| The Further Adventures of Tennessee Buck | |
|---|---|
| Directed by | David Keith |
| Written by | Barry Jacobs Stuart Jacobs |
| Story by | Paul Mason |
| Produced by | Gideon Amir |
| Starring |
|
| Cinematography | Avraham Karpick |
| Edited by | Anthony Redman |
| Music by | John Debney |
| Distributed by | Trans World Entertainment |
Release date |
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Running time | 88 minutes |
| Countries | Sri Lanka United States |
| Language | English |
The Further Adventures of Tennessee Buck is a 1988 Sri Lankan-American adventure comedy film directed by and starring David Keith. [1]
Ken Manchester and his wife Barbara are wealthy but restless Americans who sign up for an exotic safari adventure in the wilds of Borneo. Their guide is Tennessee Buck Malone, a hard-drinking, wisecracking adventurer whose roguish charm hides a capable survivor’s instincts. Along with a handful of other thrill-seeking tourists, they plunge deep into the uncharted jungle, eager for excitement but unprepared for what lies ahead.
The safari turns disastrous when the group is ambushed by a fierce native tribe. Buck and the tourists are quickly overpowered and dragged into the heart of the jungle. There, they discover the tribe is ruled by a ruthless and violent chief with savage rituals reserved for outsiders.
Ken is cast aside as weak and unworthy, while Barbara draws the full attention of the tribe. In a ritualistic display, the tribal women seize her, stripping her of her dignity and coating her skin in oil as preparation for the chief. Helpless, Ken is mocked and then released into the jungle—not as an act of mercy, but as part of the tribe’s cruel tradition of the hunt. The warriors pursue him, and before long his fate is sealed.
Barbara’s nightmare deepens when the chief presents her with Ken’s severed head, a trophy meant to break her spirit before forcing himself upon her. Trapped and humiliated, Barbara endures the horror with no hope of rescue.
But fate intervenes. Buck, released under similar pretenses, turns the tribe’s arrogance against them. Using cunning, strength, and the terrain to his advantage, he fights his way back into the village. In a daring raid, he overpowers guards and finds Barbara, still reeling from her ordeal. Despite his own wounds and exhaustion, Buck refuses to leave her behind.
Together, they flee into the hostile jungle, hunted by the tribe at every turn. Barbara, traumatized but resilient, clings to Buck as he leads them through rivers, cliffs, and dense rainforest. The journey becomes a desperate fight for survival, forcing Barbara to confront the brutal reality of the world she thought would be a mere adventure.
In the end, Buck’s grit and resourcefulness give them a narrow escape, but the scars—both physical and emotional—remain. What began as a holiday safari becomes a harrowing tale of savagery, survival, and the price of venturing too deep into the unknown.
Todd Sussman, reviewing for The Miami News, says that it is unclear whether the movie is a comedy or an action thriller, but concludes that either way, it is terrible and "possibly this year's worst film". [2] The Los Angeles Times call it a "pathetic little porno-comic-adventure". [3]
Leonard Maltin awarded the film two and a half stars. [4]