The Deceivers

PG-13

Released Sep 2, 1988

1 hr. 52 min.

Adventure

Crime

Drama

List

33%

9 Reviews

Tomatometer

64%

1,000+ Ratings

Audience Score

An undercover East India Company agent (Pierce Brosnan) and a native (Saeed Jaffrey) expose the Thugs in circa-1825 India.

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Laura L

It's a great adventure movie! It's a 'must see' particularly for those who love historical movies and/or those based on fact. The story is settled in 19th-century India - when it was a British colony. The main character, a British officer, infiltrated a criminal organization (The Thuggees) that was responsible for millions of deaths in the name of Goddess Kali. I let you watch the movie to see what happened to the main character and whether this criminal organization was dismantled.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

05/20/23

Full Review

Steve D

Obvious and often ridiculous despite the strong performances.

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

02/28/23

Full Review

Audience Member

I watched this movie with little hope that I would be able to make it to the end… I mean, Pierce Brosnan disguised as an Asian Indian? Give me a break! Surprisingly, not only did I make it to the end of the movie but I watched it several more times since then… I even read the original novel by John masters. Now that says something! This film was entertaining, intriguing and even had me on the edge of my seat on several occasions. Sure, there are some flaws in the film and it does not follow the novel entirely but the strength of the performances by all involved More than make up for this.Yes, even Brosnan in a turban and brown face!

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

02/02/23

Full Review

Audience Member

Great historical value, it reminds me of the lesson that we have not learned from the Dark Ages!

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

02/13/23

Full Review

Audience Member

I thought the film was quite enjoyable. Brosnan and Jaffrey were fantastic, and the film moved nicely. Nicholas Meyer shows again why he's great at creating tension in any kind of story and pulls no punches.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

02/13/23

Full Review

Audience Member

beautiful and lavish as only merchant/ivory knows how to do engaging historical drama.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

02/25/23

Full Review

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Nicholas Meyer

Director

Pierce Brosnan

William Savage

Saeed Jaffrey

Hussein

Shashi Kapoor

Raja Chandra Singh

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Roger Ebert

Chicago Sun-Times

Despite the film's claims to be based on fact, I didn't believe it for a moment. I did, however, enjoy it at various moments.

Rated: 2/4

Jan 1, 2000

Full Review

Christopher Lloyd

The Film Yap

The largely overlooked Merchant-Ivory Productions adventure hasn't held up well, and isn't helped by having Pierce Brosnan in brownface for most of the movie.

Rated: 3/5

Mar 21, 2022

Full Review

Peter Canavese

Celluloid Dreams

Straight-up action/adventure with very dark overtones. A little over ripe but interesting enough from the always interesting Nicholas Meyer. (Kino Lorber Studio Classics blu-ray review).

Rated: 3/4

Nov 26, 2021

Full Review

David Bax

Battleship Pretension

Boilerplate cop movie tropes aren't made any less obvious by a change in era and location.

Sep 5, 2021

Full Review

Hilary Mantel

The Spectator

Passably entertaining, and completely undemanding: an old-fashioned ripping yarn.

Aug 10, 2018

Full Review

Emanuel Levy

EmanuelLevy.Com

Rated: 2/5

Oct 10, 2005

Full Review

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Synopsis

An undercover East India Company agent (Pierce Brosnan) and a native (Saeed Jaffrey) expose the Thugs in circa-1825 India.

Director: Nicholas Meyer
Rating: PG-13
Genre: Adventure, Crime, Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Sep 2, 1988, Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Nov 16, 2021
Box Office (Gross USA): $18.2K
Sound Mix: Surround

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