Moviegoers can have a frivolous little action-adventure flick, as a treat. This makes no bones whatsoever about what it is, as before ten minutes have passed we're treated to Woody Strode as a martial arts sensei who is also a cowboy, cutaways to a satellite in space because to fill time, a globe-trotting narrative that allowed the production to film in many different countries and many gorgeous locations, a supporting cast of stars fresh from Eon Productions' James Bond franchise among many other renowned actors, and to top it all off, an accomplished martial artist starring as our new would-be action hero. The storytelling is rather direct and the very opening scene, preceding the opening credits, gives us a plot point that we can foresee returning later; other story ideas are reliably tried and true, for better or worse. None of this is a mark against 'Jaguar lives!' - in fact, it's what makes the title so fun! But all this does mean that it marks itself from the start as a second- or third-rate action flick, if not a B-movie, and viewers who aren't receptive to the style can move on right now. Yet for those who do appreciate what this stands for, it's a really good time!
It should be said that we as an audience can recognize that this is hardly a "top of the line" production, but it doesn't know that - and bless their hearts, everyone here just poured all their energy into making the best little picture that they could. I earnestly think that much more than not that effort truly did pay off! The filming locations really are outstanding, and the narrative gives as much rhyme and reason to the globe-trotting as any given Bond flick. Just as much to the point, while this isn't a title with substantial name recognition, I quite think it's just about as well made as any contemporary fare. The production design and art direction are splendid; a lot of genuine skill, intelligence, and care went into the sets, costume design, hair, and makeup. Though I don't agree with every choice, the cinematography is pretty fantastic, smart and dynamic, and the editing is equally deft. Robert O. Ragland's music isn't anything special, but is perfectly suitable for the genre and the tone that this maintains throughout. I note that this came to us from American International Pictures, so even just on that basis one can assume fine production values.
I will grant that the writing isn't necessarily the strongest facet of the feature. A complete, cohesive story is told, but Yabo Yablonsky's screenplay is pretty bad about establishing connective threads between scenes and story beats. I did say the globe-trotting is written about as well as any Bond flick, and that holds true insofar as we sometimes get little or no clear elucidation of how the titular character's investigation progresses from A to B to C, and from one character that he briefly interacts with to another. Suffice to say that the writing is much better in the broad strokes than in the details, though as far as that goes, the story is duly compelling, and scenes are apt, flavorful fuel to propel the proceedings. Some scenes are pretty darn terrific, for that matter, and one way or another director Ernest Pintoff makes the most of all of it, building a duly engaging feature with some fetching shots and swell orchestration of every passing moment.
Likewise, not only do I take no issue with the cast, but by and large I think the acting is even pretty great. The least that can be said is that the performances are capably solid as the material demands, but to varying degrees I think a lot of the cast rather shines. Joe Lewis is certainly better suited to martial arts action than performing arts acumen, but he's able-bodied in the latter and superb in the former. Some co-stars, like Strode, Joseph Wiseman, or Barbara Bach, simply play their part, but they do it admirably well. And still other cast members, like Christopher Lee, John Huston, and especially Donald Pleasence, are obviously having an absolute ball with their parts, and one wishes that we got to see more of them - particularly since their characters are filled with delightful personalities and potential of which we get to see very little as these ninety minutes advance.
Above all, 'Jaguar lives!' would be nothing without its stunts, effects, and action sequences. And I sincerely believe that these are just plain excellent, up to the high standards we expect of any of this movie's kin. We get a considerable variety, too, what with various melee weapons being employed, different fight styles, chases, gunfights, explosions, and some odds and ends that are just for kicks. This is definitely where Lewis shows his worth as the star, and every last fragment of the action looks marvelous and is meaningfully invigorating. I would observe that there are instances when, in the fashion all too common to such Hollywood fare, the cinematography and editing take away in some measure from the excitement - substituting zealous cuts and shots for the visualization of actual blows and strikes. Still, this comes across only some of the time, and far more than not the many scenes of violence are fabulously well done, and easily the top highlight.
