Great story, awkward film
Ismail Merchant's take on the Thugs, his long-cherished dream project The Deceivers, is less successful than Hammer's notorious Stranglers of Bombay despite having more to work with. John Master's novel is a good yarn and Michael Hirst's script is excellent, but Pierce Brosnan isn't a strong enough lead as the Brit (appropriately named Savage) who disguises himself as an Indian to gather evidence on the Thugs only to find that he enjoys killing too much for the good of his soul. Nor is Nicholas Meyer the right director - this needed a bolder widescreen treatment from an old-time sadist like John Guillermin to really catch fire. But it's still an interesting film that holds on the strength of its story, and when it does work, it works extremely well. The surprisingly bleak finale is a definite plus and quite beautifully handled.

Despite the fascinating story of the film's troubled production, the only extra is a trailer. You'll have to try to track down a copy of Hullabaloo in Old Jeypore, Merchant's slightly self-aggrandizing account of his myriad misfortunes during the controversial shoot the film in India - including the company finding themselves locked up at one point - and it's a worthwhile read, even if it should perhaps be subtitled `101 Reasons I'll Never Work With Tim Van Rellim Again.'

A Murderous Cult, A Brave British Officer And A Great Travelogue In India
"But if Kali tells you to kill innocent men," says Captain William Savage, "surely she's an evil and wicked goddess." "No, Kali is not evil," says Hussein, his traveling companion and member of the Thugee cult. "Kali is beautiful, more beautiful than any woman. To serve her is to know ecstasy. You will see, you will see."

Captain Savage (Pierce Brosnan) is a British station head in India. It's 1825, when Britain was expanding its rule there through force of will, example and civilized ruthlessness. One night he comes across a horrendous scene, a group of travelers suddenly set upon and mercilessly strangled. He can do nothing but run for his life. He returns the next morning with his Indian troops and insists the area be dug up to find evidence. He finds a ritual burying pit with bodies and skeletons, some fresh and some many years old. Each has been strangled, gutted and with the legs and arms broken so that the corpse will fit into the space a child would take. He learns that the killers are Thugs, followers of Kali, the six-armed goddess of destruction. Although recently married, Savage is determined to disguise himself, track down the sect and destroy it.

This is one of several movies produced by Ismail Merchant and set in India. The look of the movie is first rate. The British sweat in handsome and totally inappropriate wool uniforms; their women dress for dinner each night and maintain British standards in front of the natives. The film was shot in India and makes for a wonderful travelogue. This is an India of crumbling temples and walled palaces, of villages perched on treeless mountains, of beauty and brutality (where elephants are used to execute thieves by walking on them), of acceptance of fate and cruelty.

But is it a good movie? I think it has enough good elements to outweigh its weaknesses. The story relies on the viewer to accept things that are unrealistic...dark makeup on Savage that can last for weeks...his acceptance into the cult of Kali with little suspicion...a melodramatic emotional crisis where he may be becoming more of a Thugee himself, as well as several plot threads that seem to pop up without much preparation. The climax, for me, is disjointed with more going on than might be needed. On the plus side is Brosnan's performance. He plays it straight, without a hint of the knowing self-awareness that he developed into what appears to be his permanent style. The Indian actors who make up most of the cast are excellent, particularly Saeed Jaffrey as Hussein, a Thugee who considers himself already dead and agrees to help Savage. Keith Michell, as Savage's commanding officer and father of Savage's new bride, does a nice job as a brisk and authoritative colonel. And the movie looks great -- the production style, the costumes, the manners, the whole British-in-India dynamic. I think The Deceivers, on balance, is a film worth seeing if you're willing to take it for what it is, a better-than-average adventure matched to an interesting time and place in India.

The DVD picture is good, although a little on the soft side with some grain. There are no extras.

"You Are Hers, She Is Yours" ~ The Sweetness of Kali
Based on a John Masters novel, Merchant Ivory Films brings to the screen a true and deeply disturbing tale of dark spirituality from exotic India, circa 1825.

Pierce Brosnan plays the part of William Savage (a rather interesting choice for a last name considering the subject matter of this film), a British Captain who accidently uncovers the existence of a sinister cult of assassins dedicated to the service and worship of the bloodthirsty Goddess Kali. They are the "Thugee", meaning 'deceivers' and they wander the mainroads disguised as holy pilgrims or jewel carriers. They befriend unwary travellers encountered along the way and quickly earn their trust, all the while intending to rob and kill them when night falls.

Unable to gain the support of his superior officers to help stamp out the robberies and ritualistic murders being carried out by this evil cult, Captain Savage decides to try and expose the Thugee cult by becoming one of them. He disguises himself as Gopal, a local villager who mysteriously disappeared some months earlier. This is an identity that he has taken once before. Gopal's wife has been plagued with re-occurring dreams of her husband's death since his absence and she now considers herself a widow. As was the custom of the time, she had decided to proceed with the ceremony of sati, self-immolation on a funeral pyre. Captain Savage had been successful in his brief masquerade as Gopal, fooling the distraught woman well enough to bring about a temporary postponement in her impending death. But would this same disguise work with the Thugee?

