This colorful but ill-fated Hollywood meets Bollywood heist caper flopped miserably at the box office. Nevertheless, writer & director Krishna Shad has crafted an above-average crime thriller with intrigue, deceit, and adventure. "Raiders of the Sacred Stone," as it came to be called, undoubtedly taking advantage of "Raiders of the Lost Ark," was initially known as "Shalimar." Stanford Sherman co-wrote the story that Shad based his screenplay on, and Sherman boasts writing credits such as the 1966 "Batman," "The Ice Pirates," "Krull," and "Any Which Way You Can." Rex Harrison, John Saxon and Indian star Dharmendra bolster this film with strong performances. The film never wears out its welcome and contains some interesting twists. Unfortunately, everything boils down to a status quo law & order opus where the criminals are thwarted and a valuable gem is returned to legal society. Basically, this 90-minute epic amounts to a variation on "The Most Dangerous Game," the classic where a big game safari hunter trapped unfortunate humans on his own island and then turned them loose so he could enjoy the thrill of hunting them to see if they could escape him.
The world's wealthiest jewel thief, Sir John Locksley (a sinister looking Rex Harrison of "My Fair Lady"), is dying from cancer. He invites four of the best thieves in the world to his palatial residence on St. Dismas, a remote, tiny Indian Ocean island where he lives alone with his servants. The thieves include Kumar (Dharmendra), Romeo (O.P. Ralhan), the religious Dr. Bukhari (Shammi Kapoor), nimble German trapeze artist/tightrope walker Countess Rasmussen (Sylvia Miles of "Midnight Cowboy") and Colonel Columbus (John Saxon of "Enter the Dragon"). Sir John has chosen them because of their notorious reputations as criminals. Columbus stole the Catherine the Great emerald. The Countess pinched a Vincent van Gogh painting from a museum. Romeo held up the Bank of Singapore, while Dr. Bukhari substituted a fake crucifix for St. Timothy's Cross in Jerusalem. Initially, Kumar masqueraded as Raja Bahadur Singh with a turban, a mustache, and a beard. He gives up his masquerade not long after arriving at the island. He assures everybody that he is a small potatoes thief from the streets of Bombay. Eventually, we learn that Kumar is not the rank amateur that he claims to be. Believe me, he puts on a good act trying to convince them that he is an amateur, especially when he steals cuff links. Indeed, Kumar turns out to be an impostor with an interesting background.
Sir John lives like a sultan on the island and commands his own loyal army of armed guards. Actually, he saved these natives from a rival chieftain, and they serve him now. Sir John's beautiful nurse Sheila Enders (Zeenat Aman) and he escort their guests on a guided tour of his lavish estate and show them his elaborate security system that he has designed to safeguard the jewel. Afterward, Sir John challenges them to see who can steal the legendary Shalimar ruby. "It would be sacrilege to allow the ruby to pass into undeserving hands," Sir John explains. "The title of the greatest thief will belong to one of you." The Shalimar Ruby has a history similar to The Maltese Falcon, having exchanged hands over the centuries. Its first owner was none other than Alexander the Great who found it when he invaded India in 300 B.C. Briefly; Sir John explains that the Shalimar ruby is the largest single gem in the world. The gem consists of 1, 214 karats and is valued at $135 million.
The mute, crippled Colonel Columbus who communicates with sign language takes the first crack at the ruby, but he is shot in the back by a guard as he enters the room where the ruby is housed. As it turns out, Columbus lied about his lame leg and his mute status. Kumar swears that he heard him scream when he was shot and killed. This becomes a refrain throughout the action. "Do dead men scream?" Countess Rasmussen fares a little better. She knocks off all the guards with her considerable acrobatic skills, but she is blown up when she comes almost within arm's length of the gem. Romeo, who tried to rob Sir John initially, dies next, and Dr. Bukhari is the last to bite the bullet. Surprisingly, Kumar is the thief who manages to steal the ruby. Although Sir John warned the quintet about the rule against collaborators, it seems that Sheila and Kumar were romantically engaged in a previous relationship. Kumar drove her away when she caught him cheating on her with a blond. Mind you, most of this is designed as a red herring. Sir John, like all criminals, suffers his fate because he forced some many of his guards--approximately 18--to die in an effort to thwart the thieves. The big showdown in the room where the gem is stored is pretty cool. The ruby is housed in a clear, see-through, cylinder constructed of bulletproof glass and Sir John has surveillance cameras stationed everywhere in his mansion.
