Brutes and Savages (1978) User Reviews

Arthur...Come ON!

[haildevilman · 4/10 · 14 May 2007]

Check the credits people,it SAID it was fake. OK it was sneaky about it. (Like "Faces of Death.") But have a heart.

Too bad it wasn't that good.

The uniform was a trip. I wondered whose relative with fashion designer fantasies conned him into wearing that.

The trip itself? It looked like a Nat'l Geographic documentary with gore padding. Bestiality shots don't really get people excited. At least I hope not. And the croc attack looked like the one in FOD part 1. In fact, it didn't even look THAT good.

I give it 4 stars for the good cinematography and the hidden honesty, other than that, it's for completests only.

Savage

[BandSAboutMovies · 4/10 · 6 June 2020]

The difference between a mondo and the kind of movie that a school teacher would make you watch is that these movies may seem like they want to educate you, but they really want to brutalize you with "1,001 forbidden scenes" and blast you with "fantastic brute sound."

What else do you expect from Aquarius Releasing, which also put out Faces of Death (perhaps the most viewed mondo of the VHS generation), Evils of the Night, Silent Night Deadly Night, Raw Force and so many others, as well as the American releases of The Beyond, Cannibal Ferox, Beyond the Darkness and Dr. Butcher M.D.

Riz Ortolani music? Check. Animal sacrifices? You know it. Mating rituals? We got that. Brain surgery? Yes. Brain surgery.

This is a movie that does not know the difference between alligators and crocodiles. Also, much like Faces of Death, much of this movie is reenacted to the point that it becomes laughable.

Derann VHS

[Stevieboy666 · 3/10 · 15 January 2021]

Mondo movie exploring the deadly animal life, savage tribal rituals and cocaine production of South American. To be fair the opening credits state that some scenes have been simulated, many other Mondo movies try and pass off laughably fake scenes as authentic. Plenty of nature footage showing predatory animals such as snakes, birds of prey and crocodiles eating other animals, at one point the narrator mentions 50 feet long crocs, the world record is less than half that length! He also states "When an alligator mates with a crocodile the offspring is usually a vicious monster!" - very educational! There were two stomach churning scenes of animal cruelty, the first has a turtle gutted alive during a staged tribal wedding, which ends in some very unconvincing love making. The second scene has the narrator state "these Indians are never cruel to their animals" as a live llama has its chest slit open and heart pulled out, I found this very difficult to watch. The only segment that I actually enjoyed has a young tribal man crossing a river only to be fatally "attacked" by a crocodile. The colour of the water keeps alternating between murky and clear blue (obviously a pool) and the crocodiles fake head and man's severed limbs are laughably cheap looking, it's almost Monty Pythonesque! The only professional thing about this dire shockucumentary is the funky Riz Ortolani soundtrack. The Derann VHS did make Section 3 of the Video Nasties list in the UK meaning it could be confiscated but not prosecuted, and has since not had a certified release.

Come for the llama porn, stay for the croc attack.

[guru_monk · 1/10 · 1 January 2007]

Probably the lamest "mondo" travelogue ever made, "Brutes and Savages" is a laughable and cynical attempt at a documentary. "Explorer" Davis (dressed in an amazing salmon-colored safari outfit) heads to "Africa" (or its nearest North American equivalent) to film a Sudanese tribe. Where this tribe obtains it's endless supply of grease-based face paint isn't explained. The visit culminates in the simply jaw-dropping "croc attack" on a tribesman undergoing a manhood initiation. Replete with obvious and laughable continuity errors and rubber animals/body parts, you won't believe your eyes when you see it. The South American parts are rather dull, save the animal butchery (I had a hard time with the turtle slaughter). Smiling and laughing slum dwellers are called sullen and withdrawn who are wearing colorful clothes to show off for the cameras. I nodded off a couple of times, but the photography is nice, and the whole thing ends with llamas mating and simulated bestiality. "Killing For Culture" summed this one up nicely: pitiful.

A bit boring at times, but mostly entertaining.

[MonsterVision99 · 5/10 · 5 March 2017]

"Brutes and Savages" its probably one of the weirdest mondo films out there, most of its content is fake (like most mondo films), but the real moments are quite entertaining.

