The Deceivers (film)
Encyclopedia
The Deceivers is a 1988 adventure
film directed by Nicholas Meyer
. It stars Pierce Brosnan
and Saeed Jaffrey
. The film is based on the 1952 John Masters
novel of the same name
.
. Cult members also known as "Deceivers," who commit robbery and ritualistic murder
. Appalled by their activities, English Captain William Savage undertakes a hazardous task which he disguises himself, and infiltrates the Thugees. A constant risk of betrayal and vengeance, Captain Savage undergoes a disturbing psychological transformation, experiencing firsthand the cult's bloodlust. The film was shot on location, showing the countryside not as a jungle, as many think of India, but as an arid steppe.
based on 5 reviews.
Roger Ebert
, of the Chicago Sun-Times
, gave the film a mediocre review and stated that, "Despite the film's claims to be based on fact, I didn't believe it for a moment. I did, however, enjoy it at various moments. Brosnan disappears so completely into the leading role that he hardly seems present in the movie, and the film's portrait of Victorian India is a triumph (the production was designed by the British master of period atmosphere, Tony Adams). It looks great even at its most incredible."
Janet Maslin
, of the New York Times, thought negatively of the film due to its many flaws. In her review, Maslin said, "The tinniness of Michael Hirst's screenplay (It's older than time and just as mysterious) hardly helps bring this material to life, any more than Mr. Brosnan's unconvincing and (despite several episodes in which he proves himself capable of violent killing) rather passive performance." Maslin then went on to say that, "In its own way, The Deceivers is oddly old-fashioned."
Adventure
An adventure is defined as an exciting or unusual experience; it may also be a bold, usually risky undertaking, with an uncertain outcome. The term is often used to refer to activities with some potential for physical danger, such as skydiving, mountain climbing and or participating in extreme sports...
film directed by Nicholas Meyer
Nicholas Meyer
Nicholas Meyer is an American screenwriter, producer, director and novelist, known best for his best-selling novel The Seven-Per-Cent Solution, and for directing the films Time After Time, two of the Star Trek feature film series, and the 1983 television movie The Day After.Meyer graduated from...
. It stars Pierce Brosnan
Pierce Brosnan
Pierce Brendan Brosnan, OBE is an Irish actor, film producer and environmentalist. After leaving school at 16, Brosnan began training in commercial illustration, but trained at the Drama Centre in London for three years...
and Saeed Jaffrey
Saeed Jaffrey
Saeed Jaffrey OBE is an Indian-born British actor, who has done numerous British movies. He was born in Malerkotla, Punjab...
. The film is based on the 1952 John Masters
John Masters
Lieutenant Colonel John Masters, DSO was an English officer in the British Indian Army and novelist. His works are noted for their treatment of the British Empire in India.-Life:...
novel of the same name
The Deceivers
The Deceivers is a 1952 novel by John Masters on the Thuggee movement in India during British imperial rule. It was adapted in 1988 as the Merchant Ivory Productions film starring Shashi Kapoor, Pierce Brosnan, Bijaya Jena, Saeed Jaffrey and Dalip Tahil....
.
Plot
The film takes place in 1825 India. The country is being ravaged by ThugeesThuggee
Thuggee is the term for a particular kind of murder and robbery of travellers in South Asia and particularly in India.They are sometimes called Phansigar i.e...
. Cult members also known as "Deceivers," who commit robbery and ritualistic murder
Human sacrifice
Human sacrifice is the act of killing one or more human beings as part of a religious ritual . Its typology closely parallels the various practices of ritual slaughter of animals and of religious sacrifice in general. Human sacrifice has been practised in various cultures throughout history...
. Appalled by their activities, English Captain William Savage undertakes a hazardous task which he disguises himself, and infiltrates the Thugees. A constant risk of betrayal and vengeance, Captain Savage undergoes a disturbing psychological transformation, experiencing firsthand the cult's bloodlust. The film was shot on location, showing the countryside not as a jungle, as many think of India, but as an arid steppe.
