Customer Reviews

The Diamond of Jeru

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Having read a little about Louis L'Amour and his early adventures as a merchant seaman at his web site (louislamour.com), I can see some of his own life in this story! From the absolute KING of the Western comes an exciting, jungle action adventure flick that combines Indiana Jones with Casa Blanca, Tarzan, and Romancing the Stone. Zane is the perfect down-on-his-luck adventurer, trapped by his bad luck, empty pockets and a haunting secret past. Carradine brings just enough stiff-upper-lipped genious to his role to make you love - hate - love - hate the guy. And Paris Jefferson is a sophisticated sensous Gwenevere whose romantic notions get the better of her. Yet when the chips are down, she turns out to be the stongest of them all! I thoroughly enjoyed this movie and recommend to everyone. And if you want to talk to the writer (and Louis L'AMour's son) Beau L'Amour, visit the discussion forum at louislamour.com He has been very active with comments on the making of this movie!

There isn't much to say about this typical story of greed, intrigue, and jungle adventure -- this one takes place in the wilds of Borneo, for a change, and is set in 1955 although a lot of the film feels as if it's taking place in the 1930s. There's a sort of pre-WWII colonialism mentality about it that is jarring, and very little evidence of the modern world apart from some references to atomic bombs. Even the clothes, hairstyles, and mannerisms seem dated, archaic. Oh, well. The plot centers around a quest for a fabulous diamond and the romantic triangle (or is it?) between the married swells in pursuit (the oddly dyspeptic Carradine and an elegant Paris Jefferson) and their hard-scrabble guide (Billy Zane, good as usual in another cartoon role). There's a lot of running around in uncomfortable-looking surroundings, Zane doing a Bogart impression, and nasty natives of the sort normally encountered in vintage Tarzan movies. Very retro, but all in good fun, and the underappreciated Paris Jefferson -- best known perhaps as a radiant Athena in the "Xena" TV series -- steals every scene she's in, the perfect cool Britishwoman under fire. Who wouldn't steal a diamond for her?

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The video was evidently recorded in an European format that is not compatible with most US DVD/BLURAY players so I haven't been able to view th movie yet but I have researched the problem & think I may be able to reset my BLURAY player to accept all formats - just haven't gotten around to trying it yet. Would have been good to have a warning on the selling site that the DVD wasn't compatible with US players.

This movie is based on Along the Mangrove Coast, a story by Louis L'Amour, who visited many exotic places during his years with the merchant marine. The water scenes at night conjure up the steamy locale, but the best thing that could be said about the daytime jungle locations is that they were apparently at least shot outdoors, but in a warm dry climate with no mangrove tree in sight, much less the watery swamps in which they grow. We've all seen the story done better on screen, in Key Largo and other Humphrey Bogart movies set in
the tropics. Billy Zane is a lot better than the material he has to work with. It's still
a good story and the VHS version is inexpensive so on that basis I'd recommend it. I much
prefer the book. Your imagination will create a far superior experience.

There are many good things about this film. It's exciting, it has Billy Zane and Keith Carradine (for their fans), it was written by an excellent storyteller, it is historically interesting, and I would guess this is a perfect movie for fans of Indiana Jones. I don't disagree with any of the other reviewers' comments which I read before ordering it. The one thing no one mentioned is that the subject matter (headhunters) rendered it graphic and gruesome. We were attracted to the movie because of Louis L'Amour, but it was a different kind of movie than his westerns.

my dad has every book Louis wrote and this was the only movie he was missing in his collection. Put the biggest smile on my dads face when i gave it to him.

I like the interplay between the different genders. The female character is very strong and married to a powerful man who feels threatened by a strong woman. However there is another man in the story who appreciates what she brings to this earth.

The Diamond of Jeru brings to the screen the story of a diamond-hunter set on saving a husband and wife (mostly the latter) from a group of headhunters in the jungles of Indonesia.
The setting is Borneo in 1955 and Mike, an American Korean War hero, is searching for the region's legendary large diamonds. After coming close and failing as a result of an ambush by local rivals, he meets a couple intent on hiring him to guide them through the unfamiliar and unfriendly terrain as they too search for the precious gems.
Billy Zane carries out his performance well, though the same cannot be said for the rest of the cast with the exception perhaps of Paris Jefferson.
The setting and the plot are very good, the special effects are near non-existent, and the music is not noteworthy, while the dialogues are rather poor. This is not a film that will keep you on your toes and that is to a large extent because of the writers' inability to... write.
In short, The Diamond of Jeru is a movie worth watching if you are a Billy Zane fan and/or if you would like to experience a touch of what made Indiana Jones and Tales of the Gold Monkey series so great. 3.3 Stars

I don't watch a lot of movies in this genre, but this is a fun little adventure-- and beautifully shot, especially for being a TV movie! I was especially amused by the creative ways the characters got themselves out of trouble. And Paris Jefferson is amazingly beautiful, even while traipsing through the jungle! I adore her.