Monsieur Rom...
Opar.
We found it.
Captain Moulle?
Form your lines.
Maxims ready, sir!
Steady.
Wait.
Fire!
Fall in!
Stand your ground!
Chief Mbonga, I presume?
How do you know my name?
You're the man I came to see.
These are what you came for.
What would you do for them?
Whatever is necessary.
There is one thing I desire above all else.
Bring it to me.
Bring him to me.
And you shall have your diamonds.
All I need is a name.
His serene highness, king Leopold of Belgium,
has extended an invitation to lord Greystoke
to take a royal tour of the Congo free state
to visit the schools and churches he's built
to acknowledge the success
of his anti-slavery initiatives
and to open trade discussions.
Lord Greystoke, let me explain the Africa situation.
Mmm.
King Leopold controls the Congo.
He's defaulting on his loans,
and needs a business partner to fill the gap.
Your invitation is a perfect opportunity
for her majesty's government to get involved.
Consider the jobs we would create
for the poor natives of the Congo.
And I thought the civil war was long.
Dr. Williams, you are a guest here.
Prime minister, if you're not going to say it,
allow me.
You are Tarzan!
Lord of the apes, king of the jungle.
"Me Tarzan, you Jane!"
Tarzan! Tarzan.
King Leopold's inviting you because you're a celebrity.
He wants to show you
the schools and churches he built.
You "ooh" and "ah" in front of the newspapers,
and he's validated by Africa's favorite son.
England pays his debts. We make money.
Ham sandwich! Easy! Hmm.
So, your majesties,
can we get this show on the road?
No.
No? For heaven's sake, why not?
Well, I've already seen Africa.
And it's hot.
Excuse me? Did you say hot?
Please send my apologies to his serene highness.
And my name isn't Tarzan.
It's John Clayton the third.
Son of John and lady Alice Clayton.
Fifth Earl of Greystoke, member of the house of lords.
Mr. Clayton.
Lord Clayton. My apologies.
George Washington Williams.
Diplomatic envoy for the United States.
- I was sent by president Harrison. - To do what?
Join up with the queen's emissary.
America was the first country to recognize
king Leopold's claim on the Congo.
You don't want to lose your place at the trough.
Look...
I need your invitation to get in.
I'm afraid my intentions aren't exactly
what I expressed to your government or mine.
And what exactly do you want, Dr. Williams?
Leopold spent the last seven years
getting control of the Congo.
He used up his entire fortune building that railroad of his,
then shut off access to 99% of the country.
Why?
Because he wants to be the first monarch in history
who doesn't want people to see his good deeds?
I don't buy it.
Tell me this, lord Clayton.
How does a bankrupt king
keep the whole of the Congo working?
Slavery?
I hope I'm wrong, but I need to know.
And for the sake of your friends back home,
you do, too.
Accept Leopold's invitation and take me with you.
You know Africa off the beaten path.
The languages, the people, the customs.
If we find anything amiss,
then I need someone to tell the world
that they'll believe.
I'll make all the arrangements.
I'll see you in Liverpool.
My family.
I have done all I can to protect them.
We have been surrounded by predators since the shipwreck.
The jungle consumes everything.
It preys on the old, the sick, the wounded, the weak.
But never the strong.
Today, I buried my Alice.
My dear Alice.
Now I fear for my child.
God help us.
God help him.
The most dangerous beast in Africa is so powerful,
it can snap a crocodile's back with a single bite.
Anyone?
Is it a hippopotamus?
Yes! Precisely. Well done, Mary.
Now,
can anyone tell me what my favorite bird sounds like?
Anyone?
Look at his hands!
Whoa!
I grew up running on all fours.
It changed the bone structure.
Do you swing on things inside?
Like when you go upstairs?
Oh, I never take the stairs.
I usually take the curtains.
Is it true your mum was a monkey?
Well, of course not.
My mum was Alice Clayton.
I can't wait to see Wasimbu again.
How many children would he have now?
Jane.
We know about Keko. She's what, four?
Everyone would have children. Jane.
