Nomads Review

MPAA Rating: R
Released: 1986

Nomads , the directorial debut of John McTiernan (Die Hard, Predator), offers a supernatural horror film that explores the world of Inuit spirits; spirits that perpetually roam from place to place and neither exist solely in the world of the living or the dead. When a famous world-traveling French anthropologist becomes fascinated with a group of L.A. punks that he believes to be nomads, he enters a world of spiritual horrors where his obsession could lead to the loss of his very own body and soul.

Jean Charles Pommier (Pierce Brosnan) is a famous anthropologist that has dedicated his life to studying various nomadic tribes from around the world, ranging from African nomads to the Eskimos. When he is offered a job as a professor at a famed Californian college, he decides it's time to settle down in the United States with his wife and partner of many years.

One evening he discovers some punks inside a nearby black van have vandalized his house, yet something about this band fascinates him. With camera in hand, Pommier jumps into his car and follows the group, watching in horror as these lawless individuals seemingly vandalize property and even murder people at will. What intrigues the anthropologist even more is that the group appears to be nomadic in nature – a type of people he would never have expected within major cities or civilization.

Soon the nomads discover the anthropologist, and the stalker becomes the prey as they follow him around and torment him in both body and mind. During an accidental encounter with a nun, Bertril (Frances Bay), Pommier learns that these nomads may not be much more than they appear, and he is encouraged to flee; advice that he unsuccessfully heeds.

One evening the battered and bloodied body of a stark mad Frenchman is wheeled into the hospital and attended to by Dr. Eileen Flax (Lesley-Anne Down). While trying to attend to his wounds and soothe his internal torment, the man whispers something unknown into her ear before dying. From that point on Dr. Flax is assailed by hallucinations as she relives the final days of her unknown patient… Jean Charles Pommier.

Nomads is a psychological horror that relies on its sharp supernatural premise to build a strong sense of tension throughout the film. It requires the viewer to pay close attention to the movie throughout, for its fairly non-linear nature of flashbacks and ambitious storyline makes it easy to miss something if you become inattentive for too long.

The beautiful Lesley-Anne Down gives an acceptable performance as Eileen Flax, the doctor that is forcefully drawn into the world of demonic spirits. If any criticism can be levied towards her, it would be that her performance sometimes came off a bit wooden; not enough to detract from the movie, but enough to be noticed.

Those who enjoy Pierce Brosnan's work are very familiar with his stereotypical style of acting, whether he's playing a thief or a spy: suave, charismatic and debonair. Nomads was one of his earliest appearances on the big screen, and it's definitely a darker, more ragged role than we're accustomed to seeing him play. Even at this early stage in Brosnan's career his talent and star power are immediately evident – his only slight flaw in this film is his off-kilter French accent.

Nomads starts off with a strong bang, but you won't really get a firm grasp of the movie's depths and story until you are well into it. This is a very layered film that takes its time exploring the lives of its two main characters and how they intersect; people that never knew each other yet have developed an unbreakable link. The film doesn't resort to "jump scares" or bloodshed to unnerve you; instead it creeps under your skin in a subtle and intelligent manner.

If psychological and supernatural horror films appeal to you, chances are you will want to give this underrated 80's gem a shot.

Movie rating : 8 stars

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