The Emerald Forest (1985): cast, story & where to watch

Released in 1985, The Emerald Forest is an action, drama and adventure film directed by John Boorman, running about 114 minutes. “What kind of man would return year after year for ten years to rescue a missing boy from the most savage jungle in the world? His father.” — that tagline sets the tone.

What it’s about. For ten years, engineer Bill Markham has searched tirelessly for his son Tommy who disappeared from the edge of the Brazilian rainforest. Miraculously, he finds the boy living among the reclusive Amazon tribe who adopted him. And that's when Bill's adventure truly begins. For his son is now a grown tribesman who moves skillfully through this beautiful-but-dangerous terrain, fearful only of those who would exploit it. And as Bill attempts to "rescue" him from the savagery of the untamed jungle, Tommy challenges Bill's idea of true civilization and his notions about who needs rescuing.

Who’s in it. The Emerald Forest stars Powers Boothe as Bill Markham, Charley Boorman as Tomme, Meg Foster as Jean Markham and Yara Vaneau as Young Heather, among others.

How it landed. With an audience score of 6.7/10, The Emerald Forest has drawn a solid, mixed-to-positive response. It went on to earn $24.5M at the box office.

Where to watch. In US you can stream it on YouTube TV, ScreenPix Apple TV Channel and ScreenPix Amazon Channel . See the full, country-by-country breakdown on our where to watch The Emerald Forest page.

If you liked it. Fans of The Emerald Forest tend to enjoy The Dark Knight, The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, Inception and The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring.