Nomads | | Cast : | Pierce Brosnan, Lesley-Anne Down | | Director : | John McTiernan | | Studio : | Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer | | Format : | Color, Closed-captioned, Widescreen | | Released Date : | March 07, 1986 | | DVD Released Date : | April 16, 2002 | | Language : | English (Dubbed), French (Subtitled), English (Subtitled), Spanish (Subtitled), English (Original Language) | | Audience Rating : | R (Restricted) | | | BUY THIS DVD FROM AMAZON |
Customer Reviews
| Rating |  | | Date | April 27, 2005 | | Summary | "You, They Know About You" | Content
 | "You, they know about you." This may be the most chilling line of dialogue ever delivered on film. It is the pivotal moment in the movie, the moment of realization that not everything we see is real. Whether we want to belief it or not, forces exist in the universe that we dismiss or ignore at our own peril.
Such is the moment of truth for Jean-Charles Pommier (Pierce Brosnan), a sophisticated, well respected anthropologist newly arrived in Los Angeles and about to embark on a new phase in his career as a professor of Cultural Anthropology at UCLA. After years of living in some of the most remote regions of the world studying the spiritual beliefs and customs of nomadic cultures, Jean-Charles is reluctant but willing to leave the spiritual cosmos of the 'primitive' for a better life with his wife in sunny California.
He soon discovers that things are no different in the urban sprawl of a major city than they are anywhere else. The very first day in their new home Pommier encounters a troublesome, unruly band of misfits driving around the neighborhood in a black van. Curious about their anti-social behavior he follows them about Westwood secretly taking notes and photos of their activities. His findings are unexpected and earthshattering. They are Nomads (hostile, wandering spirits), and his interest in them has now turned their attention in his direction. The hunter has become the hunted and poor Jean-Charles must attempt to flee from the Nomads before it's too late.
Wonderful performances abound in this film. Pierce Brosnan and Lesley-Anne Down (as Dr. Eileen Flax) are at their best in the lead roles, but it is the supporting cast that really takes this film to a higher level. Anna Maria Monticelli is absolutely beautiful as Pommiers' loving, vulernable wife while Jeannie Elias supplies a Streisandesque burst of energy and a little comic relief as the hardnosed, agnostic best friend of Dr. Flax. Frances Bay who delivers that crucial line of dialogue at the beginning of this review has a small but significant role that she plays to eerie perfection.
There are also amazing performances to be found by those in the role of the Nomads. They don't speak a word yet have the uncanny ability to create the most disquieting, otherworldly atmosphere with nothing more than a facial expression or gesture. They're absolutely mesmerizing. Adam Ant as "Number One", Mary Woronov as "Dancing Mary" and Hector Mercado as "Ponytail" are unforgetable.
Every movie fan knows that the soundtrack plays a major role in the success or failure of a film to create the appropriate mood, or elicit the desired emotional response from the audience. In 'Nomads' Bill Conti and Ted Nuggent have provided the perfect accompaniment, successfully capturing the angry, restless nature of these hostile entities in their hard-driving, discordant rhythms. Like an incessant, demonic heartbeat the thundering music and lyrics of Ted Nuggent coupled with the etheral, exotic sounds of Bill Conti envelope the viewer drawing them into the savage, archaic Underworld of the Nomads.
Departing from the usual action/adventure features he's so well known for, director John McTiernan delivers a stunning masterpiece of psychological, supernatural terror. Nomads is as near perfect as a movie could be. However I will admit if you're not familiar with the subject of territorial spirits or shamanic transference it might be difficult to follow. Without question, "Nomads" is my all-time favorite film! |
| Rating | | | Date | January 26, 2005 | | Summary | Excellent, A Great Ride | Content
| I am so glad this is on DVD. I enjoyed Brosnan's excellent work in this film. A Superb French accent, and an amazing scene in the hospital.