Cast
- Pierce BrosnanPierce BrosnanPierce Brendan Brosnan, OBE is an Irish actor, film producer and environmentalist. After leaving school at 16, Brosnan began training in commercial illustration, but trained at the Drama Centre in London for three years...
as William Savage - Saeed JaffreySaeed JaffreySaeed Jaffrey OBE is an Indian-born British actor, who has done numerous British movies. He was born in Malerkotla, Punjab...
as Hussein - Shashi KapoorShashi KapoorShashi Kapoor , born Balbir-Raj Prithviraj Kapoor on 18 March 1938 in Calcutta , is an award-winning Indian film actor and film producer. He has also been film director and assistant director in Hindi Films. He is a member of the Kapoor family, a film dynasty in India's Bollywood cinema...
as Chandra Singh - Helena MichellHelena MichellHelena Michell is an Australian actress.She is the daughter of the actors Keith Michell and Jeanette Sterke. She has appeared with them at Chichester in 1997....
as Sarah Wilson - Keith MichellKeith MichellKeith Michell is an Australian actor, particularly noted for his television and film performances as King Henry VIII of England.- Early life :He was born in Adelaide and brought up in Warnertown, near Port Pirie...
as Colonel Wilson - David RobbDavid RobbDavid Robb is an English actor.Robb has starred in various British films and television shows, including films such as Swing Kids and Hellbound. He is well known for playing Germanicus in the famous 1976 BBC production of I, Claudius and as Robin Grant, one of the principal character in Thames...
as George Anglesmith - Tariq Yunus as Feringea
- Jalal AghaJalal AghaJalal Agha was an Indian actor and director in Bollywood films. Son of the popular comedian Agha, Jalal studied acting at the Film and Television Institute of India, Pune.-Career:...
as The Nawab - Gary CadyGary CadyGary Cady is a British actor. He has appeared in the television series Brass , Fairly Secret Army Leaving and Doctor Who , as well as a number of TV miniseries.-Restaurant business:...
as Lt. Maunsell - Salim GhouseSalim GhouseSalim Ghouse is a film, television and theater actor, theater director and martial artist. He has acted in several Indian languages including Hindi, Tamil and Malayalam....
as Piroo - Neena GuptaNeena GuptaNeena Gupta is an Indian film and television actress and director-producer. She won the 1994 National Film Award for Best Supporting Actress for Woh Chokri. She is a popular actress in Indian commercial cinema, but it is her work with art filmmakers of India, like Shyam Benegal that got her...
as The Widow - Nayeem Hafizka as Sepoy
- Bijoya Jena as Harlot
- H.N. Kalla as The Nawab Servant
- Kammo as Official
Reception
The Deceivers was released on September 2, 1988 and received mostly negative reviews from film critics. The film currently has a 20% rating on Rotten TomatoesRotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes is a website devoted to reviews, information, and news of films—widely known as a film review aggregator. Its name derives from the cliché of audiences throwing tomatoes and other vegetables at a poor stage performance...
based on 5 reviews.
Roger Ebert
Roger Ebert
Roger Joseph Ebert is an American film critic and screenwriter. He is the first film critic to win a Pulitzer Prize for Criticism.Ebert is known for his film review column and for the television programs Sneak Previews, At the Movies with Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert, and Siskel and Ebert and The...
, of the Chicago Sun-Times
Chicago Sun-Times
The Chicago Sun-Times is an American daily newspaper published in Chicago, Illinois. It is the flagship paper of the Sun-Times Media Group.-History:The Chicago Sun-Times is the oldest continuously published daily newspaper in the city...
, gave the film a mediocre review and stated that, "Despite the film's claims to be based on fact, I didn't believe it for a moment. I did, however, enjoy it at various moments. Brosnan disappears so completely into the leading role that he hardly seems present in the movie, and the film's portrait of Victorian India is a triumph (the production was designed by the British master of period atmosphere, Tony Adams). It looks great even at its most incredible."
Janet Maslin
Janet Maslin
Janet Maslin is an American journalist, best known as a film and literary critic for The New York Times. She served as the Times film critic from 1977–1999.- Biography :...
, of the New York Times, thought negatively of the film due to its many flaws. In her review, Maslin said, "The tinniness of Michael Hirst's screenplay (It's older than time and just as mysterious) hardly helps bring this material to life, any more than Mr. Brosnan's unconvincing and (despite several episodes in which he proves himself capable of violent killing) rather passive performance." Maslin then went on to say that, "In its own way, The Deceivers is oddly old-fashioned."