As sure as day follows night, thunder follows lightning or George Lazenby follows Sean Connery, the times were a-changing once again for the latest cinematic incarnation of Edgar Rice Burroughs’ Tarzan of the Apes. The rippling physique of Gordon Scott had had a pretty impressive run by 1960; not only had he successfully conveyed the sheer power of the jungle lord by being built like a brick shithouse and marshalled the franchise into the realms of colour film, but his previous entry, Tarzan’s Greatest Adventure, had a legitimate claim to being exactly that.
Still, with director Robert Day returning to deliver another stripped-back serving of sweaty heroics, and a pulpy story that kept that intimate, immediate feel of their previous collaboration, could Scott continue that hot streak and turn in his loin cloth with pride?
Meet the Bantons, a family of ruthless, murdering robbers who are lead by grizzled patriarch, Abel, and are comprised of a quartet of brothers who all exist in the all-encompassing shadow of favoured son, Coy. However, this brood of villains manage to outdo themselves when they rob a pay office and leave a fair few bodies in their wake, but in the midst of their getaway, Coy is nabbed by a courageous policeman named Wyntors, who is subsequently shot when the rest of the Bantons try to free their captured member.
Enter Tarzan, who recaptures Coy, sends Ethan Banton to jam with the choir invisible with a well placed arrow and vows to transport Coy to the town of Kairobi in order to pick up the reward offered to donate it to Wyntors’ recently bereaved wife and child. This obvious doesn’t sit well with Abel, who now is down one son and has another facing the noose, so in an effort to slow Tarzan down, the Bantons unleash a reign of terror over the town of Mantu, threatening to burn down the local hospital if anyone aids Tarzan and even going so far as to blow up the local ferry to ensure that if Tarzan is going to deliver Coy to the authorities, he’s going to have to slog through the jungle on foot to do it.
Of course, what with Tarzan being Tarzan, that’s exactly what he plans to do; but what the jungle lord didn’t expect is that every Tom, Dick and Harry wants to tag along because they all have business in Kairobi and can’t wait a Cole of weeks until another ferry arrives. So before you can say “hangers on”, Tarzan and a handcuffed Coy are joined by Tate, the helpful first mate of the original ferry; ex-doctor, Conway; random female, Lori and the embittered couple of Ames and Fay, whose poisoned barbs suggested that they’re taking their marriage cues from Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton.
Obviously Tarzan isn’t exactly thrilled to be putting up with this shit while having to escort a full-blown murderer through a fucking jungle – especially when they’re being tracked by Abel and the boys – but white folks in Africa tend to do what they want regardless, so a perilous journey begins as the Lord of the Apes plays a deadly game with a family who play for keeps.
So while Tarzan The Magnificent isn’t quite in the same league as Tarzan’s Greatest Adventure, Gordon Scott still closes out his jungle tenure in style in a spirited romp that keeps the no-bullshit attitude of the previous film nicely intact. Once again there’s no Jane, no Boy and a noticable absence of random acts of Cheeta-capering in order to to keep the kids entertained and as a result, we have another direct, no nonsense adventure film that gets right to the point. In fact, if you were to strip away the usual Tarzan trappings from the lean script, Tarzan The Magnificent has more in common with a classic western such as 3:10 To Yuma as our hero is essentially escorting a criminal to justice while his cronies pull out the stops to bust him loose. This continues the notion from the previous installment that this Tarzan isn’t so much the lord and master of the jungle elements as he is more a brawling keeper of the peace who just shows up to serve justice like an arrow twanging Batman. In fact, the entire notion that Tarzan wants to bring Coy to justice merely to claim the reward for the family of a man murdered by the Bantons may be the most casually heroic acts I’ve ever witnessed in one of these movies. Sure, rescuing a damsel in distress by wrestling a crocodile is brave and all, but going above and beyond to make sure that the family of a bit part character are cared for adyer he gets slotted in the first act is next level nice guy stuff. In fact, as random and low stakes as this motive is, it’s probably the best example of how noble the character is supposed to be that proves to be a nice juxtaposition to the fact that to plot requires him to babysit a cluster of fucking idiots.
Still, as much as these morons seem desperate to each win a prize at the Darwin Awards, they add an interesting challenge simply because their very presence stops Tarzan from fully achieving beast mode when he most needs it. But while Bud Tingwell’s Conway is good for a side mission involving the difficult birth of a chieftain’s child and Alexandra Stewart’s Lori fills in the standard damsel role, Lionel Jeffries’ magnificently weasley Ames and Betta St. John’s treacherous, side-eye flicking wife, Fay, make up for it by both being utter fucking liabilities the second they show up which adds nicely to the drama.
However, adding far more to the ensemble are the villians which boasts none other than former Dracula, John Carradine as the Bantons’ amoral patriarch who, when he isn’t directing criminal traffic, treats his sons with such toxic parenting, he’d fit right in on Dance Moms. But while each member if this loathsome clan is each a card carrying piece of shit in their own right, Jock Mahoney’s number one son proves to be a good enemy for Scott’s ripped hero. Callously convincing Fay to leave her husband and help him escape, only to leave her to be lion chow the second she gets winded, he’s just what the doctor ordered to test Tarzan to his limit and what’s extra interesting is that Mahoney went on to take up the baton from Scott to become the next Tarzan in the very next film (technically I guess it would be the equivalent of Donald Pleasance taking over from Sean Connery after You Only Live Twice). While Scott is slightly sidelined by the expansive cast and his brylcreemed hair frequently looks like he’s about to launch into a rendition of Grease Lightning at any moment; he’s still a cracking good Tarzan who still looks an utter natural whether he’s wrestling a villain to the death in a river or drawing back an arrow while bullets ricochet all around him.
A good, thrilling ride from a good, thrilling Tarzan, Tarzan The Magnificent lives up to its name with some solid villains, some good drama and a lead actor who still looks like he could arm wrestle a gorilla for shits and giggles.
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