The worst part about this movie its probably the infamous "alligator scene", that manages to get an unintentional laugh out of the viewer, actually, most of the "African" scenes are quite funny and cheesy, the south American scenes are a bit boring and dull, except for the crocodile scenes, those are pretty riveting to watch, other than that, the film feels like a common mondo film.

I would recommend it for those who look for a laughable mondo film, just beware, there is animal cruelty in this film, it didn't bothered me, but some viewers may find it uneasy to watch.

Wearing a safari suit does not mean one is on a real safari

[Zbigniew_Krycsiwiki · 13 August 2015]

Arthur Davis, whoever the bloody hell he is, allegedly on safari, (wearing a faded pink safari suit does not mean one is on a real safari) shows us all sorts of alleged tribal rituals in Sudan, and South America.

Boring mockumentary likely filmed in the Hollywood Hills, rather than Sudan, except for parts of the crocodile attack, which were obviously filmed in someone's swimming pool, using a plastic croc head on hinges to open and close its jaws, while the guy it is supposedly eating makes monkey noises while getting his arm bitten off!

That bit was amusing in its ineptitude, the tribes people slathering paint on each other's faces, and asses, while some wear bright yellow polka dot pants and speaking perfect English, despite the fact that native Sudanese speak Arabic, was just stupid, and what the hell was the purpose of the disco music on the soundtrack? Upbeat 16th notes on hi-hats, and wah wah guitars don't go well with two tribesmen going at each other with knives.

For those unintentionally amusing moments, the real(?) animal death, and real brain surgery footage was unwatchable, and ruined any "so bad it's good" vibe the film had.

I'll generously give this 4/ 10, for unintended laughs during the aforementioned swimming pool attack bit, but a 1/ 10 for the remainder of it.

NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC MOVE OVER

[nogodnomasters · 1/10 · 16 April 2019]

What is unusual about this film is that it incorporates actually footage into the mondo background. Nothing like authentic native girls with shaved armpits and legs. The opening scene of a jaguar confronting a boar in the wild had a visible wire fence in it. Likewise the soundtrack of a lion growling while a cougar has a rabbit in its mouth was clearly added.

You see stock footage of a plane flying into Rio and suddenly they are in Bolivia...then Peru. The man wrestling with the fake crocodile and later his hand floating on the surface was very unrealistic and I really didn't need to see that llama scene at the end. Shades of John Waters.

The most interesting thing on the DVD was the printed journal.

Guide: sex, nudity, bestiality.

Savage and brutes IS RIGHT

[nanettemeau · 1/10 · 6 April 2024]

Lord have mercy. Pure evil. What some humans do is completely evil and unspeakable torture to these poor animals my gosh. And to think that we have opened our border to some of these horrible Savage people from Mexico and South America even China and other Asian countries and Africa and Haiti and Dominican Republic. And I am speaking about the bad eggs the true Savage beasts who are in human form. I truly think Jesus Christ has brought civility to those who listen. I'm afraid most of the USA is starting to become and regress back to the Savage ignorant Criminal age. When crime is actually glorified.

Sick savagery and brutality

[videorama-759-859391 · 7/10 · 8 May 2021]

Why do people make these films? If this was intended, a mockumentary as other reviewers state, although to me, everything looked real, it's just means the makers are sicker. How would you like to be butchered, mutilated, decapitated. I can't in my right mind, understand, why you would fake scenes like this, if only for profit, and to cater for a small unsound set of people, who'd get off on it. Even though with these, and other visual atrocities, the film pulls itself up above trash, as coming across as good film making, with insightful, musing narration. A good quality doco/mocu with interesting stories, involving sick rituals, customs, though in no way, do I condone this. This exploitation torture video, stands stylishly against, it's score of others, I won't mention, but you know which ones. It's bold, exploitative video cover says it all. Had one rolling eye moment, concerning a remark. Regarding the ways of making it as painless and dignified, for the animal. Another hard to watch/stomach scene, besides the much earlier lama one, involves brain surgery. Some small comic relief of the film, comes in one scene, involving the most sexually explicit, and bizarre nude wood art, while the last scene, involving lama fu**ing, just has to be seen to be believed, and will leave a heavy imprint with you, a feel good song, following. You've been warned.