Firewalker (1986)

A pair of adventurers try to track down an ancient Aztec/Mayan/Egyptian/Apache hoard of gold.

Director:

J. Lee Thompson

Writers:

Robert Gosnell (story), Jeffrey M. Rosenbaum (story)

Stars:

Chuck Norris, Louis Gossett Jr., Melody Anderson

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Chuck Norris	...	Max Donigan
Louis Gossett Jr.	...	Leo Porter
Melody Anderson	...	Patricia Goodwin
Will Sampson	...	Tall Eagle
Sonny Landham	...	El Coyote
John Rhys-Davies	...	Corky Taylor
Ian Abercrombie	...	Boggs
Richard Lee-Sung	...	Chinese Man / The General
Zaide Silvia Gutiérrez	...	Indian Girl
Álvaro Carcaño	...	Willie
John Hazelwood	...	Tubbs
José Escandón	...	Co-Pilot
Mario Arévalo	...	Guerilla Leader
Juan Jaramillo	...	Tough Guerilla (as Juan Garcia Jaramillo)
Miguel Ángel Fuentes	...	Big Man (as Miguel Fuentes)

Storyline

Max Donigan sets off on a treasure hunt with his friend Leo and newly-acquired partner Patricia, who provided the treasure map. Along the way they encounter a few bar fights, evil "coyotes", and other obstacles they are able to overcome with ease. When they find the temple with the treasure, they also find the Firewalker, who wants to retain the power of his ancestors and put an end to the trio's treasure hunt. In the end, Max and his two friends persevere and return home wealthy.

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Plot Keywords:

love interest | blonde | blonde woman | cat fight | leg | 

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Taglines:

A pair of down-and-out fortune hunters cash in on high adventure!

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Genres:

Action | Adventure | Comedy

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Certificate:

PG

Did You Know?

Trivia

Roger Ebert gave the film one star and called it derivative of the then recent hit Romancing the Stone (1984). He infamously closed his review with the line "...its press notes optimistically claim the movie is "in the tradition" of Romancing the Stone. In literature, it's called plagiarism. In the movies, it's homage."

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Goofs

Sonny Landham's character the Coyote has his eye patch positions change throughout the movie. when he killed Boggs his eye patch was on his right eye, and later when in the cave with water, it is on his left eye.

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Quotes

Max: Watch he'll say something like "So gentlemen, we meet again".
The General: So gentlemen, we meet again.
Max: I told ya.

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Alternate Versions

West German theatrical version was released uncut with a "Not under 12" rating. However, the VHS release was cut by 1,5 minutes. This version was used for all subsequent VHS and DVD releases. Only in 2014 the uncut version was released on DVD.

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Connections

Referenced in Best of the Worst: Our VHS Collection (2019)

User Reviews

An enjoyable adventure

The special effects for this one are (what can I say?) missing, but the story-line is interesting, and the cast obviously had fun making this film.

The problem most viewers would have with this is that it's not a karate flick (sorry). No, this one is an adventure comedy. As for not being Abbott and Costello, nobody but the incomparable Bud Abbott and Lou Costello could be. What we have here are reluctant, but trusting, partners. This story revolves around a long-lost mythical treasure (Romancing the Stone?), guarded by a demigod with supernatural powers (Jewel of the Nile?).

Take the kids and have a good time.

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English Hungarian Spanish

Release Date:

21 November 1986 (USA)

Also Known As:

Firewalker

Filming Locations:

Sierra de Organos, Sombrerete, Zacatecas, Mexico

Box Office

Budget:

$8,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$4,130,323, 23 November 1986

Gross USA:

$11,949,484

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$11,949,484

Company Credits

Production Co:

Golan-Globus Productions, Major Studio Partners, The Cannon Group

Technical Specs

Runtime:

105 min

Sound Mix:

Ultra Stereo

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1