The Mythos behind this film is excellent, eerie, and so haunting. Worth watching, and will, if you get right into it, inspire you to look up books on the Inuit.
This is a briliant, albeit low budget, supernatural /surreal thriller.
Well worth the watch, and may inspire you to see more in this type of genre. |
| Rating | | | Date | February 04, 2004 | | Summary | This one haunts me | Content
| I first saw this movie about 10 years ago on VHS. I could not watch it alone or in one sitting. It scared the stuffing out of me. No, it doesn't serve up every answer neat and clean, it forces you to think. I don't care much for Adam Ant as a musician, but I think his casting here as an evil entity was inspired. The role played by Lesley Ann Downs would have been better served with a man in the role, making the blending of minds/spirits much smoother and the interactions a little cleaner. But overall, I've loved this movie and am happy to find it on DVD. |
| Rating | | | Date | January 12, 2003 | | Summary | Clearly anthropological science fiction | Content
| This story concerns an anthropologist (played by Pierce Brosnan) moving to Los Angeles with his French wife (Anna-Maria Monticelli) to teach at UCLA. His professional interests soon trap him into observing (not realizing the inherent dangers until it is too late) what appears to be a band of nomads (hence the film's name) following classical rules of such behavior, in the modern day big city setting. For some reason, these nomads are attracted to the locale of the house he and his wife are renting.
Classifying this movie as horror or supernatural is mischaracterization; I contend one should think of it as in a special class of "anthropological science fiction", anthropology relating to this type of storyline as the physical or biological sciences relate to such science fiction films as "EXistenZ", "Bladerunner" or "Gattaca". Anthropological science fiction has very few representatives. The most notable other cinematic example is Peter Weir's truly outstanding "The Last Wave" dealing with Australian aboriginals and a lawyer (with anthropology interests) who unknowingly gets into a dangerous situation way over his head (sound familiar?). There have been several fairly major science fiction authors that have written in this genre: Chad Oliver was a professional anthropologist by trade, and wrote perhaps half a dozen such science fiction novels, but none made into movies. G. C. Edmondson produced a real classic; "Chapayeca" (AKA "Blueface" in its' paperback incarnation), dealing with an extra-terrestrial being in a northern Mexico religious/cultural setting, also unfortunately never filmed. A case could even be made for some of Stanislaw Lem's writings, e.g. "The Invincible".
It's not clear whether or not there was a book separate from the film's production. The film credits say the story was written and directed by John McTiernan. But supposing there was, as one reviewer discusses, and having never read it, perhaps I'm out of line in saying that casting Lesley-Ann Down in the role she plays was the single down-side of this movie. While Lesley-Anne Down is very likeable (she is a great actress here and elsewhere), the plot would have been better served if that character had been the male doctor in the hospital: The frequent transitions between this character's perceptions and that of Pierce Brosnan's would have been smoother and allowed other quite interesting cinematic angles. Then too, the relationship with the Anna-Marie Monticelli character would also have been better served. The acting of three of the nomad band (Mary Woronov as Dancing Mary - wow!, Adam Ant as Number One, and Hector Mercado as Pony Tail) is truly outstanding. They steal the show whenever they are on-screen and give, in their relatively rare appearances, convincingly chilling and absolutely unforgettable performances as members of this nomadic band!
This film presents extremely fine anthropological science fiction of the highest quality, with first class direction (John McTiernan), great cast ( Pierce Brosnan; Lesley-Anne Down; Anna-Maria Monticelli; the nomads; and Fances Bay as the nun Bertril) , good photography, and the throbbing Bill Conti / Ted Nugent rock score that really gets things going. Having seen the original in 1985/6 when it was playing in theatres, and having owned and often viewed both the grainy VHS and laser disc pan and scan versions, it was a pleasure to see and hear the restored wide screen quality presented by this DVD. This DVD is a great buy for any fans of the science fiction genre, especially with a side interest in anthropology. |
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