Primal

Watch: Primal

~ The ultimate hunter vs the ultimate predator ~

Overview:

A big-game hunter for zoos books passage on a Greek shipping freighter with a fresh haul of exotic and deadly animals from the Amazon, including a rare white Jaguar – along with a political assassin being extradited to the U.S in secret. Two days into the journey, the assassin escapes and releases the captive animals, throwing the ship into chaos.

Director:

Nick Powell

Status:

Released

Language:

English

Buget:

$9,000,000.00

Revenue:

$146,863.00

Key words:

assassin
affectation
amazon rainforest
cynical
freighter
aggressive
big game hunter
exotic animals
admiring
adoring
amused
appreciative
approving
assertive
commanding
complicated
earnest
sarcastic
sympathetic

Cast

Nicolas Cage

~ as ~

Frank Walsh

Famke Janssen

~ as ~

Dr. Ellen Taylor

Kevin Durand

~ as ~

Richard Loffler

Jeremy Jay Nazario

~ as ~

Rafael

LaMonica Garrett

~ as ~

John Ringer

Michael Imperioli

~ as ~

Paul Freed

Isaac Santiago

~ as ~

Vasquez

Braulio Castillo Jr.

~ as ~

Morales

Tommy Walker

~ as ~

Forrest

Sewell Whitney

~ as ~

Scuddy

View full cast & crew

Reviews (4)

Gimly
Written 5 year(s) ago
5
This was exactly what I needed tonight. But what I needed wasn't something good. Nic Cage and everything that happens within his 30-foot sphere of influence is one hundred percent unbelievable at all times. Under Siege with talking parrots, what could wrong? Lots. Still fun though.

Final rating:★★½ - Had a lot that appealed to me, didn’t quite work as a whole.
JPV852
Written 5 year(s) ago
6
Pretty standard thriller, though compared to some of Cage's other direct-to-video flicks. Not altogether bad and I found some of it to be halfway entertaining, even with some questionable visual effects (which I give a pass considering what I assume wasn't a big budget), and it's never a bad thing seeing Famke Janssen. And for his part, as normal Cage performances go, he wasn't bad.

The biggest drawback however was the convoluted plot, I'll give them this high-value prisoner has a health condition that precluded them from flying him back, but the reasoning to be on a cargo vessel was dumb. 2.75/5
Kamurai
Written 5 year(s) ago
7
Really good watch, could watch again, and can recommend.

This is one of Nicolas Cage's more reserved roles, and the movie is very well balanced between him and Kevin Durand (and LaMonica Garrett and his team dealing with Durand's character).

The premise is intriguing and simple: trapped on a boat with a killer, wild animals, military, and a hunter: who wins?

The biggest problem I have with this, and the movie specifically leans into it, is that Nicolas Cage is not playing a good guy, he's a poacher. The only reason he doesn't go to prison for life (though I'm sketchy if the US Cost Guard has jurisdiction given it's not a US ship and neither country involved in the trip is the US), is because Famke Janssen has the hots for him.

Kevin Durand really is amazing in this. He's been reserved to what feels like bit parts in the past, but giving a chance to shine, he really does. He's able to steal the light from Cage in some parts of the movie.

This isn't the greatest movie ever, but it's really good, and I think you'll remember it.
Wuchak
Written 3 year(s) ago
6
Solid ship adventure with Cage, Famke and a cargo of jungle animals

A ship with a cargo of deadly exotic wildlife, including a rare white jaguar, travels from the Amazon to Puerto Rico when a political killer being secretly extradited to the USA (Kevin Durand) escapes captivity and releases the animals for a voyage of utter mayhem. Nicolas Cage and Famke Janssen head the cast.

"Primal" (2019) is an amusing, action-packed ship adventure with jungle accoutrements. It’s a mix of “Under Siege” (1992), “The Lost Continent” (1968) and Tarzan. The writing/acting is snappy and the violence extreme while the story briskly moves along without ever bogging down.

Famke is the only one on the feminine front (except for village lasses in the opening). She’s in shape, but has obviously gotten plastic surgery since the last time I saw her 5-6 years prior. Hey, age happens.

The movie runs 1 hour, 37 minutes, and was shot mostly on a cargo ship in Puerto Rico & waters nearby.

GRADE: B-