Rene Cardona Jnr's attempt to re-create the, at the time, topical Jim Jones cult that resulted in the mass suicide of almost a thousand followers. Stuart Whitman plays the megalomaniacal cult leader, deviant, zealot and polygamist with an open licence and while he probably looks more like Roy Orbison than Jim Jones, it's not a bad imitation based on what I know of the Jones persona.Bradford Dillman plays Jones' doctor-in-staff who administers (reluctantly) the fatal dose, Gene Barry is the doomed American diplomat trying to disassemble the oppressive community and a host of former Hollywood heavyweights (Cotten, DeCarlo, Ireland) fill out the ranks. Good to see Cardona's preferred local talent Hugo Stiglitz on board along with beauties Jennifer Ashley and Erika Carlsson (the trio reunited from "Tintorera"). While not to trivialise the subject, you know you're watching an exploitation movie when those guys are in the cast.Fatally overlong, the long-awaited climax doesn't prove to be worth the wait (knowing the conclusion doesn't help, but there's no attempt at suspense) and while the cast is appealing, the film doesn't do the subject matter justice. Obviously this is made for a particular audience so if you want to see the more deferential treatment, then the "Guyana Tragedy" (1980) is probably your picture. I'm faithful to the Rene Cardona Jnr factory, and while this is perhaps his least-impressive 'western' work, it still contains some of his trademark excess.

I have to admit that ever since I first heard about this cult I've been terribly interested in knowing just what the tag line of the movie implies that this movie tells you: The Truth Behind the most shocking crime of the century. This movie did everything but fulfill its' promise.We get introduced to the cult in an opening scene with Reverend James Johnson, the leader of the cult, preaching in a church. He explains that they have gotten a piece of land by the "friendly socialists" in Guyana where they will establish a religious community. This is a key sentence, because the connection between Johnson and socialism becomes established over and over again. For example, in the "Johnsontown agricultural project", they listen to a woman that is trying to teach them Russian while they are working. Later in the movie, the U.S. Ambassador calls Johnson a socialist.I think that the movie was made too soon after the incident to have any perspective. I was bewildered by the ignorance of the director that actually believed he could get any real insight in the event when not even a year had passed since! He tried and failed miserably, as far as I'm concerned. This movie is not even trying to tell the truth. The director is making almost desperate efforts to draw parallels between "suicide cults" and "socialists" using the infamous "guilt by association" method. I think that this is a very interesting movie if you watch it from that perspective - and bear in mind the echoes of the cold war. If you're trying to get to know what happened - look elsewhere.

**Possible Spoilers Ahead**This flick opens with a disclaimer that "names have been changed to protect the innocent," then shifts to a scene where a reporter blows his brains all over a bathroom mirror. At that point, something told me this movie would be a real p***er. As the verbose "Reverend Jim Johnson", Stuart Whitman has more dialogue in the first ten minutes than in all his other movies combined. His attorneys are played by Joseph Cotten (who would hit rock bottom in HEAVEN'S GATE the next year) and John Ireland who looks mighty strange in a beard and horn-rimmed glasses. Gene Barry appears as congressman "Leo O'Brien," Yvonne DeCarlo is Johnson's liason with the real world and Robert Doqui and Jennifer Ashley are two of his disciples. Cardona regular Hugo Stiglitz is on hand as a reporter. Bradford Dillman is the resident doctor who mixes one mean Kool-Aid cocktail. This version leads us to believe that Reverend Jim was terminally ill and wanted to take about 900 people with him. Prior to that outrage, his followers punish a deserter by drugging him and leaving him on railroad tracks right before the next train roars through. Three boys steal food and are punished with snakes, water torture and shocks to the genitals. Two teenagers are caught doing the Featherbed Mambo; the cult leader hands the girl over to the biggest stud in "Johnsontown" and orders the boy to have sex with another man and all I can say is, thank God this discipline takes place offscreen. The original film runs 109 minutes that fly right by, if only because you can't believe what you're seeing. Universal cut it down to 90 minutes when they released it Stateside as GUYANA: CULT OF THE DAMNED. One thing I'll say for the Guyana Tragedy: you didn't hear many jokes about it. That's because the punch lines were too long.

Universal released and re-edited this Mexican film starring an all-star cast! I saw both prints and it's intresting how Universal added a voice over of a survivor, and made the film more fast pace. I hate to give this film any credit, but some of it more accurate than the TV film GUYANA TRAGEDY. And Stuart Whitman as Jim Johnson (jones) gives a pretty good performance. The rest of the cast looks like they did this film for the money as they look very tried. This film was hated by most critic (especially Siskel & Ebert) and is very offensive at times. If you have to see it, I strongly recommend you see the short version for it more professional put together. But I doubt Universal will ever put this film on tape.