Radijek , a desperate criminal, has escaped from the Mombasa jail. His sworn aim - to murder Tarzan and his mate Jane.
First, he stirs up the belligerent Yorango tribe knowing they will attack the peaceful Ashubs tribe and bring Tarzan swinging through the trees to liberate the innocent natives and their queen, and divert Tarzan from his weapon selling elsewhere ...
Once he thinks Tarzan's dead, he heads to Tarzan's treehouse and threatens Jane, telling her she will have to guide him out of here ... can Tarzan arrive in time to save Jane?
Tarzan certainly experiences some peril as he's put through the paces here as he faces some mean opponents - actually the villainy is less cartoonish and more gritty. And George Macready can certainly do dark and gritty. He's one cold hombre here, one by one despatching his partners in crime (well, one of them survives but the other is shot in the back) and has revenge on his mind - to get Tarzan and Jane. First, he sells guns to a barmy chief. Such characterisation reminded me of Anthony Quayle in Tarzan's Greatest Adventure. Also of note is the knife fight between the Yoranga chief and Tarzan - it's a wild knife fight with Tarzan looking like he's going to lose ...
The plot is quite solid, the story takes its time to build up to the crescendo- there's some humour, courtesy of Cheetah, but limited. It's a vast change in direction to Tarzan and the Slave Girl and Tarzan's Magic Fountain, which were more fantastical. I like these two films as well as Tarzan's Peril. Fantasy and gritty. Variety is the spice of life they say!
