Primal Force (1999) (TV)

User Rating:

4.0/10   

Director:

Nelson McCormick

Writer (WGA):

Michael Thoma (written by)

Release Date:

6 May 1999 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Adventure | Sci-Fi

Plot:

Rescuers try to reach plane crash victims that are trapped on an isolated Mexican island populated by mutant baboons. Ron Perlman stars as a troubled guide hired to lead the mission.

Plot Keywords:

Island | Mission | Plane Crash | Baboon | Experiment

Cast

Ron Perlman	...	Frank Brodie
Mark Kiely	...	Scott Davis
Roxana Zal	...	Tara Matthews
Kimberlee Peterson	...	Kelsey Cunningham
Guillermo Ríos	...	Eddie Mendoza
Richard Fancy	...	Deutsch
Julian Sedgwick	...	Stan Kovacs
Jimy Hefner	...	Pilot
Bruno Danza	...	Captain
Ramiro González	...	Boat mate (as Ramiro Gonzales)
Lorene Noh	...	Baboon patriarch
Gustavo Tecuapetla R.	...	Baboon player 1
Lincy Anahy Avila G.	...	Baboon player 2
Claudia Acosta A.	...	Baboon player 3
Artemio Arzate H.	...	Baboon player 4

Also Known As:

Wild World (USA) (working title)

Runtime:

86 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Certification:

Iceland:16 | Australia:M | Germany:16 | UK:15

Filming Locations:

Ixtapa, Guerrero, Mexico

Company:

Singer/White Entertainment Production

Trivia:

The working title for the film was "Wild World".

Goofs:

Continuity: As Davis walks along the track he gets caught by a loose branch around his boot. After disentangling himself, he asks Brodie how far away the plane is. Brodie informs him that it is about a kilometer away, and they won't make it before dark. At this point Brodie's jacket buttons are on the left side of his jacket. Cut back to Davis, who says they will make it. When the camera cuts back to Brodie, his jacket buttons are now on the right side of his jacket. The shot is in reverse.

Quotes:

Tara Matthews: [about the baboons] They're developing at an incredible rate, they're nearly Neanderthal.
Frank Brodie: I'd like to get out of here before they get cable.

Movie Connections:

References Planet of the Apes (1968)

Sometimes being left to live is the worst monkey on your back.

A small charter plane has crashed on a banned and supposedly lifeless island, stranding the pilot, a real estate broker and a wealthy young woman. The rescue team put together to go in, unable to contract a professional adviser, as all believe the isle is cursed, are forced to hire the only guide available; a drunken ill tempered recluse, who's spent the last decade attempting to running from the memories of animal experimentation gone horribly wrong. Now, with the recovery crew, he will be going into his nightmare, and it is viciously wide awake.

This is average paint by numbers TV movie quality; dialogue is generally uninspired, sieve-like plot, and characters are stock (the spoiled little rich girl-Kimberlee Peterson, the chatty plotting business man-Richard Fancy, the doctor with a secret-Roxana Zal, the hard nosed tough guy-Mark Kiely, the haunted man-Ron Perlman). The acting runs from so-so to excellent. The camera angles and cuts are very frenetic, attempting to create a suspenseful atmosphere, and there are the obligatory stunt shots in slo-mo. Basically, it's a pizza and a movie evening TV fare.

Ron Perlman has the lead; a broken man unable to have a life because he stayed alive when many others did not. He takes a generic, usually one note role; the haunted man, and imbues him with multiply layers of emotional depth (quakingly fearful yet strong, bravery in spite of moments of cowardice, morose but dryly humorous, fatalistic yet willing to act, haunted but yet still able to hope, etc) turning in a well rounded, excellent performance.

Favorite Line(s): (Matthews/Zal) "They're evolving at an incredible rate! They're almost Neanderthal!" (Brodie/Perlman) "I'd like to get out of here before they get cable."

Worth a rent/buy for Ron Perlman fans.