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In the Shadow of Kilimanjaro (1986)


Cast:

John "Unnamable 2" Rhys-Davies is Chris Tucker
Timothy Bottoms is Jack Ringtree
Irene Miracle is Lee Ringtree
Michele Carey is Ginny Hansen
Leonard Trolley is Colonel Maitland


What the IMDB plot says:

There's a big drought in Africa. Food and water are scarce. 90,000 wild baboons suddenly start attacking humans and eating them in order to survive. Some people find themselves being hunted by the starving monkeys and must do whatever they can to stay alive.


Plot:

During a drought in Africa, a kid kills a cobra when something strikes.

Rhinos are chased and inspected by Ringtree, the vet. He spots a child whose mother has been killed by some sort of animal. He takes the kid to a nearby school.

At the nearby mine, Boss Gimli needs to get his quota filled in a short time. He’s been using an old boiler which uses more of the dwindling water.

At the town, Lee Ringtree gets off the bus.

Ringtree tries warning Boss Gimli about animal attacks. The animals need water. The boiler overheats and the miners barely get away before the big boom.

Lee gets to the hotel. That night, Ringtree finds her. Let the obligatory tasteful lovin’ ensues.

POV baboon cam attack on some kid.

At the bar, Boss Gimli is drowning his misery.

Lee and Ringtree get into an argument. She wants a divorce. Who wants to get killer monkeys will reconcile them?

The next day, a miner’s truck breaks down. Unfortunately, a gaggle of baboons head straight and swarm the truck before getting him. Later, Boss Gimli and the miners find Floyd’s remains.

Later, several natives and Ringtree search for a missing boy and only find a severed arm.

I ordered extra-crispy arm...
I ordered extra-crispy arm...
Ringtree is sure that baboons are behind the attacks. Boss Gimli won’t leave and has gotten permission to attack the baboons. The commissioner won’t evacuate the area. Naturally, Ringtree is disgusted. Boss Gimli’s plan is kill some baboons and leave the bodies for the others baboons to tide them until the drought is over.

Gimli’s expedition heads out. The plan is kill the dominant males for lunch for the rest. The baboon hunt begins.

Hunting the most dangerous game: Lily Tomlin
Hunting the most dangerous game: Lily Tomlin
Shooting monkeys in a barrel ensues. Several of the natives take the baboon meat for the village.

A phone man is repairing a downed line when the baboons attack in ominous slow-motion.

I am a lineman for the county...
I am a lineman linemonkey for the county...

In Nairobi, Ringtree wants the government to evacuate the village. The Deputy minister doesn’t have any place to take the people. Ringtree can’t explain to him how the baboons are organizing which is unusual. Government guy is optimistic that rain will come soon.

Back, at the mine, the baboons head straight for it, and miners barely get away.

Lee is taking a walk and barely gets to safety. Slo-mo chase ensues. Barricading herself in the house against the siege. Raintree pulls up to save the day.

Gimli talks with the local commissioner. A supply truck is 10 miles out, and the villagers are heading into the town. The miners armor a truck to get the supplies.

Commissioner and Floyd’s wife take off in the plane. They don’t realize that a baboon is hiding in a packing crate and just waiting until they’re in the air to attack. The obligatory plane crash ensues.

Ringtree, Gimli, and the others contend with the baboons. In the melee, Ringtree is left behind.

Town bar, Gimli bears the bad news to Lee. He then learns that the truck is refrigerated. He heads back..

Ringtree has been tossing some of the canned food to stall the baboons off. He’s able escape when Gimli returns.

The baboons are heading for the school. Ringtree and Gimli rescue the kids. Gimli and the miners are able to set a house full of baboons on fire…BBQed baboons ensue.

Town fortifies before the baboon swarms the bar where everyone is staying. While a teacher is looking for a missing kid, a baboon gets her.

Gimli and Ringtree search for Linda, the teacher, and find her body. Raging Gimli ensues. The baboons get a few bites out of him but that won’t stop him. He gets inside with everyone else.

Suddenly, the sound of thunder and rain is heard. The Deus ex machine saves them all. Ringtree’s pet monkey is even safe. Gimli and the miners head back to start the mine up. Ringtree and Lee are happy again. All is good except those that were eaten.


What I say:

What can go wrong with a movie about thousands of man-eating baboons? If you're not sure what can go wrong, just ask yourself does the Sci-Fi Channel make more CG giant snake movies or killer baboon movies. For a movie that advertises 1000s of killer baboons, the baboons don't attack that much.

Have killer animals always managed to make couples separate? No, killer animals reunite couples. Can the estranged couple that's about to be divorced but brought together by the tragedy of animal attacks be they from giant irradiated animals to 90,000 enraged and thirsty baboons not be brought to together by such a tragedy?

John Rhys-Davies is known for playing Sallah in the Indiana Jones movies and Gimli the Dwarf in Peter Jackson's Lord of the Rings trilogy. Sure most movie fans can realize those movies. However, the man has been in so many other things like Unnameable 2, the Professor on Sliders, and even the Kingpin on the Incredible Hulk/Daredevil made for TV movie...Does that show my comic book geek cred?

Talk about an anti-climactic ending. Yes, this ending tops my complaints about Curse of the Mummy's Tomb. The baboons are in the town about to get the people when it rains. The humans look like they're about to become Monkey Chow when things look so bleakest. However, this isn't just the movie typical deus ex machina rain. This is the type of rain that drives baboons into the bush. Yes, magic baboon-repelling rain.

The environmental debate drags when all you want is fighting baboons. Killer babbons, how can you kill such a great idea for a movie? Mainly, by just beating the audience over the head with the environmental discussion. Many of the 1970s killer animal movies were far preachier in that respect. Now, killer monster movies have 2 main types: "science bad, environment at all expense good!!" or the typical killer animal on rampage due to science subgenres.

Movies that are based on real life are slightly less realistic than when I was bitten by a radioactive spider and fought super-villains. In the Shadow of Kilimanjaro feels more like they're trying to cross Jaws and Night of the Living Dead. With as much as I'd like to see a zombie shark in the desert, I doubt it happening.



2 1/2 NINJAS

Quotable Dialogue

"Hey Pearl Harbor, here comes the man."
"I'd fall on a rhino's horn to save you the trouble."
"Get the bloody wrench on there!!!"
"How're we going to tell monkey leaders from monkey followers?"
"BLOODY MONKEYS!!!!"


Morals of the Story

"Based on a True Story" is non-fiction.
Rhinos love tranquilizers.
Baboons travel in packs of angry 50+.
Monkeys love beer.
Baboons hide in packing crates to scare people.


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