Euer Weg führt durch die Hölle (1984)

Director:

Ernst R. von Theumer

Writers:

Robert Collector (writer)
Marc Furstenberg (based on an idea by)

Release Date:

November 1984 (USA)

Genre:

Action

Plot:

A group of models fly into the jungle of some South American country to look for a photo location. Their...

Plot Keywords:

Jungle | Drugs | Mafia | Airplane Accident | Decapitation

Cast

Nina Van Pallandt	...	Joanna Quinn
Paul L. Smith	...	Cesar Santiago
John Vernon	...	Vito Mastranga
Alex Cord	...	Nick Spilotro
Sybil Danning	...	Angel
Marjoe Gortner	...	Larry Schecter
Woody Strode	...	Luther
Kai Wulff	...	Ben Sturges
Dana Elcar	...	D'Antoni
Suzi Horne	...	Pam Ross
Mindi Iden	...	Marci
Kari Lloyd	...	Brie Klinger
Ava Cadell	...	Didi Belair
Myra Chason	...	Cindy Cassidy
Angela Robinson	...	Monique Rogers

Also Known As:

Jungle Warriors (USA) (West Germany) (video title)
Jungle Fever (West Germany)
Jungle Warriors - Euer Weg führt durch die Hölle (West Germany) (long title)
The Czar of Brazil (West Germany)
Les guerriers de la jungle (France) [fr]
Los guerreros de la jungla (Spain) [es]
Viidakkosoturit (Finland) [fi]

Runtime:

USA:93 min

Country:

Mexico | West Germany

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Iceland:16 | Finland:(Banned) (1990) | UK:18 (cut) (1984) | UK:15 (censored version) | Norway:16 (theatrical rating) (cut) | France:-12 | Norway:18 | Spain:13 | USA:R | West Germany:18 | Germany:BPjM Restricted

Filming Locations:

Mexico

Company:

Araiz-Condoy Productions

Trivia:

Dennis Hopper was arrested by Mexican police for wandering naked around a village near where the film was shooting. He was fired and replaced by Marjoe Gortner. He later said he had a drug problem at the time and didn't even remember being arrested, let alone being fired from the picture.

The latest weapon in the drug wars: fashion models.

A bevy of gorgeous fashion model babes travel to South America for a location shoot, and get caught up in a big drug deal between local drug lord Cesar Santiago (hulking Paul L. Smith) and American mobster Vito Mastranga (John Vernon).

That's the amusing gist of this decent bit of escapist entertainment. More to the point, it's trash, but it's lively, nasty, colorful trash. It doles out the bloody violence throughout, with director Ernst R. von Theumer and company going all out for a very entertaining climax. Be prepared for a man impaled on a jungle trap, a juicy decapitation that comes as an actual shock, and plenty of squibs used as one bad guy after another gets mowed down. Now, granted, fans of exploitative B action flicks may not be totally satisfied: it's not as exploitative as they may want. There are still some highlights, such as Cesars' henchmen helping themselves to the girls, and Sybil Danning (if admittedly not used all that well) adds a little bit of spice as Cesars' half sister (!) who's a real sadist. And there are some brief bits of nudity and bare breasts, so it's still pretty good. The exotic locale is a big help (the film was actually shot in Mexico).

The film has the very much ideal B movie cast. Striking blonde beauty Nina van Pallandt proves to be a good action babe in the lead; she has the right amount of gutsy determination. Alex Cord is good as Vitos' concerned nephew Nick. Woody Strode, still a fine physical specimen in his 70's, oozes an impressive amount of cool as a henchman. Kai Wulff is fine as the rugged pilot who stands up to the drug lords. Marjoe Gortner is fun as always as the photographer who in a moment of humility admits that he's a professional bull*beep*er and later tries to redeem himself by becoming Mr. Action Hero. And the solid Dana Elcar and always delightful (if too briefly seen) Louisa Moritz round out the familiar faces.

It's always fun to watch sexy ladies in action roles, and this film doesn't disappoint in that regard. Even if it doesn't quite have as much punch as it could have had, that may only be because the version I watched was probably edited to some degree. In any event, it gets really exciting by the end of the film, and Smith is a superb heavy, the kind of guy who can get stabbed and shot without being slowed down. Overall, "Jungle Warriors" is an enjoyable 92 minutes of B level entertainment.

7/10