I mean, eight years just feels like a lifetime!
This isn't a holiday.
How many corsets does a diplomat bring?
I can't take you.
I say zero.
Four.
I suppose a British lady should faint
at least twice to justify the silly title.
It isn't safe there.
Of course it's not safe there, John!
You take a nap in the wrong place,
you've got a 50/50 chance of being eaten.
Ladies. Albert.
You can't possibly still think there is a danger, John.
You haven't spoken his name in years.
Talk to me.
Mbonga is not my concern.
You are.
We lost a baby.
The last thing you need is more stress.
Yes, well...
Thank you for the reminder.
Well, in case you forgot, we both grew up there.
So, perhaps I will fulfill your duties for the queen,
and you can stay here
hybridizing coconuts and playing ping-pong.
I want to go home.
This is our home.
Trying to keep me here won't work!
John, my son,
you are the heir to Greystoke, our future.
England is your home, not this wretched place.
If I don't survive,
I pray that someone will save you.
Promise me you'll stay with the Kuba the whole time.
A kick from one of these Walker colts
is pretty nasty.
As a matter of fact,
that's why they went out of style.
Pretty little ladies like you
kept knocking themselves in the face.
I'll bet I could hit that log over there, first try.
Oh!
Jane?
He's known them since they were cubs.
Force Publique, move aside.
Force Publique, move aside!
I want port of entry,
I want port of disembarkation for every passenger.
Yes, sir. These are the last.
Sir.
Thank you. Thank you.
Excuse me, sir.
The ledger.
Yes, thank you.
Gramophone, Mr. Rom's stateroom.
Mr. Frum!
Those crates go in the hold.
Champagne? And music?
Your entire operation just fell apart.
Have faith, Mr. Frum.
Faith is for missionaries.
He gave you the slip.
Make sure the rest goes down below.
Our invitation has been snubbed, Mr. Frum.
They jumped ship further up the coast,
and they are on their own little tour home.
So, from Boma up to here will take me three days.
I shall deliver Tarzan and return.
A week's delay.
You're in no position to ask for anything, Mr. Rom.
Your king's payment was due three months ago.
Yes.
I manipulated my firm to keep this deal alive.
Ah, you agreed because you'll get stinking rich,
so don't get trutty.
Now you must buy us more time.
I already bought all the time...
Look, it's really very easy.
You sail out to the arriving fleet
and tell them payment must be made in Boma
for security reasons.
Opar had better not be a myth.
Bring me the rest, and you'll have your mercenaries.
But if you fail to make good this time,
my firm will go to the Belgian parliament for compensation.
Your king will lose this land,
and who do you think he will blame?
Leon Rom?
Tarzan, you look funny.
Wukonseeni!
Sangonini! Janey!
Sangonini. Ton Moh nah nah ha lah.
Keikoo!
Wasimbu?
Oh, my god!
Janey Porter. Welcome home.
As is custom,
no one has entered until you returned.
This is where Jane grew up.
Her father taught English in the village.
Well, I'm not going to drink some foaming cup of
you-know-what-it-is- and-won't-tell-me.
That's funny to everybody, huh? Mmm-hmm.
Whoo!
They're singing the legend of Tarzan.
For many moons,
he was thought to be an evil spirit.
A ghost in the trees.
They speak of his power
over the animals of the jungle.
Because his spirit came from them.
He understood them
and learned to conquer them.
His ape mother, Kala, loved him as her own,
and his ape brother, Akut,
treated him with kindness and respect.
He considered all men to be his enemies,
since other tribes would hunt his troop
as a rite of passage.
Chief Muviro knew what he was.
He was good to him,
since no man ever started with less.
John?
Blue-bottom Rufous towhee.
Mating call.
Be still my beating heart.
Mandrill.
Also a mating call.
Cheetah.
Mating call.
Ten, nine,
eight, seven...
six, five, four,
three,
two...
I know you took my handkerchief.
We're from America, and my father is a professor.
So I didn't grow up believing in spirits.
Hello.
You're welcome to have it.
