Medicine Man (1992)

Director:

John McTiernan

Writers (WGA):

Tom Schulman (story)
Tom Schulman (screenplay) ...

Release Date:

7 February 1992 (USA)

Genre:

Adventure | Romance

Tagline:

On the trail of an amazing discovery he finds an explosive adventure!

Plot:

An eccentric scientist working for a large drug company is working on a research project in the Amazon jungle...

Plot Keywords:

Cancer | Gas Chromatograph | Jungle | Rain Forest | Monkey

Awards:

1 nomination

Cast

Sean Connery	...	Dr. Robert Campbell
Lorraine Bracco	...	Dr. Rae Crane
José Wilker	...	Dr. Miguel Ornega
Rodolfo De Alexandre	...	Tanaki
Francisco Tsiren Tsere Rereme	...	Jahausa
Elias Monteiro Da Silva	...	Palala
Edinei Maria Serrio Dos Santos	...	Kalana
Bec-Kana-Re Dos Santos Kaiapo	...	Imana
Angelo Barra Moreira	...	Medicine Man
José Lavat	...	Government Man

Also Known As:

The Last Days of Eden

Runtime:

106 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

Iceland:L | South Korea:12 | Australia:PG | Finland:S | Germany:12 | Spain:T | Sweden:11 | UK:PG (cut) | USA:PG-13 | Singapore:PG

Filming Locations:

Catemaco, Veracruz, Mexico

Company:

Cinergi Pictures Entertainment

Trivia:

Sean Connery's salary for this film was $10 million.

Goofs:

Continuity: Dr. Bronx goes to sleep in her hammock wearing underwear but wakes up wearing a belt and jeans.

Quotes:

Dr. Robert Campbell: [referring to the blue tattoo on Dr. Crane's forehead that the Rain Forest Medicine Man gave her while she was sleeping] Oh come on Bronx. Do you really think that Tommy Fallon is going to want to walk down the aisle with a woman who's 'something blue' is a tattoo on her forehead?

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Animaniacs: Video Review/When Mice Ruled the Earth (#1.47)" (????)

Soundtrack:

That Old Black Magic

Solid rainforest drama

When this movie came out in 1992, many critics seemed to feel that it was mediocre, or average at best. Even as a hardcore Connery fan I avoided the film simply based on a handful of reviews I had read in the media at the time.

Fast forward nearly ten years and the mixed reviews here on imdb reinforced my apathy towards the film. It wasn't until I borrowed a copy through a local library that I finally watched the movie just now, and I fail to see why it's supposedly not up to par. I thought it was a fine film in most respects: the storytelling was good, the dialogue was snappy, the cinematography was wonderful, and it had a positive message. It's not an action movie, but I never felt bored at all...if anything, it was a refreshing change of pace and scenery, and Sean Connery continues to astound me with his versatility. His acting was superb, which is not really a big suprise, but he seemed more into this role than some others I've seen him in. Even the wig and ponytail looked real!

Like a lot of other people, I found Lorraine Bracco's character quite annoying, almost insufferable at certain points, but that's the whole point: her character is supposed to be like that, and the truth is that if she didn't come across as so irritating then that would have been failed acting skills on her part. I think she did a great job at being annoying, which is what she was supposed to do. I imagine that if you took some ivy league lab rat scholar and dumped them right in the middle of a situation and place that's totally foreign to them, you'd probably get a reaction like the one she portrayed. I found the two leads had a good chemistry, and the constant tension and conflict between them was very convincing and helped to propel the story along.

All in all an enjoyable film, but some of the other aspects could have and should have been expanded. I felt that they spent too much time searching the trees for the plant they needed, and the whole conflict with the developers was thrown in at too late a juncture. These aren't major failings however, so I'd recommend the film to anyone looking for something a bit different, and it's a must for any Connery fan. Don't wait ten years to see it simply because some critics didn't think it was a masterpiece. Screw the critics!