally lost and wasted on them. This is a film that should be shown in every political science and philosophy class for discussion. Don't let the pathetic reviews scare you away if you can find this movie... it was the viewer that was lacking, not the film...

The first half of the movie tastes like a remake of a jungle expedition in one of those old Tarzan classics starring Weissmuller, the second half tries to be something like a class in philosophy - what makes a human human etc. Sadly, despite a good cast and production both parts never really blend well together. The first part was entertaining to me, a simple but fun adventure movie, the second part was a rather boring affair to me - an attempt to make something significant but not really engaging, and in the context of the first half (adventure, romance) it just feels too much out of tune.

The cinematography in Technicolor has always appealed to me and scenes such as the tribal women rowing their four (4) large canoes with the archaelogical safari team and their supplies down the New Guinea river(s) infested with killer native tribes, snakes, and crocodiles, injects the needed adventure and to stamp this movie as a bona fide thriller.

Burt Reynolds and Susan Clark are excellent choices as the two male and female leads who both have romantic inclinations but for very different reasons. The audience is asked to form their own opinion on what their discovery of the Tropi tribe means to the human race.

As with many of the world controversies regarding racism, evolution, slavery, and the industrial revolution, the film Skullduggery will leave you with some questions as to what is fair and what is right when a new discovery such as the Tropi tribe is uncovered.

Skullduggery (1970) starts off as a combination of adventure with some light humor and a romantic twist thrown in for good measure, but it was not how I expected the film to transpire as I had been impressed by Burt Reynolds performance in the later (1972) film Deliverance. Not to say I was disappointed in the film Skullduggery, as I was not. I really enjoy scenic pictures of far away corners of the world, and the directors Gordon Douglas and Richard Wilson captured the landscape of New Guinea with crisp and clean panoramic views of the green forests, huge mountains, and seedy crocodile infested waters.

I enjoyed Skullduggery and will most likely watch it again in a few years. This review is somewhat of a personal reminder to confirm a thumbs up review which I give a 6 out of 10 IMDb rating.