Nomads (1986)

March 7, 1986 (US) • Drama, Fantasy, Thriller • 89m

Overview

One night, in a Los Angeles hospital, Dr. Flax attends to a seriously injured man who, apparently crazed, whispers mysterious and disconcerting words in French into her ear.

Director

John McTiernan, Chelsea Quinn Yarbro

Top Billed

Lesley-Anne Down

Keywords

husband wife relationship los angeles, california doctor anthropologist supernatural being urban tribe

Where to watch

Free / Included

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Top Billed Cast

Crew

Reviews

Wuchak

⭐ 7/10

May 8, 2023

**_John McTiernan’s avant-garde first film, a supernatural thriller with Pierce Brosnan_**

A globe-trotting French anthropologist & his wife (Brosnan and Anna Maria Monticelli) try to settle down in Los Angeles wherein he notices a gang of malevolent street punks (Adam Ant, Mary Woronov, Héctor Mercado, etc.) and, regrettably, draws their attention. Lesley-Anne Down plays the doctor who somehow shares his memories.

Written & directed by McTiernan, “Nomads” (1986) is an innovative mystery/thriller with supernatural bits and a smidgen of horror. There are similarities to the soon-to-come “The Lost Boys” (1987), except that this isn’t about vampires and is less comic booky (although there are several characters who seem to wander off the set of “The Road Warrior”).

It’s adult-oriented and artistic in the manner of “The Mothman Prophecies” from fifteen years later, but is even less viewer friendly. Don’t expect formulaic convention. It respects the intelligence of the viewer to put the pieces together. Schwarzenegger said he was so impressed by it that he convinced the producers of “Predator” (1987) to hire McTiernan.

A respectable friend of mine cites “Nomads” as one of his favorite movies and so I had high expectations the first time I viewed it and was disappointed despite its professionalism. Seeing it again, I paid closer attention and was able to figure things out. For instance, why does Pommier (Brosnan) do nonsensical things, like after he uses the crowbar on a thug? Who is the weird nun in the vacant building? Why does Dancing Mary (Woronov) turn back when the women are obviously cornered in the attic? Why does the motorcycle rider stop at the border?

Brosnan is at his best here, very masculine, while the stunning Lesley-Anne and the Anna Maria are easy on the eyes.

The film runs 1 hour, 30 minutes, and was shot in Los Angeles and Santa Monica.

GRADE: B/B-

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Status

Released

Original Language

Budget

$2,278,264

Revenue

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