Will you speak to me?
Um...
You must know that this is very peculiar.
I'm not sure my father would find this very appropriate.
But, um...
We must make an effort to embrace customs...
Oh! I don't think so, wild man!
No, no, no. Wait!
I speak many languages.
Kneel!
Kuba chief never kneels.
Down! All of you!
Get down!
Hold him still!
Tighter! Tighter!
You ain't so tough, you grotty little monkey boy.
Some legend, Mr. Rom.
Chief Mbonga will be disappointed.
Round up ten of the strongest.
We'll need porters. Yes, sir.
This guy right here, sir.
Grab him, men. You're coming with me!
Let go of me!
John!
Get off! John!
Must have been something, the first moment you saw her.
After all the Negresses and baboons.
John!
Mr. Rom, we'll bring him down.
Go! Go!
Get the maxims loaded!
Hurry!
Focus fire on the boilers. Below the chimney.
Pull away!
Where do you think you're going?
I need you to scream for me.
Like a damsel?
No matter.
He's Tarzan, you're Jane.
He'll come for you.
John! John!
John! John...
They came for me, Kwete.
This was not done by you.
Do you know who they were?
We've heard stories of whites
that come and fight for money...
And do not wearing Belgian colors.
Called force Publique.
The man I interviewed in Belgium
told me about them.
Did anyone mention a man named Rom?
Nobody gave up any names.
But Leon Rom is king Leopold's envoy to the Congo.
Any other revelations?
Not from me.
Why do you say they came to get you?
The boat is traveling upstream,
which will slow it down.
We should get to Mbonga's mountain before them
if we take this route
through the Mangani lands.
How do you know where they're going?
- This route... - It's longer.
But it is where they are building the railroad.
We can ride it part of the way.
Good.
John?
John!
Fine! I'm still coming with you.
You can't keep up.
I might not be able to keep up with Tarzan,
but I sure as hell can keep up with you.
It is not wise.
Falling behind means certain death.
I spent over half my life in the wilds.
Besides, nobody here is better than me with a rifle.
That one right there,
he'd still be choked out redder than a cardinal's ass
if it weren't for me.
And that's...
You think I care about my life?
Get your mitts off me!
If you had just...
If I'd just what?
Left you in England in your castle?
They have my wife, and their families.
Whoever you are,
we're here by royal invitation.
As guests of king Leopold.
Lady Clayton, I orchestrated the invitation.
And you were not included.
Nor was Dr. Williams.
A tribe of savages
is trying to tear your husband apart.
Maybe butcher him and eat him.
And I'm going to deliver him to them.
And once they've dispatched with him,
Dr. Williams will not be left as a witness,
that's clear.
Which begs the question,
where does that leave you?
You'll notice none of the natives are smiling.
That one's your friend?
They all are.
You do know that the right side
of your moustache is just
a little lower than the left?
John!
Different kind of wilds.
How are we supposed to catch a train
going 40 miles an hour?
Gravity.
Shit!
Climb on my back.
Right. Legs too.
Don't think for a second you're saving my life.
Give me the keys to the chains.
Are you the commander?
Don't tell him anything.
Those are some mighty big earlobes you got there, son.
Do you think that was a lucky shot?
I'm just an engineer for the bridge.
And how many men have been enslaved to build your bridge?
Eight hundred.
Plus this group of natives.
Please, I'm here to build Bridges
for monsieur Rom's new army.
I have no part in that.
What army?
The railroads,
combined with the navigable rivers
put 60% of Congo within three days of a fort.
The forts are done. But the army has not come.
Where are they?
I don't know.
They were supposed to be here months ago.
But they said the king is yet to pay for them.
How many are there?
Twenty thousand.
And they are not regular soldiers.
They are mercenaries.
Known to enjoy killing for a living.
Twenty thousand men, 50 forts.
That's 400 bloodthirsty bastards
armed with a Maxim gun
and repeating rifles at each one.
He'll end up enslaving the entire country
to get what he wants.
People won't stand a chance.
What is Mr. Rom's part in this?
