Medicine Man (1992)

In the beautiful and dangerous Amazon rainforest dissimilar people must should make their choice between business, science and love.

Director:

John McTiernan

Writers:

Tom Schulman (story), Tom Schulman (screenplay)

Stars:

Sean Connery, Lorraine Bracco, José Wilker

1 nomination.

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Sean Connery	...	Dr. Robert Campbell
Lorraine Bracco	...	Dr. Rae Crane
José Wilker	...	Dr. Miguel Ornega
Rodolfo De Alexandre	...	Tanaki (as Rodolfo de Alexandre)
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

Storyline

An eccentric scientist working for a large drug company is working on a research project in the Amazon jungle. He sends for a research assistant and a gas chromatograph because he's close to a cure for cancer. When the assistant turns out to be a "mere woman," he rejects her help. Meanwhile the bulldozers get closer to the area in which they are conducting research, and they eventually learn to work together, and begin falling in love.

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Plot Keywords:

stethoscope exam | gas chromatograph | jungle | cancer | nature | 

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Taglines:

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

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Genres:

Adventure | Drama | Romance

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Certificate:

PG-13

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

7 February 1992 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Last Days of Eden

Filming Locations:

Mexico

Box Office

Budget:

$40,000,000 (estimated)

Gross USA:

$45,500,797

Company Credits

Production Co:

Hollywood Pictures,Cinergi Pictures Entertainment

Technical Specs

Runtime:

106 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

While promoting the movie on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson (1962), Sean Connery stated that he would start each day playing a round of golf. He carried his own club and played at such a pace that the younger cast and crew members playing with him could not keep up.

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Goofs

When Bronx and Campbell are up in the canopy on harnesses, in some shots they are shown supported by small flat wooden seats as part of their harness rigging and in other shots the seats aren't there and they are just supported by harness rigging around their upper thighs, yet the action is supposed to be continuous and there is no time for any sort of rigging changes to explain this.

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Quotes

Dr. Robert Campbell: It's only one fly in the serum. I can't reproduce it.
Dr. Rae Crane: What do you mean?
Dr. Robert Campbell: None of the new samples work and I have very little of the original serum left. That's what I mean when I say I can't reproduce it.
Dr. Rae Crane: Wait a minute. I don't understand.
Dr. Robert Campbell: What don't you understand? I found the cure for the fucking plague of the twentieth century and now I've lost it. Haven't you ever lost anything doctor Bronx? Your purse? Your car keys? Well, it's rather like that: Now you have it and now you don't.

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Connections

Referenced in Jeopardy!: Episode #27.160 (2011)

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Soundtracks

That Old Black Magic
Written by Johnny Mercer (as John H. Mercer) and Harold Arlen
Famous Music Corp. (ASCAP)

User Reviews

McTiernan excellently weaves science, ethics and humor in this story about the search for a cancer cure in the jungle

A fine movie, not to be judged on the basis of Hollywood's usual recipe for storytelling. The eccentric scientist Robert Campbell (Connery) who has found a cure for cancer out in the jungle, is not able to reproduce its exact composition. Biologist Rae Crane (Bracco) biologist has dropped in from academia to be his judge and jury and decide on Campbell's continued funding.

The film pays a fair amount of attention to scientific detail (such as "running baselines" and using "experimental controls") interspersing it throughout with lively and shrewd exchanges between Campbell and Crane. To that they add mildly sarcastic observations on field work and fund-raising committees. Whilst this scientific sub-story line runs along, we are shown glimpses of life in a sympathetic tribe for which Campbell has become a sort of sugar daddy. Ethics and personal choice confront both scientists as they struggle with the decision to reserve the last bit of serum either for the good of humanity or the life of one of the tribe's children.

McTiernan has weaved all these elements excellently and Connery and Bracco play their roles so convincingly that you could be excused for thinking they may have scientific backgrounds in real life.

The film is a feast for educated people - which is probably the reason why many of the critics have missed the fine points and proceeded to rattle off some vitriolic commentary more aimed, in my view, at self-aggrandizement than constructive film criticism. One even complained that Medicine Man didn't quite match up to Die Hard. Now there is a proper comparison for you.