The disguise works and soon he is drawn into the inner circle of the Thugee. Initially utilized as a gravedigger, he is forced to passively observe the horrific ritual murders carried out by the assassins. However, in time his desire to destroy them is slowly but surely overshadowed by an evergrowing fascination with their ways and the black Goddess. He receives instruction in the strangulation methods used by the sect and is soon proficient in the process. Though he has yet to kill, it seems only a matter of time before he does.

The moment of truth is fast approaching. Gopal/Captain Savage is warned by Hussein, a fellow deceiver and the only one who knows his true identity, not to take part in an upcoming Thugee dedication ceremony to Kali. A form of communion will be taken amongst the believers distributed by a Priest of of the Goddess. It's just a small cube of sugar called the "sweetness of Kali", but it has been consecrated to the Goddess. To eat of "the sweetness" is to belong forever to Her. Convinced that his God is more powerful than this primitive Hindu deity he doesn't heed Hussein's warning and partakes of Kali's gift as the Priest recites, "You are Hers, She is Yours."

The ceremony turns out to be more powerful than anticipated. The spirit of Kali has now completely overshadowed the once honorable Captain and before long he strangles his first unsuspecting victim.

What an amazing depiction of psycho-spiritual transformation and the inherent dangers of tampering with ancient and powerful occult forces. The total interior devastation wrought upon Captain Savage is absolutely heartbreaking. You can almost sense the presence of Kali joyfully dancing in the unholy flames of the "burning ground" at the conclusion. She is truly the Goddess of Destruction. This film is all the more disquieting knowing it was based on a true account.

Filmed in India, the cinematography artfully and faithfully captures the time period and locations in this exotic tale of exploration into the darker corners of Hindu spirituality. Wonderful performances by all, especially Pierce Brosnan, Saeed Jaffrey (Hussein) and Neena Gupta (the widow).

underrated classic
THE DECEIVERS is a surpisingly captivating film, seducing us as well as the main character -- before any of us know it, we're all caught up in the Thuggee world. The movie wisely underplays its hand, eschewing narration and letting us follow Captain Savage's descent into near-madness. The movie also deserves plaudits for not giving us a cut-and-dried "happy ending," making the film far more haunting than if the filmmakers had left things neat and tidy.

Pierce Brosnan turns in a sterling performance as Captain Savage, capturing every nuance of his situation. Some reviewers have singled out Brosnan's performance for faint praise or outright disdain, but I can only figure that they're reacting to the "Bond" image rather than actually viewing Brosnan's performance (or bothering to truly evaluate and understand his career, which is punctuated with many challenging roles and first-rate performances, from a bit part in THE LONG GOOD FRIDAY to THE FOURTH PROTOCOL to THE TAILOR OF PANAMA). Make no mistake, Brosnan's is a great performance, and THE DECEIVERS may be my favorite of his films.

The great game & the enchantress Kali
This is a Merchant/Ivory film before they became masters of their craft, nonetheless this is a worthwhile film for those interested in the secret society of Kali worshipping assassins known as Thugs(pronounced Tugs), a society which some historians believe began as a pagan cult in ancient times. What makes the Thugs so dangerous is that they are consummate actors and so able to pass themselves off as respectable citizens and thus befriend their victims. Furthermore the cult is impenetrable to the British who seek to flush them out because even those non-thug Indians who know of the thugs existence either fear reporting them or tolerate them because they serve a goddess.
Captain Savage is a soldier who at the beginning of the film finds himself attracted to an Indian woman about to commit sati. In an attempt to save her he 'goes native'. This Indian woman has captured his desire more than his new wife. As we get to know him we can see he is particularly vulnerable to the mysterious allures of the land he is in. In the Indian disguise which he takes great pleasure in wearing he begins to uncover the secrets of the Kali sect but as he uncovers the secrets of their strangely sensual form of murder he also becomes attracted to it for the pleasure of serving Kali it is said elicits the greatest bliss.
In a moment of deep delirium Captain Savage now in deep cover and a member of the sect he is investigating goes over to the other side....or does he?
The film leaves no doubt just which side Captain Savage comes out on but I won't spoil it for you. The film is admittedly as gaudy as the subject matter, nowhere near the majesty of later Merchant/Ivory productions, but it is a fascinating study of the strangely malleable nature of colonial identity.
The best acting here is done by the Indian actors, the English parts are all played by mere mediocrities. Brosnan plays the lead and, well, he does an adequate job. An actor with a believably dark side would have been better suited to take this perilous journey.