Jungle Raiders

• (Italian: La leggenda del rubino malese, lit. Legend of the Malaysian Ruby)
• Directed by Antonio Margheriti
• August 1985 (US)

An expedition enters into a dangerous and unexplored jungle in search of a legendary ruby.

Much like Mad Max and Star Wars, everybody was hoping to cash in somehow on Raiders of the Lost Ark. Enter the Spaghetti adventure film Jungle Raiders. And surprisingly being what amounts to a mockbuster it’s not bad. Not only does it rip-off Raiders (something that goes beyond the title) but I swear it borrows liberally a bit from the Raiders-inspired series Tales of the Gold Monkey. And I would even argue somebody involved with the later Jungle Cruise saw this and took inspiration from it since our central character runs a similar scam to Dwayne Johnson’s as well as the two characters dressing alike.

Our story focuses on Captain Yankee (Christopher Connelly) who runs a scam where he takes those with enough money on a treasure hunt with zero danger to them. Unbeknownst to his clients the ‘savage’ natives are not part of the show and while the idol they leave with is worth money, the whole event is choreographed. Yankee is a charming bad boy who is not really seeking to harm anybody. He gives them a show and gets a check in return.

Luciano Pigozzi (who always looked to me like Jack Elam) as Alan Collins as local drunk/Captain Yankee’s sidekick Gin Fizz is a familiar face from numerous Italian genre films. His part here is that of the lovable sidekick who is a bit of a drunk. And in that aspect he takes his cue more from the sidekick Corky in Tales of the Gold Monkey than he does from anything from Indiana Jones.

This does not try to be special and falls into forgettable comfort. Captain Charming Rogue and Sir Ossis of Liver get caught up with Colombian archeologist Maria Janez (Marina Costa) via blackmail from local authority figure Warren (Lee Van Cleef) to help her hunt for the fabled Ruby of Doom. Naturally Yankee and Maria fall in love and as the main couple are charming to watch.

This has everything that has given trashy Italian cinema a cult following in the United States. And deservedly so. It’s dumb. It’s goofy. It is campy. The dubbing is questionable in a good moment. Some serious stuff gets treated as if it’s nothing at all. Alcoholism? No big deal. People trying to kill you? You’ll be fine. And it’s pure entertainment.

Jungle Raiders may not be deep but it’s well-done shallow fluff. Our hero is likable enough. You can buy the romance between the two. And even though the twists and the double crosses are pretty obvious that they’re coming, you don’t care because you’re having fun. I found the action reminiscent of action/adventure shows of the mid-80s.

If you’re looking just for a fun movie, then Jungle Raiders is your thing. You may not remember too much of it afterwards, but you won’t feel disappointed by that. You will retain a feeling of fun once the memory of the exact story has faded.