The movie would be a total waste of time if it had not been for the perfect acting performance given by Zane and Carradine. The latter indisputably has the talent to appear in a successful way in any movie, and apart from that, The Diamond of Jeru does show how incredibly beautiful he is now. Zane is very handsome as well, particularly since he shaved his head bald shortly after the shooting of this movie, which, in my opinion, killed his good looks altogether. The movie on DVD should be purchased by all hardcore Carradine fans - even the smart clothing he wears makes it worthwhile, but to all of you looking for a breath-taking experience - you'd better stick to the good old Indiana Jones tapes or just watch Ren and Stimpy on cable TV.
8 Reviews
An Indiana Jones adventure
wibstyle18 April 2003
A great adventure. Felt like an Indiana Jones movie but with lower budget. Could have been more adventure, but i like it and i don't think this movie deserve 5,3 in rating. its more like 6,5 or 7. A good Friday adventure movie.
you want to see *this* on DVD?
12-string6 December 2001
Talky adventure set in 1955 Borneo takes forever to get the main plot going after a splashy intro. Husband and wife hire adventurer to take them into the jungle in search of diamonds. Ulterior motives exist. Pretty average tv original movie from a story by oldtime pulp hack Louis L'Amour.
It's quite reminiscent, though not nearly as flip and breezy, of the 1987 David Keith vehicle, FURTHER ADVENTURES OF TENNESSEE BUCK -- which also featured a husband and wife team heading into the untracked jungle with a raffish East Indies adventurer. However, this being a USA tv movie, there is no scene involving a hot oil rubdown. (Sigh.)
On a scale of 1-10, a 3 from 12-stringer. Adventure movie for people who've never seen an adventure movie.
It's quite reminiscent, though not nearly as flip and breezy, of the 1987 David Keith vehicle, FURTHER ADVENTURES OF TENNESSEE BUCK -- which also featured a husband and wife team heading into the untracked jungle with a raffish East Indies adventurer. However, this being a USA tv movie, there is no scene involving a hot oil rubdown. (Sigh.)
On a scale of 1-10, a 3 from 12-stringer. Adventure movie for people who've never seen an adventure movie.
Good film, see it on video soon!
Movie Nuttball13 July 2002
I saw this on video recently and its a good film and Billy Zane is great and in MY opinion this is his best on to date. The film itself could of been in a theatre easily and this film has action in it and it starts out with a bang. Any Billy Zane fan should check this one out!
Billy Zane and Paris Jefferson bring adventure back to films.
SanDiego8 November 2001
Good update of 1950's style jungle films and serials, set in the 50's no less. Though the story is somewhat standard "Jungle Jim" type fare (a bickering couple in search of diamonds goes on a jungle trek, runs into headhunters, and must be rescued by hero and his trusty sidekick), it doesn't disappoint in the adventure department. The actors were very well cast and give lively performances all around and the production values were a great improvement over the studio B-grade pictures of the past. Billy Zane is perfect as the hero and a sequel would be quite welcome. Note: Paris Jefferson, mostly known to United States audiences as Athena in the XENA, WARRIOR PRINCESS series, plays the wife.
Saturday matinee-style fun
MichaelM249 November 2001
Warning: Spoilers
Contains SPOILER THE DIAMOND OF JERU was much better than I was expecting from a "USA Original Movie." From the Indiana Jones-style opening credits to the exciting climax, it was one entertaining jungle adventure film. Billy Zane made an appealing hero and should do more of these types of film (check him out in THE PHANTOM for something similar). Though it got just a tad slow after a good first thirty minutes or so, it picks up as soon as the characters get into the jungle. And though the revelation at the end that Zane's character didn't kill the bad guy takes away from the hard edge the character could have had, the rest of the film is entertaining, even if it could have used a bit more cliffhanger matinee-style action. But all-in-all, a fun adventure film the whole family can enjoy, with a rousing climax. It's no Indiana Jones, but it's better than most of what's been made for television. Can't wait for the DVD release, if there ever is one.
A great romp!
Steven-1026 October 2001
This rip-snorting adventure starring Billy Zane is indeed a treasure of a film. It's positively packed to the ceiling with action, suspense, and even a hint of romance. There's definitely something for everyone in this picture. NOTE: This film was made by USA Network, but it is definitely not a mere "cable" movie. This could've easily played on the big screen. It certainly beats the pants off of most of 2001's box-office features!
Unwatchable
bigross21 November 2002
It's very rare that I don't bother waiting to see the end of a movie, no matter how bad. I even sat through all of 'PowerPlay' and 'Critical Mass'. This one, however is the one I gave up on. Just about the worst movie I've ever tried to watch. I couldn't watch it. It's terrible, absolutely terrible.
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