There are perhaps other weak spots, too, not least the fact that at the climax we instantaneously shift from the middle of the night to the middle of the day. I repeat that I wish we got more time with all the supporting characters, because it's clear there was significant energy poured into their conjuration for what turns out to be a scant few minutes of screen time each. Once again, the revelation that comes in the last stretch - the reveal of who is behind the international conspiracy of evil-doers - is something we as spectators have known from the very beginning. Yet for all the faults and reasonable nitpicking, the fact remains that the film only wanted to have fun, and as far as I'm concerned it handily achieves that goal, with more real, commendable value than not. There's no mistaking that it's not a AAA picture, but nor does it try to be one. The only aim was an action romp for audiences to enjoy, and even with its faults, overall it's well made in every capacity to allow just that. I, for one, was thoroughly entertained by 'Jaguar lives!' even as I found aspects to criticize, and I think anyone looking for light action-oriented fare will have much the same reaction. Cheers!
It should be said that we as an audience can recognize that this is hardly a "top of the line" production, but it doesn't know that - and bless their hearts, everyone here just poured all their energy into making the best little picture that they could. I earnestly think that much more than not that effort truly did pay off! The filming locations really are outstanding, and the narrative gives as much rhyme and reason to the globe-trotting as any given Bond flick. Just as much to the point, while this isn't a title with substantial name recognition, I quite think it's just about as well made as any contemporary fare. The production design and art direction are splendid; a lot of genuine skill, intelligence, and care went into the sets, costume design, hair, and makeup. Though I don't agree with every choice, the cinematography is pretty fantastic, smart and dynamic, and the editing is equally deft. Robert O. Ragland's music isn't anything special, but is perfectly suitable for the genre and the tone that this maintains throughout. I note that this came to us from American International Pictures, so even just on that basis one can assume fine production values.
I will grant that the writing isn't necessarily the strongest facet of the feature. A complete, cohesive story is told, but Yabo Yablonsky's screenplay is pretty bad about establishing connective threads between scenes and story beats. I did say the globe-trotting is written about as well as any Bond flick, and that holds true insofar as we sometimes get little or no clear elucidation of how the titular character's investigation progresses from A to B to C, and from one character that he briefly interacts with to another. Suffice to say that the writing is much better in the broad strokes than in the details, though as far as that goes, the story is duly compelling, and scenes are apt, flavorful fuel to propel the proceedings. Some scenes are pretty darn terrific, for that matter, and one way or another director Ernest Pintoff makes the most of all of it, building a duly engaging feature with some fetching shots and swell orchestration of every passing moment.
Likewise, not only do I take no issue with the cast, but by and large I think the acting is even pretty great. The least that can be said is that the performances are capably solid as the material demands, but to varying degrees I think a lot of the cast rather shines. Joe Lewis is certainly better suited to martial arts action than performing arts acumen, but he's able-bodied in the latter and superb in the former. Some co-stars, like Strode, Joseph Wiseman, or Barbara Bach, simply play their part, but they do it admirably well. And still other cast members, like Christopher Lee, John Huston, and especially Donald Pleasence, are obviously having an absolute ball with their parts, and one wishes that we got to see more of them - particularly since their characters are filled with delightful personalities and potential of which we get to see very little as these ninety minutes advance.
Above all, 'Jaguar lives!' would be nothing without its stunts, effects, and action sequences. And I sincerely believe that these are just plain excellent, up to the high standards we expect of any of this movie's kin. We get a considerable variety, too, what with various melee weapons being employed, different fight styles, chases, gunfights, explosions, and some odds and ends that are just for kicks. This is definitely where Lewis shows his worth as the star, and every last fragment of the action looks marvelous and is meaningfully invigorating. I would observe that there are instances when, in the fashion all too common to such Hollywood fare, the cinematography and editing take away in some measure from the excitement - substituting zealous cuts and shots for the visualization of actual blows and strikes. Still, this comes across only some of the time, and far more than not the many scenes of violence are fabulously well done, and easily the top highlight.
There are perhaps other weak spots, too, not least the fact that at the climax we instantaneously shift from the middle of the night to the middle of the day. I repeat that I wish we got more time with all the supporting characters, because it's clear there was significant energy poured into their conjuration for what turns out to be a scant few minutes of screen time each. Once again, the revelation that comes in the last stretch - the reveal of who is behind the international conspiracy of evil-doers - is something we as spectators have known from the very beginning. Yet for all the faults and reasonable nitpicking, the fact remains that the film only wanted to have fun, and as far as I'm concerned it handily achieves that goal, with more real, commendable value than not. There's no mistaking that it's not a AAA picture, but nor does it try to be one. The only aim was an action romp for audiences to enjoy, and even with its faults, overall it's well made in every capacity to allow just that. I, for one, was thoroughly entertained by 'Jaguar lives!' even as I found aspects to criticize, and I think anyone looking for light action-oriented fare will have much the same reaction. Cheers!