Coming off three of the best movies of the last five years, John McTiernan was making a name for himself as the forerunner as possibly the greatest living action director alive, or at least one of. But in 1992 he changed gears and went for a more drama based film. Not that there weren't action sequences, and not that there weren't moments that thrilled, but Medicine Man relied more on drama than anything McTiernan had done before.
Nomads featured a hefty amount of drama, but was a horror movie. Die Hard was a straight up action flick but had some amazing dramatic moments in regards to the characters. The Hunt for Red October featured more drama than all his previous pictures combined. And in all those pictures the drama that took place amongst all the other scenes was touching, heartfelt and well handled by McTiernan.
Unfortunately, especially coming off his last three films, Medicine Man is a serious let down. Starring Sean Connery and Lorraine Bracco, Medicine Man starts off just like any other McTiernan film. An airplane lands, Bracco walks through the airport and by credits end the story is rolling. The story: deep in the heart of a South American jungle a scientist, played by Connery, has discovered the cure for cancer, only he can't duplicate the results. At the same time, a road is coming through the jungle and threatens to destroy the only means of evidence that could replicate the results.
Sounds like a good story, no? McTiernan and Connery, a great team no? So why does Medicine Man falter? Why does it and McTiernan not live up to it's potential? First and most importantly is the amount of 'cheese' that comes along with this movie. There is an exuberant amount of cheesy moments here and they are all come courtesy of Lorraine Bracco.
Bracco's character arrives in the jungle to meet Connery and become his assistant. When they meet she describes her self as a PHD holding, top award winning scientist herself and to top things off, she is running the company that she and Connery work for. Then as the movie progresses she becomes the typical 'scared female' we have seen so many times before. Her character does a a 180, and even though she is good with vials and research, she all of a sudden is scared of animals, shrieks like a baby and does things that a scientist would never ever do.
Her performance is okay, but gets a little annoying at times. Which is not so much Bracco's fault, and more due to the story and what it gives for her character. The other performances in the film are much better and less heavy handed. Most are performed by unknowns who make a convincing native tribe (and might even be one they wres that good), but it is really Connery that elevates the film. As usual he brings a presence to the screen that is spellbinding and propels you from one moment to the next by his voice alone. Connery is the greatest thing about this film.
Now, as I was saying, Bracco's character was let down by the conventionalism of the story. There was potential to be had here in regards to the story but unfortunately MctIernan can't hold it together. In a film about scientists discovering the cure for cancer, he focuses in on a love story. In a story that is touching on issues of how we as a people are destroying ourselves, he focuses in on a love story. Not that the romance that occurs is played up on the front stage, or that the two leads ever kiss, but it lingers in the background and by films end is really all that is remembered.
In his past three films McTiernan managed to make them timeless. Medicine Man feels like it is straight out of the early 90's. The costumes and hairstyles are seriously dated and take away from the enjoyment of the film. Bracco's jeans makes me think while watching the film 'I can't believe people used to wear clothes like that'. Thoughts like that shouldn't happen when enthralled in a movie.
The editing is okay, but nothing special and no where near the standards that McTiernan delivered previously. It's a decent cut and splice job with nothing creative about it and for the most part well done in reagards to continuity. Expect here: One night Bracco goes to sleep, in a shirt and panties and when she wakes up in the morning she is in those truly awful jeans. How did she do that? Magic?
Other than Connery, the best part of Medicine Man is the music and the cinematography. As usual, McTiernan has lined himself up with an ace cinematographer and delivered some stunning shots throughout, on top and outside of the jungle. Great scenery which is set to great music by the ever reliable Jerry Goldsmith. Pulse pounding rhythms and great thumping bass lines are present throughout and the music is a joy to listen to, propelling the story and the film in a great many ways.
On it's own, Medicine Man is a fun if forgettable adventure film. Nothing special but it is enjoyable and does keep you entertained. With humor and romance and a few thrills and spills here and there, this rather conventional film passes the time when needed. But as a McTiernan film, coming after his last three, one would wish for something better than this. Medicine Man, along with Nomads, makes it seem like his skill and talent are there only when he is directing action. Maybe that's a little unfair; Nomads was a first feature and other than that Medicine Man was really his first disappointment, and it isn't even that bad. I'll reserve my judgements then for the future.
Film Rating: 66%
Breakdown (How Medicine Man scored 66%):
Production Design: 7 out of 10
Cinematography: 8 out of 10
Re-playability: 5 out of 10
Originality: 7 out of 10
Costumes: 5 out of 10
Directing: 7 out of 10
Editing: 6 out of 10
Acting: 7 out of 10
Music: 8 out of 10
Script: 6 out of 10
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