Use the arrows to scroll for more

• 44 Inch Chest - Interview
• 44 Inch Chest - Clip 1
• The Wolfman - Featurette
• Jackie Chan In Shinjuku Incident - Trailer
• Falling Awake - Trailer
• The Losers - Trailer
• Tyler Perry’s Why Did I Get Married Too - Trailer 2
• Happy Tears - Trailer
• Shutter Island - TV Spot
• Cats and Dogs: the Revenge of Kitty Galore 3D - Trailer
• Daddy Longlegs - Trailer
• Red Riding - 1983
• Red Riding - 1980
• City Island - Trailer
• Red Riding - 1974
• Dear John - 2 Weeks
• Dear John - Not Scared Of You
• From Paris With Love - Clip - Window Attack
• The Ghost Writer - Trailer 1
• Bass Ackwards - Trailer

Human Cargo

Description:
Though it opens with the type of "we're not saying all Arabs are bad" disclaimer (not to mention the dreaded "based on a true story" logo) that leads you to fear the worst, Human Cargo actually portrays its cultural conflicts with refreshing fairness. In 1979, John McDonald (nicely played by Treat Williams as less a blissful optimist than a desperate man concealing his indignation with a mask of willed hopefulness) goes to Saudi Arabia expecting to construct prefab homes in collaboration with a wealthy sheik. His supposed partners, however, are tight-fisted con men, who foist all expenses on McDonald's shoulders and are perfectly willing to throw him in jail and confiscate his passport when he balks at paying. The film is horrified at the plutocratic iniquities of the Saudi legal system, but it doesn't hesitate to place equal responsibility for the grotesque mess on its hero, who stubbornly expects everyone to play by the same rules that work in Texas. Ironically, the film's only disappointing stretch is the failed suspense of its final act, which details McDonald's method of escape. By then, we've been put through the wringers of business negotiations and contract wagering so successfully it feels like an anticlimactic Hardy Boys riff. --Bruce ReidSeparated from his country and family, John McDonald has one purpose--getting home. Treat Williams (Deep Rising) stars as John McDonald in the dramatic true story of an American businessman's terrifying fight to escape the treachery and torture of a corrupt Saudi Arabian sheik who's holding him prisoner. McDonald believes his big break has come when one of the wealthiest men in Arabia wants to sign a deal for his product. But during his trip to the Middle East, the deal quickly turns to disaster as McDonald is kidnapped, thrown in jail and lost in a world of fear and intimidation. Knowing his only hope is escape, McDonald risks his life in an incredible act of bravery.Though it opens with the type of "we're not saying all Arabs are bad" disclaimer (not to mention the dreaded "based on a true story" logo) that leads you to fear the worst, Human Cargo actually portrays its cultural conflicts with refreshing fairness. In 1979, John McDonald (nicely played by Treat Williams as less a blissful optimist than a desperate man concealing his indignation with a mask of willed hopefulness) goes to Saudi Arabia expecting to construct prefab homes in collaboration with a wealthy sheik. His supposed partners, however, are tight-fisted con men, who foist all expenses on McDonald's shoulders and are perfectly willing to throw him in jail and confiscate his passport when he balks at paying. The film is horrified at the plutocratic iniquities of the Saudi legal system, but it doesn't hesitate to place equal responsibility for the grotesque mess on its hero, who stubbornly expects everyone to play by the same rules that work in Texas. Ironically, the film's only disappointing stretch is the failed suspense of its final act, which details McDonald's method of escape. By then, we've been put through the wringers of business negotiations and contract wagering so successfully it feels like an anticlimactic Hardy Boys riff. --Bruce ReidSeparated from his country and family, John McDonald has one purpose--getting home. Treat Williams (Deep Rising) stars as John McDonald in the dramatic true story of an American businessman's terrifying fight to escape the treachery and torture of a corrupt Saudi Arabian sheik who's holding him prisoner. McDonald believes his big break has come when one of the wealthiest men in Arabia wants to sign a deal for his product. But during his trip to the Middle East, the deal quickly turns to disaster as McDonald is kidnapped, thrown in jail and lost in a world of fear and intimidation. Knowing his only hope is escape, McDonald risks his life in an incredible act of bravery.Though it opens with the type of "we're not saying all Arabs are bad" disclaimer (not to mention the dreaded "based on a true story" logo) that leads you to fear the worst, Human Cargo actually portrays its cultural conflicts with refreshing fairness. In 1979, John McDonald (nicely played by Treat Williams as less a blissful optimist than a desperate man concealing his indignation with a mask of willed hopefulness) goes to Saudi Arabia expecting to construct prefab homes in collaboration with a wealthy sheik. His supposed partners, however, are tight-fisted con men, who foist all expenses on McDonald's shoulders and are perfectly willing to throw him in jail and confiscate his passport when he balks at paying. The film is horrified at the plutocratic iniquities of the Saudi legal system, but it doesn't hesitate to place equal responsibility for the grotesque mess on its hero, who stubbornly expects everyone to play by the same rules that work in Texas. Ironically, the film's only disappointing stretch is the failed suspense of its final act, which details McDonald's method of escape. By then, we've been put through the wringers of business negotiations and contract wagering so successfully it feels like an anticlimactic Hardy Boys riff. --Bruce ReidSeparated from his country and family, John McDonald has one purpose--getting home. Treat Williams (Deep Rising) stars as John McDonald in the dramatic true story of an American businessman's terrifying fight to escape the treachery and torture of a corrupt Saudi Arabian sheik who's holding him prisoner. McDonald believes his big break has come when one of the wealthiest men in Arabia wants to sign a deal for his product. But during his trip to the Middle East, the deal quickly turns to disaster as McDonald is kidnapped, thrown in jail and lost in a world of fear and intimidation. Knowing his only hope is escape, McDonald risks his life in an incredible act of bravery.

Rated:  R

DVD Release Date:  1999-11-02

Film Release Date:  1998

Studio:  Showtime Ent.

Director:

• Simon Wincer

Genre:  Action & Adventure