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 Stand

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

Dr. Bronx' harness appears on her before she dons it.

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Quotes

Dr. Rae Crane: You must have thought you were really on to something.
Dr. Robert Campbell: I don't think, I know.

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Alternate Versions

All film and video releases are cut in the UK to get a "PG" rating.

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Connections

Spoofed in George of the Jungle (1997)

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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

One of Those Forgotten Films.....

Most people dedicate their time reviewing movies that have been deemed "classic" or "great"...what about the rest of them? True, MEDICINE MAN is not "great", but it gets away with being mildly entertaining. The film follows the exploits of Dr. Rae Crane (Lorraine Bracco) as she descends into the rain forests of Brazil. Her job is to assist and evaluate the mysterious Dr. Campbell (Sean Connery) whose backing is close to being pulled. Everything is fairly lighthearted, until Campbell reveals that he has discovered the cure for cancer. The main tension is that he cannot reproduce it - something that the film spends the majority of the running time dealing with. Eventually, there is a crisis, a climax, etc...

The sad thing is that this should have been a better film. Everything is there: John McTiernan, an under-rated director, who is at home with filming the jungle (see PREDATOR). Sean Connery gives one of his more spirited performances here, he seems to be having fun with the role. The rich photography, by Donald McAlpine, makes MEDICINE MAN a wonderful film to look at. The story is decent, using semi-factual accounts as the basis for the narrative. All this plus one of Jerry Goldsmith's best scores of the 90's...the music simply shimmers and sways like a soft wind through the treetops. So...

Why doesn't this film work? One problem is that you simply do not care about any of the characters (excepting Connery). Lorraine Bracco's character is abrasive, but the failure of her role is due more to the writing than the acting. Sean Connery's role is very well developed; the screenwriters seem to have focused more on the haunted and quirky Robert Campbell, and nobody else. Yes, Bracco's character is annoying and grating and irritating and whines too much, etc., but if it were a stronger character we could have forgiven her for these qualities. Also, the narrative arc of the story seems a bit clipped near the end, what with that whole "twenty-four hours" to find the cure for cancer thing. The action during the finale seems forced and is not really reinforced during the film proper. We see smoke off in the distance once or twice, but there is very little urgency in these scenes. Besides Goldsmith's looming and percussive synth patterns, I would not have known there was a threat at all.

Anyway, MEDICINE MAN just does not come together in a satisfying way. It is however an entertaining film and a must see for Connery fanatics. It is one of those films that open, makes a little money, then is forgotten. These are the films I'm interested in and will continue to review. 6/10