"Raiders of the Sacred Stone" qualifies as an interesting potboiler that is done with a modicum of polish. Noted British cinematographer Ernst Day handled the second unit. The fireworks and the production design is spectacular to say the least.
The world's wealthiest jewel thief, Sir John Locksley (a sinister looking Rex Harrison of "My Fair Lady"), is dying from cancer. He invites four of the best thieves in the world to his palatial residence on St. Dismas, a remote, tiny Indian Ocean island where he lives alone with his servants. The thieves include Kumar (Dharmendra), Romeo (O.P. Ralhan), the religious Dr. Bukhari (Shammi Kapoor), nimble German trapeze artist/tightrope walker Countess Rasmussen (Sylvia Miles of "Midnight Cowboy") and Colonel Columbus (John Saxon of "Enter the Dragon"). Sir John has chosen them because of their notorious reputations as criminals. Columbus stole the Catherine the Great emerald. The Countess pinched a Vincent van Gogh painting from a museum. Romeo held up the Bank of Singapore, while Dr. Bukhari substituted a fake crucifix for St. Timothy's Cross in Jerusalem. Initially, Kumar masqueraded as Raja Bahadur Singh with a turban, a mustache, and a beard. He gives up his masquerade not long after arriving at the island. He assures everybody that he is a small potatoes thief from the streets of Bombay. Eventually, we learn that Kumar is not the rank amateur that he claims to be. Believe me, he puts on a good act trying to convince them that he is an amateur, especially when he steals cuff links. Indeed, Kumar turns out to be an impostor with an interesting background.
Sir John lives like a sultan on the island and commands his own loyal army of armed guards. Actually, he saved these natives from a rival chieftain, and they serve him now. Sir John's beautiful nurse Sheila Enders (Zeenat Aman) and he escort their guests on a guided tour of his lavish estate and show them his elaborate security system that he has designed to safeguard the jewel. Afterward, Sir John challenges them to see who can steal the legendary Shalimar ruby. "It would be sacrilege to allow the ruby to pass into undeserving hands," Sir John explains. "The title of the greatest thief will belong to one of you." The Shalimar Ruby has a history similar to The Maltese Falcon, having exchanged hands over the centuries. Its first owner was none other than Alexander the Great who found it when he invaded India in 300 B.C. Briefly; Sir John explains that the Shalimar ruby is the largest single gem in the world. The gem consists of 1, 214 karats and is valued at $135 million.
The mute, crippled Colonel Columbus who communicates with sign language takes the first crack at the ruby, but he is shot in the back by a guard as he enters the room where the ruby is housed. As it turns out, Columbus lied about his lame leg and his mute status. Kumar swears that he heard him scream when he was shot and killed. This becomes a refrain throughout the action. "Do dead men scream?" Countess Rasmussen fares a little better. She knocks off all the guards with her considerable acrobatic skills, but she is blown up when she comes almost within arm's length of the gem. Romeo, who tried to rob Sir John initially, dies next, and Dr. Bukhari is the last to bite the bullet. Surprisingly, Kumar is the thief who manages to steal the ruby. Although Sir John warned the quintet about the rule against collaborators, it seems that Sheila and Kumar were romantically engaged in a previous relationship. Kumar drove her away when she caught him cheating on her with a blond. Mind you, most of this is designed as a red herring. Sir John, like all criminals, suffers his fate because he forced some many of his guards--approximately 18--to die in an effort to thwart the thieves. The big showdown in the room where the gem is stored is pretty cool. The ruby is housed in a clear, see-through, cylinder constructed of bulletproof glass and Sir John has surveillance cameras stationed everywhere in his mansion.
"Raiders of the Sacred Stone" qualifies as an interesting potboiler that is done with a modicum of polish. Noted British cinematographer Ernst Day handled the second unit. The fireworks and the production design is spectacular to say the least.