It's his plan. He is in charge of all of it.
They expect he will be named governor general soon.
No, no, no. Wait!
Wait! Please!
Shut it, Clucker!
Now, if you do anything unladylike in there,
he drowns.
Enjoying your peep show?
Of course I know you can see me, lady Clayton.
Are you a religious man, Mr. Rom?
Oh. No. Madagascar spider silk.
My priest purchased it for me in Jerusalem when I was nine.
Sounds like you and your priest were awfully close.
Why?
I want you to know, I think your husband
had no right to bring you along.
I brought myself, Mr. Rom.
Of course.
But he was supposed to be the only casualty.
Aside from the entire country of people
you're enslaving, of course.
Would you pass the pepper?
It can also serve as a necklace.
On my last visit to Europe,
I attended a few lectures at the Sorbonne.
The king of France got a soft clap.
Henry Morton Stanley, a bastard orphan by birth,
got a standing ovation.
People love a good story.
Yeah, a few are born blue bloods,
like your husband.
But everyone can relate to a low-born scrapper
who rescued his king from bankruptcy
and saved the honor of his nation.
That is a man who will never be forgotten.
My king's army is due in six days.
All I've left to do
is deliver Tarzan to chief Mbonga.
Yeah, I'd hoped you would recognize the name.
I'm aware of his obsessive desire to kill your husband,
but I've yet to discover the cause.
What did Tarzan do?
Killed his only son.
Oh. Hmm.
And get ready, because that is nothing
compared to what he will do to you.
Your husband's wildness disturbs me
more than I can easily express.
Whereas your spirit...
My knife, please.
Slowly.
Your friend won't float.
Thank you.
Lady Clayton's finished.
A normal man can do the impossible
to save the woman he loves.
My husband is no normal man.
You cannot go alone.
They'd consider seven a raid.
None of us would survive.
This says it's against the law to pay natives to work.
And this is the ledger of all the slaves taken so far.
Slave labor, diamonds everywhere.
Rom's going to make his monarch
the richest king in the world.
Dr. Williams, you have your evidence.
I'll take care of Rom.
Well, I have no choice.
We'd lose two days going around.
Going around what?
Mangani.
Those gorillas you used to live with?
They're not gorillas.
Gorillas are gentle. Mangani are not.
I never left a friend in trouble,
or a partner in the lurch. I'm not about to start now.
Stop calling me "doctor." My name's George.
We'll keep your proof safe, George.
I know.
Meet us in Boma.
If we don't make it back...
We will. With your families.
Get the books to my grandfather in London.
Still not waiting for you.
Tell me something I didn't know.
What I wouldn't give for a horse right now.
Why is it people don't ride zebras?
Well, horses kick to escape.
Zebras continue until you're dead.
"Zee-bra", "zeb-ra". "Tom-ay-to", "to-mah-to".
It's nearly impossible to take the wild
out of something born to it.
It seemed to have worked with you.
Look, I feel foolish for asking,
but can you really talk to the animals?
You're an educated man, Dr. Williams. You tell me.
Hey! Hey, pretty lady!
That's a male.
He's warning us to stay clear.
You're trying to tell me those things are deadly?
If you get too close,
he'll knock you to the ground
and disembowel you with those three-inch talons.
No ostrich is going to kill me.
Well, then try and ride him.
You'd like that, wouldn't you?
Oh...
Damn! That is one odious aroma. Whew, god!
Keep your voice low.
Is that them?
You don't want to do that, George.
Kill one, and the rest won't stop
until they have torn you to pieces.
So how do you want to play this, then?
Their leader will come down, and we'll fight.
You're going to fight one of those?
Oh, I wish. I have to fight Akut.
He was my brother once.
And now he'll consider me a deserter.
Whatever happens, do not interfere.
Understand?
Mmm-hmm.
Christ almighty.
That's Akut?
You sure you don't want me to shoot him?
Promise me.
Get on your knees and bow.
Right now!
Expose your most vulnerable parts!
You want me to lick his nuts, too?
If you want to live.
George...
