Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Great story, awkward film, 19 Mar 2006
Ismail Merchant's take on the Thugs, his long-cherished dream project The Deceivers, is less successful than Hammer's notorious Stranglers of Bombay despite having more to work with. John Master's novel is a good yarn and Michael Hirst's script is excellent, but Pierce Brosnan isn't a strong enough lead as the Brit (appropriately named Savage) who disguises himself as an Indian to gather evidence on the Thugs only to find that he enjoys killing too much for the good of his soul (Christopher Reeve and Treat Williams were Merchant's first choices). Nor is Nicholas Meyer the right director - this needed a bolder widescreen treatment from an old-time sadist like John Guillermin to really catch fire. But it's still an interesting film that holds on the strength of its story, and when it does work, it works extremely well. The surprisingly bleak finale is a definite plus and quite beautifully handled. Despite the fascinating story of the film's troubled production, the only extra is a trailer. You'll have to try to track down a copy of Hullabaloo in Old Jeypore, Merchant's slightly self-aggrandizing account of his myriad misfortunes during the controversial shoot the film in India - including the company finding themselves locked up at one point - and it's a worthwhile read, even if it should perhaps be subtitled `101 Reasons I'll Never Work With Tim Van Rellim Again.'
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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, 18 Jun 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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