Romancing the Stone
Romancing the Stone (1984)
"What did you do, wake up this morning and say, 'Today, I'm going to ruin a man's life'?"
One of the reasons this movie appealed to me as a child, I think, was that a great deal of its story takes place in the Colombian rainforest. As I mentioned in my reviews of The Edge and Never Cry Wolf, I had a great interest in stories involving man struggling to survive against nature. While this film isn't about that at all, the scenes in the jungle held a fascination for me that made it stick in my mind. From a story perspective, there's nothing terribly groundbreaking. At its core, it's a treasure hunt and a fairly satisfying one at that. The film throws in a few plot twists and some exciting action sequences and what comes out is a fun, engaging film.
First and foremost, this film is an action-comedy, and I think it balances both aspects well. Much of the laughs in the film come from Joan's awkwardness and the fact that she's completely unprepared for the adventure in front of her. There's something inherently funny about a woman walking down a muddy road in the middle of the jungle during a downpour, pulling a large blue plastic suitcase behind her. The comedy elicits more chuckles than laugh-out-loud moments, but the jokes have aged well for the most part. As an 80s movie set primarily in a South American country, there's always the risk of racist depictions of the local populace. I think this movie avoids this for the most part (though there are some) and occasionally turns some of those tropes on their head. For example, Jack is frequently (and awkwardly) surprised when he realizes that many people in Colombia do speak English and some of the less than savory elements that may have operated in Colombia at the time are not exactly what one might expect from South American drug lords.
Director Robert Zemeckis keeps the movie going at a good pace, and there's not a lot of downtime. Like most movies of the era, we're only told what we need to know to follow the story, and it doesn't bog itself down in exposition. There's obviously some history that's kept hidden from the audience, such as why Ellaine's husband was murdered and how he came to have the map in the first place. Still, these are not terribly relevant to Joan's journey, so Zemeckis lets us use our imaginations to fill in the gaps.
Acting/Characters:
A movie like this lives and dies by its two leads, and this film was right on the money by casting Turner and Douglas. Turner, who at this point was probably most well known for her role in Body Heat, plays against the femme fatale type and portrays Joan as completely hapless and confused. As I mentioned earlier, this provides much of the laughs in the film, but there's also an interesting arc here. By the end of the film, Joan hasn't developed into a badass action hero. No, she's still pretty mousy and awkward. However, her experiences have forced her to gain a bit of confidence, which allows her the opportunity to come to her own defense during the film's climax. Of course, the chemistry between her and Douglas was fantastic, which is probably why the two teamed up a couple more times in the decade (including in a sequel of this film).
Speaking of Douglas, he does a great job as the brash and cocky hero, Jack. Douglas is one of those "movie star" actors of old that just ooze charisma, and this is only full display in the film. Jack is just a guy going about his day when he gets caught up in all this mess. In the early going, he's frequently perturbed by Joan's haplessness and desperately wants to be rid of her. One of the funniest bits of Douglas' portrayal is Jack's habit of muttering about how awful his life is and how he should've listened to his mother. Douglas imbues the character with his considerable charm and makes the audience like him from the get-go, even though he's a bit of a skeez.
From DeVito's exasperated Ralph to Manuel Ojeda's creepy-ass Zolo, the rest of the cast are all solid. I have to give a shoutout to Alfonso Arau's portrayal of the drug dealer, Juan. He was easily my favorite character back in the day because he was just so ridiculous, and I'm happy to say that I think he's still my favorite character 30 years later.
Visual/Special Effects:
Being a 1980s action-comedy, there's not a ton of visual effects in this movie. There are several firefights that are all done well enough. Much of the film's visual appeal stems from the on-location shooting done in Mexico rather than Colombia. Still, the wide shots of the jungle are breathtaking, and the climax in an old Spanish fort makes for a good backdrop. The makeup department also earned its money in a scene where a man gets his hand bitten off by a crocodile (why was I allowed to watch this as an 8-year-old?).
Score/Soundtrack:
The music for the film is...okay? I guess. It was composed by Alan Silvestri, and it certainly is a product of its era. It combines your standard 80s sound with some Latin beats, and the result is...meh. I guess it didn't take me out of the movie or anything, but it was just...meh. Not among my favorites, that's for sure.
Action:
There are some good action sequences in this film, including an attempt to cross a deep ravine, several gunfights and the aforementioned climax in an old Spanish fort. However, the most appealing action set piece was the chase scene involving Zolo's men chasing after Joan, Jack and Juan in his 'Little Mule.' It's a fun and entertaining sequence, peppered with some pretty good laughs.
Final Verdict:
I have to say, I was a bit concerned coming back to the movie after so many years. However, I was pleasantly surprised. Obviously, what I appreciate about the film is different than when I was a kid, but honestly, I had fun watching it. Fans of Michael Douglas or Danny DeVito won't be disappointed, and it's a solid choice for a date-night movie.
Comments
Post a Comment