Amazon Queen

Amazon Queen

It is easy to understand why Marlin Darrah decided to start his film with a montage of scenes depicting the rain forest, given that he is a recipient of Duke and Kelsey Joseph award as well as a director who specializes in travel and nature documentaries. The action shifts to the city of Manus where a robbery is underway. This goes on to create a betrayal at the airport that leaves Machado (Massi Furlan, Randy’s Canvas, Wrong Place) and Silva (Clayton Meek) without their cash. Expecting something like this, the manager has concealed a tracker in one of the pouches of cash.

In other developments, Jackie (Carly Diamond Stone, Cash Collectors) is in distress with her business associate, Flynn (Nick Dreselly Thomas) as they contemplate their future. And it’s not coming in good time, because their tour boat The Tucano urgently needs repairs. They are about to go out on the river with a group that includes Sam (Alfonso DiLuca, Jane the Virgin) who is a journalist, and along with Maggie (Vicky Dawson, The Prowler, Carbon Copy) and her daughter Leilah (Cristina Encarnacion, Illume the Movie) when two men appear asking for tickets and paying with cash.

Rick Cullis, Richard Lasser, and Darrah are the co-writers of The Counting House. They created a simple narrative that is quite recognizably set in a beautiful location. To capitalize on the success of Jungle Cruise, an image was created of Bogart and Hepburn in The African Queen along with an appropriate title, but The Asylum easily overshadowed them with Jungle Run.

Unfortunately, Amazon Queen is an hour eighty minutes producer, very slow to self disciplined. During the early portions of the trip, as TheTucano(sic), (It’s Tucan, not queen) goes up the river, the audience is presented with the inner conflicts of the travelers. The episode in the US that Flynn is supposedly escaping from, the tension between Maggie and Leilah.

Leilah and Silva’s mutual lust. To worsen the melodrama, the dying and absent father of Jackie, Francisco played by Carson Grant from Dirty Diamond which incorporates Jackie into the picture.

Other than that, and the beautiful cinematic view of the river and the local populations that they meet, one would not think that Amazon Queen is meant to be an adventure thriller. Darrah manages to compose shots very well, and the images of the boat on the river and all the others of where the characters are in the rainforest or animals are also quite impressive.

However, he does seem lost when it comes to the film’s narrative part or the management of the actors. I am sure having a majority of the cast as greenhorns was counterproductive. What is worse is a script that appears to be more bothered in being suitable for children and sending more of a message concerning the Amazon nut not attempting to provide any excitement. Just having the bad guys on the boat does not equal to suspense. They have to do something.

By the time Machado is given out by what appears to be the most specific police drawing in the world, 2/3 of the work is already over and has hardly anything of value to show in terms of building suspense. And even after that, not much occurs and Amazon Queen never picks up speed or sets a mood of tension. Almost all the action in the film is reserved for the last ten minutes and climaxes in an ending that I found dumb the first one hundred times that I watched it.

Amazon Queen is unfortunately like a longer episode of an American network TV show, showcasing a great cinematic style but utterly boring and predictable. And if you enjoy TV, or you need something on in the background or something to watch with the kids, then this should suit you. If you wish to find a true action film, you will be let down.

For more movies Visit Gomovies.