Movies
Ranking John McTiernan Films: #9 – “Medicine Man” (1992)
Medicine Man is such a strange movie—the premise, the execution, the idea—all of it.
“In the beautiful and dangerous Amazon rainforest, dissimilar people must make their choices between business, science, and love.”
Director: John McTiernan
Writers: Tom Schulman, Sally Robinson
Cast: Sean Connery, Lorraine Bracco, José Wilker
Release Date: February 7, 1992
IMDB
Medicine Man is such a strange movie—the premise, the execution, the idea—all of it. John McTiernan began his Hollywood career with three unassailable films filled with action and tension. With all the power in the world, McTiernan decided it was time to return to the jungle for a romantic comedy-esq medical mystery tinged with environmental concerns. Who’s in?
Sean Connery plays Dr. Robert Campbell, an emotionally damaged yet genius medical hermit who believes he has discovered the cure for cancer in the Amazon rainforest. He is joined by Dr. Rae Crane (Lorraine Bracco), who does not take to Campbell’s outdoorsy methods well.
Medicine Man is as much about Crane and Campbell’s relationship as it is about the potential eradication of cancer. The chemistry of the will-they, won’t-they relationship is strange and, at times, very poor. The sweeping scenery of the Amazon rainforest can’t stop the feeling that these two would be stumped about having a romantic spark.
Speaking of stumps (I know, get segway), the screenplay’s weaving of ecological concerns doesn’t have great roots. It’s hinted at the beginning that there is construction in the rainforest, and after a few cutaways to smoke, the film’s climax makes industrialization the main focus. The road (symbolic of business stomping over natural processes) must pave its path, and Campbell and the company have to do whatever they can to stop it in the name of scientific growth.
STANKO RATING: D
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Ranking The Mission: Impossible Films: #8 – Mission: Impossible II (2000)
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Four Shorty Reactions: “MaXXXine” (2024), “Monkey Man” (2024), “Raising Arizona” (1987), “Scoop” (2024)
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