Bloodstone (1988)

MOVIE PLOT

In 12th Century India a huge ruby was bestowed with the power of good and the curse of evil by the spilled blood of princess Lafla. In the 18th Century the British stole it away. In today's India, smalltime crook Paul Lorre steals the stone back, but while attempting delivery to international fence Ludwig Van Hoeven, realizes the authorities are onto to him and slips the priceless gem into the baggage of the unsuspecting Sandy (Brett Stimely) and Stephanie McVey (Anna Nicholas). Arrested on arrival at Madras by the very Clouseau- like Inspector Ramesh, Lorre manages to indicate the American couple and their streetwise taxi driver Shyam Sabu (Rajni Kanth) to Van Hoevan's thugs. Sabu realizes that he is being followed, but does not see the huge ruby fall into a crevice inside his trunk while unloading Sandy and Stephanie at their hotel. Soon Sandy and Sabu are both in action: Sandy in a brutal fight with two thieves ransacking his room; and Sabu in a life-or-death car chase and shootout.

Stephanie gets kidnapped by Van Hoeven's thugs.Van Hoeven contacts Sandy: Stephanie for the gem at the waterfalls on the road to Bangalore. Without the ruby, Sandy has no option but the police, but Sabu produces the stone igniting a vicious fight between the two equally matched men, ending in a second agreement. Sandy will pay well, but the ruby is his to exchange for Stephanie's life. They prepare for conflict, Sabu letting his heathen friends know their help may be needed. At every corner the bungling Ramesh is attempting to keep up with the furious pace, always managing somehow to fail. Sandy and Sabu are ambushed exiting the rain forests but survive the shootout and capture two of Van Hoeven's men, learning the lone secret passage before tossing them over the waterfalls.

Van Hoeven is giving a festive, lavish party. But Sandy and Sabu have penetrated the palace with plans of their own, when they...drop unexpectedly. The ruby proves to be a fake and they are moments from execution when Sabu's heathens storm the fortress and a bloody mellee ensues. Sandy, Stephanie and Sabu escape directly ino the gun barrels of Ramesh's men. They are clean, Van Hoeven is arrested and Inspector Ramesh is a hero...but the Bloodstone is still missing.

ABOUT MOVIE

The film is a delightful action-adventure romp, the kind that you laugh off but enjoy all the same. Full of all the stereotypical imagery and iconography that India invokes in the western psyche – Maharajahs, Princesses, gold and riches, cursed diamonds, snakes, tigers and elephants, the most persistently annoying and irritating factor of the film is a buffoon named Inspector Ramesh. Lord Almighty knows why the makers chose to let an American (Charlie Brill) essay the role – the fake accent and mannerisms get extremely tiresome for the poor viewer. But whatever misgivings you might have with such a film, is compensated many times over by Rajinikanth’s awesome presence. Even with the cute accent (“Money, money, money – that’s all people talk about – whatever happened to lau?“), he exudes the charm and charisma that he’s known for. Even the Rajini Antics like throwing the knife from one hand to the other back and forth, lighting the cigarette in style…they’re all there. He even throws in a dance move, even if for a split second…

Must-watch, all Rajini fans out there!

CAST & CREWS

Rajinikanth Shyam Sabu
Brett Stimely Sandy McVey
Anna Nicholas Stephanie
Charlie Brill Inspector Ramesh
Jack Kehler Paul Lorre
Christopher Neame Van Hoeven
Laura ALbert Kim Chi

Dwight Little Director
Nico Mastorakis Producer
Eric D Andersen Director of Photography
Murali Manohar Executive Producer
Ashok Amritraj Executive Producer

Date of Release : 07 October 1988