Kongo

See this film especially if you are young enough to think that no one in films had illicit sex, took drugs, or committed psychopathic murder before "Pulp Fiction". This film is a bizarre ride. Never seen anything like it. I recommend it highly!

Walter Huston steps into Lon Chaney's wheelchair to play the evil crippled magician commanding a "juju" cult of natives who burn women alive. Lupe Velez is on hand [and narrowly escapes getting her tongue twisted out with a wire]. Enter blonde Virginia Bruce, a convent girl forced into prostitution in Zanzibar, but now a hopeless alcoholic. Enter Conrad Nagel, a doctor who is now a hopeless drug addict [his cure involves being covered with leeches and buried up to his neck in a swamp]. Don't worry: there's still MORE plot! Everyone sweats a lot, on leftover sets from RED DUST, but the direction is rudimentary and lacks the courage of the plot's kinkiness. Still, it's some kind of must-see since they sure don't make them like this anymore!

It won't be shown during "family" hours, so stay up or set your VCR. This pre-Code tale of revenge, sex, brutality, and, ultimately, redemption was one of Walter Huston's best performances (not that he was capable of a bad one). It's like a train wreck--you don't want to watch, but you can't turn away. Virginia Bruce is excellent as the innocent convent-educated girl who becomes a pawn in Huston's diabolical revenge scheme. Drug addiction and abuse of women run rampant, along with racism and superstition. Sweaty, dirty, and disheveled characters, sex, violence, drugs, and great performances. It doesn't get any better than this. Even though you'll guess the ending early on, you'll still want to watch it, and you'll want to see more of Walter Huston's films.

Kongo (1932)

*** (out of 4)

Remake of the 1928 Tod Browning/Lon Chaney film West of Zanzibar pretty much follows the same story. A paralyzed madman (Walter Huston) rules a colony in Africa and plans on getting revenge on the man who crippled him by torturing his daughter (Virginia Bruce). This pretty much follows the story of the original right from the start to the end and that includes the infamous twist in the story but that doesn't hamper matters too much since Huston gives a terrific performance. He makes a great villain, although he doesn't quite reach Chaney's level and there are several times when you can see him moving his legs when you shouldn't. The biggest advantage of this remake is that it keeps the brutal attitude of the original. This is a pretty graphic film with dope addicts, body burning, various murders, rape, sexual assault and even a tad bit of nudity can be witnessed. This is certainly a very strong film for its time but I'd recommend watching the Chaney version first. The Chaney film and this one would make a great double-feature DVD from Warner. Conrad Nagel co-stars.

The acting was so avant-garde for a 1932 version, I had to go back to the schedule twice to make sure it was filmed in the early days. I've seen Emmy-winning 1999 TV soaps that didn't have the shine the soapy scenes here have. Lupe Velez was, to me, a very untalented stock actress until I watched her in this tropical human-condition story. She almost outshines Walter in her portrayal of a love-starved wench stuck in an outland of men. But both women did better, in my opinion, than some of the Actors' Guild graduates today. Thanks.