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The Deceivers

PG-13 Released Sep 2, 1988 1h 52m Adventure Crime Drama List
33% Tomatometer 9 Reviews 64% Popcornmeter 1,000+ Ratings
An undercover East India Company agent (Pierce Brosnan) and a native (Saeed Jaffrey) expose the Thugs in circa-1825 India.
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The Deceivers

Critics Reviews

View All (9) Critics Reviews
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 Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

View All (25) audience reviews
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 Read all reviews
The Deceivers

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Cast & Crew

Pirates 27% 51% Pirates Father Hood 10% 34% Father Hood Crusoe 62% 44% Crusoe The Razor's Edge 53% 76% The Razor's Edge Danzon 67% 73% Danzon Discover more movies and TV shows. View More

Movie Info

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
Runtime
1h 52m
Sound Mix
Surround
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