Review of River of Death (1989) by Richard D — 28 Jul 2016
Michael Dudikoff kind of does the Indiana Jones thing in Cannon's adaptation of Alistair MacLean's novel. Dudikoff leads a doctor and his daughter deep into the Amazon to find the source of a deadly plague.
They are attacked by hostile natives. The doctor is killed, Dudikoff escapes, but without the young woman. Making his way back to civilization, Dudikoff is determined to travel back to the tribe's village and rescue the girl.
He gets an expedition going thanks to a wealthy German (Donald Pleasence), but his motives turn out to be not exactly benign. With a plot involving cannibals and Nazi experiments, this seems more fitting as an Italian outing or at least a cheap Franco film.
Cannon's attempt to fit this into the cycle of Raiders rip-offs results in the exploitation elements being a little too soft sold. However, although Dudikoff is never a thrilling screen presence, he's backed by a group of solid character veterans .
.. besides Pleasence, Herbert Lom, L.Q. Jones and Robert Vaughan show up ... so this film manages to be a fairly entertaining lark.
This review of River of Death (1989) was written by Richard D on 28 Jul 2016.
River of Death has generally received negative reviews.
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