(Connery’s) effortless charisma is the only thing this film has going for it, aside from the cinematography and a lively musical score.
Dr. Robert Campbell (Sean Connery) has been doing research in the Amazonian jungle for over three years. His employer, a large pharmaceutical company, hasn’t heard from him in quite some time but is surprised when he requests a research partner and some additional equipment. In return, Campbell is surprised — and somewhat annoyed — when they send a woman instead of the research partner he requested.
Dr. Rae Crane (Lorraine Bracco) finds that Campbell has stumbled onto a cure for cancer. Unfortunately, he’s only been able to produce one batch of the serum and can’t replicate it. Crane and Campbell begin a race against time to reproduce the results of the first batch. A logging company is bearing down on the village. If they cut down the trees near the camp, they’ll destroy the only known source of the flower that is the basis of Campbell’s serum.
As they work together, tensions run high between Campbell and Crane. He is a cantankerous man with a long, grey ponytail who likes to drink a bit too much. She’s a by-the-book researcher who is such a prude that even the native villagers joke that she’s a virgin. What are the odds that they’ll come to enjoy each other’s company?
As is the case with any movie starring Sean Connery, Medicine Man is at least watchable because of him. His effortless charisma is the only thing this film has going for it, aside from the cinematography and a lively musical score. The script, by Tom Schulman and Sally Robinson, suffers from a severe case of inconsistency, especially when it comes to Lorraine Bracco’s character.
For example, Crane is portrayed as a stickler for processes and procedures but yet balks at Campbell’s insistence that she wear a surgical mask upon arriving at the camp. The mask is meant to protect the villagers from any diseases she might have brought with her. This should be common sense to an educated person. Lorraine Bracco’s performance is either hindered by or exacerbates the flaws in the logic of the character.
It doesn’t help that every situation feels contrived so as to highlight the differences between Campbell and Crane’s attitudes on, well, just about everything. Watching them learn to appreciate one another isn’t a surprise as much as it is a requirement.
John McTiernan, who has directed solid action films like Die Hard and Predator, highlights the lush tropical locale and crafts a few humorous moments. Unlike his action films, Medicine Man doesn’t have much momentum or urgency. Yes, the threat of the logging company looms on the horizon but a distant smoke plume isn’t much of a catalyst for action.
So we’re left with the predictable interactions between Connery and Bracco. And, that’s not enough to warrant a recommendation.
2.0 out of 5.0 stars
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