Guyana: Crime of the Century
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50% Critic Match

Guyana: Crime of the Century

The movie that dares to tell the truth behind the most shocking crime of the century!

5.0 / 10 1979 1h 47mR English
DramaThriller

Storyline

This horrific dramatization of the Guyana tragedy traces the steps of Reverend Jim Jones, a highly charismatic, but profoundly paranoid clergyman, who after years of evangelism and good deeds, begins his own church in the mid-western United States. When Jim Jones becomes increasingly obsessed with the belief that the CIA is "a wicked enemy" who is out to get him, he emigrates with his congregation to Guyana, where he plans to create a utopia. But Jim Jones' utopia consists of a society where he demands his followers turn their minds, bodies and possessions over to him, one that is rife with orgies, physical violence, mental torture, and sexual abuse of children and adults. Ultimately, Jim Jones' paranoia reaches a fevered pitch that culminates in him taking savage action against his own congregation. (VCI Home Video)

Cast & Crew

Stuart Whitman

Stuart Whitman

Rev. James Johnson

Lead
John Ireland

John Ireland

Dave Cole

Joseph Cotten

Joseph Cotten

Richard Gable

Bradford Dillman

Bradford Dillman

Dr. Gary Shaw

Gene Barry

Gene Barry

Congressman Lee O'Brien

Jennifer Ashley

Jennifer Ashley

Anna Kazan

Yvonne De Carlo

Yvonne De Carlo

Susan Ames

Nadiuska

Nadiuska

Leslie Stevens

What People Are Saying

3.0
A staggering achievement of craft and ambition. René Cardona Jr.'s vision lands with breathtaking precision.
Manohla Dargis, The New York Times
3.0
Every frame feels alive. Guyana: Crime of the Century is the rare release that takes its audience seriously.
Anthony Lane, The New Yorker