Disjointed jungle adventure follows three disparate groups of characters as they search for diamonds in the Amazon and encounter savage natives. Generally boring, but briefly enlivened by some awesomely gory scenes (crabs!), and a half-nude amazon fleshed-out (no pun intended) by Sonia Infante. Location shooting also helps, although some of the cast members look like they would be more comfortable in a nursing home. ** out of 4.

There are those who would compare The Treasure of the Amazon to Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981). They would be wrong. OK, This could have been an excellent movie, but it is not. The cast is great and at times actually demonstrates it, but the plot is so thin and ridiculous that it is extremely difficult to get into it at all.Stuart Whitman stars as your typical aging adventurer who leads a group of misfits into the Amazon to find lost WW2 treasure. Most of the group is killed in various horrible and ridiculous ways. The only way I would recommend this film is if you are interested in seeing some top notch actors doing their best to make something of nothing.The cast includes Whitman, star of such wonderful films as Rio Conchos and The Comancheros as the bull headed leader. Bradford Dillman, who starred opposite Robert Redford in The Way We Were, makes an appearance. Donald Pleasence, star of many classic films such as The Great Escape and The Eagle Has Landed, plays an evil Nazi. Rounding out the cast are John Ireland(Gunfight at the OK Corral 1957),Pedro Armendariez Jr.(License To kill 1989)and none other than Harold(Odd Job)Sakata.

Three different groups set out through the jungles of the Amazon with a singular goal - to find treasure. They must overcome wild animals, cannibals, headhunters, and, ultimately, themselves if they are to reach their goal and make it out alive.Treasure of the Amazon has some really good things going for it. First, it features some of the most over-the-top moments I've seen recently. The headhunter attack scenes are a hoot. The low budget special effects add a nice touch. Second, almost every member of the cast delivers a solid performance. Stewart Whitman, Pedro Armendariz, Donald Pleasence, and Sonia Infante are all worth watching. Third, the jungle setting is fabulous. Nice touches with the scenes of animals intercut with the film. The lush jungle is beautiful and frightening at the same time. And fourth, the ending is perfect.But there are things about the movie I didn't care for that keep me from rating it any higher. First, I said that almost every member of the cast was solid. The biggest and most glaring exception is former Miss World Ann Sidney. Her fake Southern accent got old very quickly. Second, John Ireland is so underused I forgot he was even in the movie. I've always enjoyed his work and would like to have seen more of him. Third, and most importantly, the movie gives off a vibe to me that's hard to explain, but kept me from fully enjoying the movie. Much of the film came across to me like an episode of the television show Fantasy Island. Take away the gory bits and I half expected to see Mr. Roarke walking out of the woods in his white suit. It doesn't help matters that I remember seeing half of the cast on the show at various times.

This Mexican gorefest is probably the funniest and most entertaining adventure movie ever made. In the 1950s, different people are looking for the treasure of the Amazon. For example a dubious woman, an elder man who knows the jungle (Whitman) and an old Nazi from Germany (great as ever: Pleasence). Not only are they trying to outwit each other, but they also have to fight blood thirsty crabs, crocodiles and other animals, and not to forget a vicious tribe of Indios who like to behead their victims as soon as they capture them.Rene Cardona jr. surely didn't have that a big budget for this film, but he certainly does the best with it. Concerning gory effects, that is. In the most outrageous scene, a hapless adventurer gets his eyeballs ripped out by the vicious crabs, a scene which has to be inspired by Lucio Fulci's notorious spider-scene in "L'Aldilà - The Beyond".This film is very trashy, but it's better entertainment than any other adventure film I know (the "Indiana Jones"-trilogy included), and it boosts a great role for horror veteran Donald Pleasence (as a really unpleasant guy) and enough nasty bloodshed to please every gorehound who wants to see something else for once.That's what I call good, mindless fun!