Medicine Man

Written by: Tom Schulman Starring: Sean Connery, Lorraine Bracco

Aside from the medical implausibility of the quest, a pretty watchable and entertaining film. The fact is, the picture really didn't need such a big Maguffin; the personality clash and the spectacular backdrop could have carried the picture, especially if it was more an exploration of what makes people do extreme things in the pursuit of scientific truth. I also agree that it's a bit reductionist to view a helpful drug as the sole reason to save the rainforests; the issue is a tad more complex than that. Still, the film is nicely shot and composed, and the scenery spectacular. Connery is riveting as usual, and though Bracco is shortchanged by an underwritten part, she has earthy good humor and is fun to watch. For the most part the picture avoids the "gee aren't we liberal" National Geographicalisms that so often crop up in pictures that involve primitive peoples. If the plot gears hadn't been whirring so furiously beneath the surface, if they had permitted a little vagueness and ambiguity to creep in, they might have had something special. (2/9/92)