Amazonia: La jungle blanche

Fine action film from Italian Ruggero Deodato that features a great cast of American stars - well you know what I mean when I say stars. I was fortunate enough to see the uncut version under the title AMAZONIA LA JUNGLE BLANCHE - although it was in French with no subtitles, I still enjoyed it though. Claudio Simonetti's bombastic score is a real treat and needs a CD release. Look out for the Anchor Bay DVD release due out sometime in 2002 - Uncut and Widescreen with an interview with good old Ruggero.

I held off seeing this movie until I was able to get the full-length version with all the blood and guts that were cut out of the original American release. The gore sequences are spectacular at times, and they also contain some information that makes the movie easier to follow than in the cut version.

Other than that, though, there's really nothing about the movie that's compelling. The story is really boring, slow-moving, and with some plot points that remain murky despite the added footage. The action sequences, minus the gore, are unimaginative and barely can be considered "action". The protagonists are a snotty bunch that seem to have little brain material in their heads. Fans of Richard Lynch and Michael Berryman will be most disappointed; these two actors only appear for a few minutes each!

Cut and Run is one of Deodato's strangest films due to the bizarre mix of genres. The film balances horror, action and adventure elements with gritty cocaine smuggling and hostage situation subplots. There is even an Apocalypse Now inspired crazy Colonel living with natives in the jungle. To say that the film bites off more than it can chew is an understatement, but that the fact that the film works at all is a great testament to Deodato's unique talent.

There is little point passing comment on the film's plot because it virtually makes no sense. There is, for example, no explanation at how the Indian killings in the Amazon jungle simultaneously take place in Miami and the entire subplot involving Colonel Horne remains a mystery. The jumbled plot does have the advantage of giving Deodato the opportunity to dabble in different genres and he shows yet again why he is such an underrated filmmaker. Deodato's direction is technically brilliant and he brings his usual sense of flair to the film's action and horror set pieces. The dramatic moments are less successfully handled and unusually for a Deodato film, some sentimentality creeps in towards the end of the film.

The film really picks up every time the Indians attack. Horror fans might be annoyed by the infrequency of the gore, but when the killings do occur, Deodato does not disappoint. There are beheadings, spears through the neck, darts in the neck and one of Deodato's best ever deaths when a man is literally ripped limb from limb (according to Deodato, inspired by the Vietcong). Part of the fun is watching legendary genre actor Michael Berryman camping it up as a demented Indian. He has several great moments in what is one of his more memorable roles. The other actors are also pretty good. Lisa Blount makes an impression as Fran and Richard Lynch always does a good job of acting crazy, making a perfect Colonel Horne.

Also worth a mention are Claudio Simonetti's great synth score and the beautiful photography of the jungle landscape (Venezuela doubling for Colombia). Fans of Deodato should check out the accompanying "Uncut and Run" documentary in which Deodato rather amusingly talks about the shoot, stealing Wes Craven's job as the director and even bluntly says which actors he did not enjoy working with. Cut and Run might lack cohesion but it remains a highly enjoyable minor work from a truly great director.

this movie is an italian action flick, with a lot of nasty things like rapes and chopped of arms and legs in it, if you can find the ita orig (105 min)the first one i caught was here in swe it was only 75 min ,then the eng about 85 min,then the us and danish it was about the same 90 min then i got the ita copy from a friend and it was 105 min and it was nasty,so the us vers is not uncut like it says!!

"Cannibal Holocaust"(1979)is one of my favourite horror movies ever.It's truly a masterpiece of gut-wrenching horror.In comparison to it "Cut and Run" is rather tame,but it features some nasty scenes of violence like where one guy is cut in half by the jungle trap.Sure,it's brutal but not as nasty as "Cannibal Holocaust" or even "Jungle Holocaust"(1978).There's no animal cruelty or sexual violence(apart from the rape scene near the beginning),but the action is fast-paced,the acting is decent enough(I love especially the performance by Michael Berryman-this guy is creepy!)and the script by Cesare Frugone and Dardano Sacchetti is fairly good.So if you like violent and sleazy action give this one a look,just don't expect another "Cannibal Holocaust".7 out of 10.