Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
A BIRD'S-EYE VIEW OF A MURDEROUS CULT..., 18 Nov 2002
This is an interesting exploration of the Thuggee cult of India, as it existed in the mid nineteenth century. Members of this cult worshipped the goddess, Kali, and were called "Thugs". Known to each other through secret phrases and rituals, the Thugs, who were an organized group of professional robbers, had a most interesting modus operandi. They would kill innocent travelers by garroting them with a weighted scarf, relieve them of their worldly goods, and then bury them so that they would seem to have vanished off the face of the earth. During their existence, members of the Thuggee cult were estimated to have killed over two million people, before being wiped out by the British, with the cooperation of the existing Indian government of that time.This film, based upon a book of the same name by John Masters, explores this ancient, secret society. It features Pierce Brosnan as a British officer, William Savage, who comes upon this cult in action. He further investigates, but his efforts prove futile, until he manages to infiltrate this cult, disguised as a native of India. He does this with the aid of a Thug, who believes that the goddess Kali has turned her back on him. As the film progresses, Gophal, as William Savage now calls himself, becomes enmeshed in the activities of the cult. So great is his involvement, that he is in danger of losing himself to its tenets. It is as if he were undergoing a personal psychosis. It is not until his Thug informant realizes what is happening to him and tries to assist him, resulting in British troops coming to the rescue, that Gophal/William snaps out of his role playing. It is William's infiltration of the Thuggee cult, however, that is the catalyst for subsequent action taken to wipe out this evil and murderous society. This film, shot entirely in India, is well acted, for the most part. The only problem is Pierce Brosnan, who, in the lead role, is decidedly miscast, though he does a more than passable Indian accent. He is simply not a good fit for the role. Nonetheless, this is still an intriguing film that deals with a little known, though fascinating, segment of Indian history and worth watching.
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Set in 1825, about a British Officer who descovers a secret., 2 Jun 2001
By A Customer
Set in India, 1825, British district officer William Savage (Pierce Brosnan) discovers slaughtered victims in mass unmarked graves. This is the work of a secret cult - The Deceivers. He is torn between the loyalty to his company and young wife, he resolves to rib India of these barbaric practices. But his determination leads him into the heart of an alien, mythical world from which there is no escape. He too must become a deceiver. Can be boring at start but you get itno it when the bodies are descovered and then, everything starts moving quickly.
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
A murderous cult, a brave British officer and a great travelogue in India, 9 Nov 2007
"But if Kali tells you to kill innocent men," says Captain William Savage, "surely she's an evil and wicked goddess." "No, Kali is not evil," says Hussein, his traveling companion and member of the Thugee cult. "Kali is beautiful, more beautiful than any woman. To serve her is to know ecstasy. You will see, you will see."
Captain Savage (Pierce Brosnan) is a British station head in India. It's 1825, when Britain was expanding its rule there through force of will, example and civilized ruthlessness. One night he comes across a horrendous scene, a group of travelers suddenly set upon and mercilessly strangled. He can do nothing but run for his life. He returns the next morning with his Indian troops and insists the area be dug up to find evidence. He finds a ritual burying pit with bodies and skeletons, some fresh and some many years old. Each has been strangled, gutted and with the legs and arms broken so that the corpse will fit into the space a child would take. He learns that the killers are Thugs, followers of Kali, the six-armed goddess of destruction. Although recently married, Savage is determined to disguise himself, track down the sect and destroy it.
This is one of several movies produced by Ismail Merchant and set in India. The look of the movie is first rate. The British sweat in handsome and totally inappropriate wool uniforms; their women dress for dinner each night and maintain British standards in front of the natives. The film was shot in India and makes for a wonderful travelogue. This is an India of crumbling temples and walled palaces, of villages perched on treeless mountains, of beauty and brutality (where elephants are used to execute thieves by walking on them), of acceptance of fate and cruelty.
But is it a good movie? I think it has enough good elements to outweigh its weaknesses. The story relies on the viewer to accept things that are unrealistic...dark makeup on Savage that can last for weeks...his acceptance into the cult of Kali with little suspicion...a melodramatic emotional crisis where he may be becoming more of a Thugee himself, as well as several plot threads that seem to pop up without much preparation. The climax, for me, is disjointed with more going on than might be needed. On the plus side is Brosnan's performance. He plays it straight, without a hint of the knowing self-awareness that he developed into what appears to be his permanent style. The Indian actors who make up most of the cast are excellent, particularly Saeed Jaffrey as Hussein, a Thugee who considers himself already dead and agrees to help Savage. Keith Michell, as Savage's commanding officer and father of Savage's new bride, does a nice job as a brisk and authoritative colonel. And the movie looks great -- the production style, the costumes, the manners, the whole British-in-India dynamic. I think The Deceivers, on balance, is a film worth seeing if you're willing to take it for what it is, a better-than-average adventure matched to an interesting time and place in India.
The DVD picture is good, although a little on the soft side with some grain. There are no extras.
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