Starring - Christopher Connelly (1990: Bronx Warriors, Night of the Sharks), Marina Costa (The Final Executioner, Greggio e Pericoloso), and Lee Van Cleef (Escape from New York, For a Few Dollars More)
Release Date - 1985
Genre - Action/Adventure
Tagline - "In the heart of the tropical rain forest lies a world of endless danger, mysterious romance, and wild adventure"
Format - Bluray (Personal Collection) (Screener)
Rating (out of 5):
The 1980s was a wild ass time and I hate that I was born halfway through the decade. I would have loved to have lived through the entire 80s as an adult so I could truly appreciate everything as it was being released. The first Indiana Jones film, Raiders of the Lost Ark, was released in 1981 and immedately became a hit. So much so that it inspired a series of copy cat films which really took hold in Italy. Director Antonio Margheriti helmed several of these films and my friends over at Severin released three of them in a box set. They were kind enough to end it over for me to review and when I could I tossed in the first film that I pulled out which was Jungle Raiders from 1985. I want to thank Severin for sending this one over.
The film follows Captrain Yankee (Connelly) who scams rich adventurers into thinking they are exploring uncharted jungle for undiscovered treasure. His easy meal ticket is thwarted when a real adventure presents itself and he is forced to uncover an ancient ruby for someone else.
I watched a few of these action adventure films growing up but I never realized that they were Jonesploitation. However, now I can totally see that these films are and kind of appreciate them more than I originally did. Jungle Raiders was a new one to me and I was excited to see it but it was a film that lost it's steam fairly early on. The acting in this one is fairly inconsistent and unintentionally funny at times. Connelly and Van Cleef deliver solid performances but the remainder of the cast is comical for the most part. I went into this one sober and still found myself laughing during a few of the scenes due to the acting. The story for this one borrows all the fun stuff from movies like Raiders of the Lost Ark but forgets to add a protagonist that the viewer can get behind along with something new for the viewer to enjoy. The film starts out strong enough with the fake tours scamming the rich but soon loses it's gas as the film progresses. The unlikable characters and predictable story makes this one difficult to finish. Finally, the film is not one that memorable deaths or fun effects. We have some cheap effects here and there but nothing that really stands out. Overall, Jungle Raiders is a alright if you want something to watch but don't have access to Indiana Jones. I wanted to like this one but it wasn't for me.
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