I wasn't going to!
Well, it looked like you were.
Is he coming back?
No. It was quite decisive.
If this bite gets infected, you're going to have problems.
Then there is this.
Now you know I was not going to lick his...
Looked like you were.
Well, I wasn't.
You aren't going anywhere until we get this stitched up.
Are you eating them?
Taste like bacon.
Ew.
You get us a nice, fat snake, I grub on that.
Snake's good meat. I ain't eating no damn ant.
Well, suit yourself.
And when you're finished,
chew the flowers into a poultice
and wipe it on the cut with a rubber.
It'll hold.
Are you aware that you always say
you're not going to do something right before you do it?
Yeah? Well, that's only since
I've been saddled with your company.
How is it?
It's manageable.
Pain...
I got too much experience with it.
The civil war was dark fighting.
But I was proud to be part of it.
Changed me, though.
Afterward, I was a walking, talking powder keg.
I joined up to fight Maximilian down in Mexico.
Then worked as an Indian fighter.
I did both those for the money.
I was young.
But that's no excuse.
Mexico was bad.
But what we did to the Indians...
I'm no better than those Belgians.
My old friend.
The Teke say an elephant's eyes
speak the greatest language.
What else can make you feel so much without a word?
Is Mr. Rom ready for some more scintillating conversation?
He was the only reason you weren't serviced.
Serviced?
Is that what your mother would call it?
Shut your mouth!
Stop the boat! Stop the boat!
Turn it around!
Stop shooting! You'll hit the girl!
That woman.
Wait!
They'll follow my tracks. Go and get help.
Go!
Promise you won't hurt them?
No! Stop!
Please, stop!
John!
Stop! Stop it!
Stop it! Please!
Please! Please!
Come on!
Move out!
What was that?
Tarzan.
Although it sounded different than I thought.
Better.
Schmidt-rubin.
John!
Stop!
John!
Now, you feel my pain.
I'm not your enemy.
Rom's buying an army with your jewels.
They cannot touch us!
You know nothing!
Your lands are full of diamonds.
He'll come back for them.
Your chief is under my knife!
You are under my knife!
Finish it.
Finish it!
Stop!
Your son killed the only person
who ever cared about me.
It was an animal.
She was my mother.
How was he to know?
My son was just a boy!
Not like you!
Where was your honor?
I had none.
Can we please just stop this?
We won't get all of you, or you us.
But Rom will.
He'll wipe you out.
Every last one of you. Like you never even existed.
You think that's impossible?
You're looking at a man that's seen it happen.
Rom's got the diamonds. There's 1,000 men down there.
Twenty-thousand more on the way.
We're screwed.
Where are you going?
To get some friends.
It doesn't matter. He's too late.
Move! Move!
Fall back!
Bring her!
Grab the diamonds.
John! No!
John!
Get to the boat! Move!
We're coming! Hang on!
John?
That's the payment.
Lower the skiff, and don't dally.
Did you see him there? Is he down there?
1886 model Maxim machine gun.
This is way better than my Walker colts.
Mr. Rom!
Mr. Frum, you portly coward!
Come and get your diamonds!
Farewell, sweet lord.
Take Tarzan with you.
The future belongs to me.
What was that?
Mating call.
Tarzan!
John!
We're not going to Wade into that mess for free.
Raise the anchor!
Ain't this a hell of a thing?
Nice outfit there, Janey.
You look like you're about to give me a hug.
Well, I wasn't.
Looked like you were.
An open letter to his serene majesty,
Leopold ii,
king of the Belgians.
Every charge I'm about to bring
against your majesty's
personal government of the Congo
has been carefully investigated.
We have witnesses, documents,
letters and official records
to bring to your attention and to verify our claims
of your systematic abuse and enslavement
of the Congolese people.
George Washington Williams. July 18th, 1890.
They are singing the legend of Tarzan.
For many moons,
he was thought to be an evil spirit.
A ghost in the trees.
They speak of his power over the animals of the jungle.
Because his spirit came from them.
He understood them,
and learned to be as one with them.