Zindy, the Swamp-Boy (1973)

It's a Cardona family reunion, 5 March 2017

Zindy (Rene Cardona III) lives in the swamp with his grandfather (Rene Cardona). They have a great life full of adventures - catching turkey's, fighting crocodiles, swimming in the river, and hunting a puma to name just a few. But it's not the life the grandfather would have chosen for Zindy. But because he's wanted for murder (justified), he's forced to raise his grandson in seclusion On a trip to the nearest village for supplies, grandfather doesn't return and Zindy is left on his own. His only companion is his Chimp, Toribio. Can he survive?

Before I bash Zindy, the Swamp-Boy, let's get one thing clear - I'm as big a fan of Rene Cardona, Jr's work as you'll likely find. Movies like Treasure of the Amazon, Guyana: Cult of the Damned, Cyclone, The Bermuda Triangle, and the trashy Tintorera: Killer Shark all have something I enjoy. None of them are particularly "good" by most standards, but I generally like them. So, I was excited to see a "new" Rene Cardona Jr movie. Was I ever let down.

Zindy, the Swamp-Boy is a disaster. The action is quite often silly and unrealistic, the English-translated dialogue is ridiculous, the plot is illogical, the ending is beyond depressing, and the music is uber-annoying. But the most egregious aspect of Zindy is the padding. The movie would have been about half as long as it is if it weren't for endless scenes of wandering through the jungle or padding down the river. It's one of the most tiresome movies I've seen. I will say that the acting was serviceable enough. Grandfather and grandson Cardona are okay - not great, but they're not horrible. And I think's it's pretty cool that three generations of Cardona's worked together on Zindy. It's just too bad the end result is almost unwatchable.

2/10