Film

Jungle

Name: Jungle
Genre: Adventure, Thriller
Released: 2017
Cast: Daniel Radcliffe, Alex Russell, Thomas Kretschmann, Joel Jackson, Yasmin Kassim

Jungle is a survival thriller based on a true story, following four men into the Bolivian Amazon. It's a tense, unglamorous account of wilderness ordeal and human fracture under pressure—the kind where you watch people make small mistakes that compound into disaster. For anyone who finds real peril more gripping than invented stakes.

TMDb rating

3.4

Should you watch it?

Watch it if you respond to lean survival stories where the suspense is physical, the jungle feels hostile and close, and the characters' flaws matter as much as the wilderness.

Skip it if you want a light adventure or a sunny jungle escape, since the tone is relentlessly grim and the opening stretch takes its time getting going.

What it asks of you: Nearly two hours of steady, unforgiving momentum, with little breathing room and a darkening mood that rarely lifts once it settles in.

Not sure? Find tonight's pick in a minute.

If you liked this

Alive1993

A masterclass in how survival stories work: meticulous, harrowing, built on genuine historical detail and moral questions about what hunger makes people do. The plane crash is visceral; the aftermath is unforgettable.

But It's long and glacial. The pacing assumes you're patient with dread, not looking for momentum or relief.

Rescue Dawn2007

Werner Herzog directing Christian Bale as a prisoner of war learning to survive the jungle itself. It has the same DNA as Jungle—men breaking under conditions—but with Herzog's strange, poetic philosophy woven through the brutality.

But The second half feels less urgent than the first. Some scenes go abstract when you want concrete action.

The Mosquito Coast1986

Harrison Ford as a visionary idealist who drags his family into the Central American wilderness. It's about the collision between fantasy and environment, between what men dream and what the world will actually permit.

But It's bleak in ways that feel personal rather than thrilling. If you want adventure, this will disappoint you thoroughly.

Not sure tonight? Get a pick in a minute, starting from Jungle

The wildcard

Something you would not have found on your own.

Embrace of the Serpent2015

Both are survival ordeals in the same jungle, but Embrace treats it as spiritual and political inquiry rather than personal crisis. Where Jungle is 'can these men survive?', Embrace asks 'what does this place mean?'

A Colombian film in black and white following a shaman and a scientist down the Amazon River. It's a survival story that's also a meditation on colonialism, knowledge, and what the jungle reveals about human nature. Hypnotic and philosophical without becoming precious.

But It's deliberately slow and strange. If you want plot propulsion, this will feel like watching moss grow. The black-and-white cinematography isn't for everyone.

Fifty Shades of Grey2015

Liam Neeson's plane crashes in the Alaskan wilderness and he has to survive with a handful of other crash survivors. Lean, focused, and genuinely tense about small choices—how to build fire, how far you can walk.

But The final act pivots into action-movie territory that doesn't quite earn itself. Some may find it uneven.

The Jungle Book1967

An earlier Brazilian film about tourists lost in the Amazon. It has a rawer, lower-budget authenticity—less polished than Jungle, more interested in panic and disorientation.

But The acting varies widely and it doesn't have the narrative clarity you might want. Genuinely hard to follow at moments.

127 Hours2010

James Franco trapped between a boulder for five days. Boyle directs it with such visual ingenuity that a man alone becomes riveting. A masterpiece of contained cinema about will against circumstance.

But The self-amputation scene is exactly as difficult as you've heard. If you can't watch that, you can't watch this.

The Blue Lagoon1980

Two teenagers shipwrecked on an island grow up in isolation. It's a survival film that's also a coming-of-age film, visually gorgeous, with real ingenuity about making shelter and food.

But The sensuality gets weird for modern viewers and the script is thin. It coasts on landscape and nudity rather than character.

A Perfect World1993

Kevin Costner and Clint Eastwood directing: an escaped con and a kidnapped boy traverse the Texas wilderness together. It's as much about human connection and regret as it is survival.

But The crime-spree framing feels dated now. The pacing is patient in ways that require real commitment from the viewer.

The Revenant2015

Leonardo DiCaprio as a frontiersman left for dead in the American wilderness, crawling toward survival through sheer will. Gorgeous, brutal, immersive in how it renders cold and hunger.

But It's a stunning visual experience that occasionally forgets to tell a story. Some find it beautiful but emotionally inert.

Aguirre, the Wrath of God1972

Both show the Amazon as a place that reveals what men really are, but Herzog is interested in mythology and madness; Jungle is interested in survival and error. Aguirre is Jungle seen through a fever dream.

Werner Herzog's masterpiece: Spanish conquistadors hunting El Dorado down the Amazon, watched by a camera that never flinches. It's about obsession, madness, and the jungle as a character that unmakes men. Utterly hypnotic and unlike anything else.

But It's a 1972 film with a small budget and no stars. The dialogue is sparse, the pacing is meditative, and it requires you to meet it halfway. Many will find it glacial or inaccessible.