Manaus is the last place that most English football fans would like to be now, given that it was one of the locations for the national team’s ill-fated 2014 World Cup campaign in Brazil, but for the participants in the indie jungle thriller AMAZON QUEEN, there are still riches to be had – namely $1 million in stolen funds from an office there.
The jungle spirit and what it represents to Jackie, who owns a boat called the ‘Tocano’ aka ‘Amazon Queen’ is the backbone for seemingly profitable cruises into the known unknown, but for two criminals, who botched their robbery, the jungle represents their last hope for retribution and escape with the money that has seemingly been lost. However, the tourists are also keen to find some retribution….
There is so much potential in AMAZON QUEEN, with a multi-stranded series of relationships within, but it falls a little short in this department, given that the main thrust of the narrative surrounds the money, which is sparked by a mini-POINT BREAK-type robbery at the outset, with our robbers wearing Reagan and Trump masks.
There are sub-plots involving mid-life crises, a mother-daughter relationship on the rocks and the perception that you might find love when you least expect it and most need it, but it all seems a little haphazard in execution and the main thrust doesn’t happen until the second half of the film, which lacks the intensity of classic man-v-nature offerings like DELIVERANCE and THE RIVER WILD, which this shares more than enough with.
However, there is one ace in the hole here, particularly for cult 80s horror fans – and that is the welcome appearance of Vicky Dawson as the mother, whom more astute horror fans will fondly remember as Pam McDonald in the classic Joseph Zito-directed cult horror film ROSEMARY’S KILLER aka THE PROWLER. She acquits herself excellently in this film and despite the mixed-up structure, there is a good, talented cast here who deserve a better showcase.
AMAZON QUEEN does behold some spectacular location work and this is one of the strengths of the film. Just a shame that it could have been a bit more imaginatively structure-wise.
The Los Angeles International Film Festival (LAIFF) runs from 16th – 21st November 2021. For information and tickets etc, please go to:
www.laiff.org
