'Medicine Man' was poorly received when first released and often is considered John McTiernan's first misfire and one of his weaker films. Seeing it for myself with an open mind, it's no 'The Hunt for Red October', 'Predator' and 'Die Hard' but it is a much better film than the dreadful 'Rollerball' as far as other McTiernan films go.So while 'Medicine Man' to me wasn't a great film and had a good deal wrong with it, can see why it didn't connect with critics, it has a number of good things and is not that bad a film. Three things especially make it watchable. One is the scenery which is simply spectacular and the beautiful cinematography really makes the most of it. Two is the stirring music score from the always reliable Jerry Goldsmith, one of my favourite film composers, not one of my favourite scores from him perhaps but it uplifted and moved me and really adds to the film. Three and the best thing about it is, even with the bizarre pony-tail is an effortlessly charismatic Sean Connery.There are parts of 'Medicine Man' that are very intriguing, as well as inspirational and poignant. As said the cinematography is beautiful, and in a brave change of pace for him (which could be to do with why the film didn't fare so well) McTiernan does direct with passion, this is not the incompetent directing job seen in 'Rollerball'. The film is well-intended and the message is a pertinent and inspirational one.On the other hand, have to agree with those who found Lorraine Bracco miscast and insufferably irritating in a very poorly written role. The chemistry between the two leads never really gels, and it is more to do with Bracco and the writing than Connery who really does do a truly great job with what he has.When it comes to the script, there are moments where it shines but there are too many instances too of forced humour, saccharine melodrama, contrivances and heavy-handedness. The story is intriguing and moving with a good concept but over-engineers and under-develops some of its ideas (so they're more contrived than ringing true), a bit thin, some of what it tries to say veers on the preachy side and the ending is abrupt. A few instances of messy editing here and there and the support acting doesn't really register.All in all, not a misfire and not that bad but doesn't explore or amaze. Considering Connery's calibre and how good McTiernan's previous work is, it was natural for one to expect better. 5/10 Bethany Cox

A scientist working for a large drug company is on a research project in the Amazon jungle. He sends for a research assistant because he's close to a cure for cancer. When the assistant turns out to be a woman, he rejects her help. Meanwhile the bulldozers get closer to the area in which they are conducting research, and they eventually learn to work together, and enjoy some illicit caffeine....Its one of those movies i was always curious about when first released.Mctiernan is a wonderful director, despite some minor blips, and Connery is a legend. Plus you had the added bonus of Bracco, coming off an amazing performance in Goodfellas. It had to work....Well the cinematography is good, and not much else really. The makers of the film are trying to pass a message across to the viewers like 'love your planet', but did they have to make it so boring?The film consists of the old trope of two people hating each other to begin with, then tolerating each other, before the inevitable. All while we have the little sub plot of the cure for Cancer.It goes nowhere, and despite the two leads doing well, and some beautiful scenery, its a chore to get through.And this is from the maker of the greatest movie ever made as well...

Scientist as good as this guy, which is top 10 in the discovery business, understands that ants make acid type proteins and flowers make alkaloids (mostly, with fruits the major exception). They look different to people like me. When I paused the movie at the structure, it showed an insect type component, not a plant alkaloid (bee sting poison versus cocaine). The structure would have been enough for the scientist in the first place, you don't need the actual compound. You just take something close and modify it, ie taxol from needles instead of bark. I hate being one of the few that noticed this. Lots of pharm companies have these guys out there. That is why drugs are so expensive!

I was surprised I liked 'Medicine Man' as much as I did. One's first inclination would be to dismiss it as a goody two-shoes, 'save the rain forests' diatribe, and on top of that, it makes us sit through yet another on-screen relationship where the man and woman can't stand each other at first and then fall in love. I almost gave up on it about ten minutes in, after listening to Lorraine Bracco bitch about everything in sight with a nails-on-chalkboard New York accent. But both those characterizations turn out to be unfair and false. The movie actually accepts the inevitability of at least part of the rain forest being paved over; its complaint is much smaller and tightly defined- it's saying, at least wait till we've replicated the cancer serum that Sean Connery's Dr. Campbell discovered and then lost. And Campbell and Dr. Crane (Bracco) never fall in love. I don't think they ever even kiss. It's difficult to say exactly what kind of relationship they end up having, except that it's a lot of fun to watch. Ultimately, it's easy to say with certainty what is so right about 'Medicine Man.' It's Sean Connery's performance, and it is magnificent. While this is not the best movie he's ever been in (no question there), I really believe this might be his greatest acting job. It is subtle, nuanced, powerful, humorous... he has a way with the dialogue that makes it utterly believable, and his portrayal of Campell is also a very physical one. When he gets angry, his anger is incredibly palpable, both to be heard and seen. There is not a false note in it. He even raises the level of the requisite tit-for-tat back-and-forth arguments with Bracco's Crane to something more genuine and meaningful. There is a grace in his physical movements that is very natural, even in the brief fight scene toward the end. Everything he does seems real. And Lorraine Bracco, as it turns out, compliments his performance with a fine one of her own. The script gives her many opportunities to flesh out Dr. Crane's character (or, as Campbell calls her, 'Dr. Bronx'), and she does so with a lot of high spirits and enthusiasm. One of the best scenes has her bouncing off the walls, figuratively speaking, from a local concoction very high in caffeine. The location camera-work is another wonderful part of 'Medicine Man.' This may be the closest any 2-D film has come to seeming three dimensional. When it rains, you almost feel as soaked as the characters on screen. And when Connery and Bracco go gliding on ropes and pulleys over the canopy, looking down at the treetops and miles of forest in the distance, the effect is breathtaking. The ending should be a downer but somehow 'Medicine Man' manages an epilogue to the depressing finale that is hopeful, uplifting and encouraging while not seeming the least bit contrived or manipulative. It is the last wonder in an excellent movie full of them.