ma-cortes
¨Rampage¨ is an entertaining mixture of moving story , sunny adventure and loving drama about some wild-animal trappers . A team of professionals who holds each other to high standards in their job have a common objective , the animal trapping in . As German menagerie hires big game trapper , a zoo-suppling wild animals called Harry Stanton (sober Robert Mitchum) and renowned big game hunter Otto Abbot (sad-looking Jack Hawins) to travel to Malaysia to capture wildlife for the zoo , but the main object of the safari is to catch a special piece . As they are also tasked with capturing a very particular animal , a specie known as the Enchantress , a half tiger , half leopard that boasts the movie but when appears , it's rather a disenchantment , as she proves to be a simple leopard with her back dyed pink . Accompanying them is Abbot's mistress , gorgeous Anna (Elsa Martinelli) , an orphan who Otto adopted long time ago . Harry goes for her ; then , Anna falls in love for him . They fly into the jungles of Malaysia, an area that Abbot knows well having hunted there many times before , but it's Stanton who arranges to get the local tribal leader's cooperation and being helped by a native scout (Sabu) . Later on , it occurs thrilling scenes of the tigers hunt , when two of the animals are caught in nets at the same time . Then , there take places the old eternal triangle .This jungle adventure yarn is full of spectacular scenes , thrills , an usual triangular drama and results to be quite entertaining , though mediocre with a lousy sense of pace and some holes in the screenplay . Hunting scenes through the footage of the capture of wildlife is made by stock-shots in that the risk of the hunters is none at all , as the Rhino hunt is filmed by transparency . Filmmaker Phil Karlson shot this tawdry jungle romance and Mitchum and Hawkins star in it , which should guarantee a high quality excitement and entertainment , but doesn't . This stirring picture effortlessly switching between love story and hunting scenes . All sounds a mite too familiar , it is because the picture is merely a blending from previous films such as ¨Red Dust¨ (1932) by Victor Fleming , ¨The Macomber Affair¨ (1947) by Zoltan Korda , ¨Mogambo¨ (1953) by John Ford and the best , ¨Hatari¨ (1962) , by Howard Hawks . This is a moving though average adventure movie in which a trapper and a white hunter go after a wild animal , a cross between a tiger and a leopard . For more exciting are the scenes of the leopard hunt on a modern building and over the attic . Foot-tapping and lively soundtrack by the classic Elmer Bernstein and glamorous color photograph by cameraman Harold Lipstein , though filmed in Hawai ; all contribute towards compensating for the flaws and gaps in the plot .The motion picture was regularly directed by Phil Karlson . There were no half measures in this filmmaker . He would make adventure movies or violent and noir films . As he directed Western as ¨Gunman's walk¨ , ¨They rode west¨, ¨Texas rangers, ¨Iroquois trail¨ and Gansters genre or Noir films as ¨Phoenix city story¨ , ¨Kansas City confidential¨ and ¨Scarface mob¨ . Karlson was never able to capitalize on them and raise himself out of the B-picture mire , and he was stuck making things like ¨The Young Doctors¨ (1961), a Elvis Presley vehicle as ¨Kid Galahad¨ (1962) and a pair of failures Matt Helm films with Dean Martin such as ¨The silencers¨ , until he hit it big with Walking tall . Flops alternated with hits through his career , though Karlson's direction was more than successful in ¨ Walking tall¨ (1973) with invaluable help of Joe Don Baker , this was his biggest commercial success and which , since he owned a large part of the picture, made him rich . ¨Rampage¨ rating : 5,5/10 passable and acceptable ; Robert Mitchum fans will enjoy his idol .
Mickey-2
"Rampage", made in 1963, starred Robert Mitchum, Elsa Martinelli, and Jack Hawkins. This film, set in the jungles of Malasia, had the two professionals, Hawkins an animal hunter, and Mitchum, a trapper, hired by a zoo in Germany to capture a rare species of jungle cat and bring the animal back alive for a major exhibition. Mitchum sees the chance to do as the zoo wishes, while Hawkins only desires the killing of the animal for the newest addition to his collection of kills and trophies. Adding to the mixture is Hawkins' mistress, played by Elsa Martinelli. She goes on the hunt as well, and finally decides to leave Hawkins, tiring of his desire to only kill.
The hunt in Malasia goes well, the animal is captured, but Hawkins' jealousy gives vent to revenge on the two, Mitchum and Martinelli. The film features a stirring music score by Elmer Bernstein, and the scenery in Malasia is breathtaking. Mitchum portrays cool as only he could, and Martinelli and Hawkins add a style to the film. Sadly, not on VHS or DVD yet.
brooks-13
This movie is underrated. Robert Mitchum is at his laid-back best as the trapper and Elsa Martinelli is sexy and strong in the female lead. Jack Hawkins is fine, and it's nice to see Sabu in a strong role after The Jungle Book. The musical score (by Elmer Bernstein) is melodic, almost as good as his Magnificent Seven soundtrack. Set this all in verdant Africa with a tiger hunt thrown in, and it makes for good viewing.