A novelist specializing in romance stories from New York (Turner) travels to Colombia on a mission to rescue her sister, who has been taken captive by some questionable relatives (DeVito and Norman). During her journey, she encounters an unusual bird smuggler (Douglas), and together they try to outwit a dishonest colonel (Arau) and his armed forces. “Romancing the Stone” (1984) appeared after “Raiders of the Lost Ark” became popular. It's a diverting movie that manages to balance serious action with lightheartedness. However, it loses its way roughly halfway through when the drug lord displays an unexpectedly cheerful demeanor while assisting Joan and Jack in evading Colonel Zolo’s soldiers, all while narrowly avoiding gunfire. The logic behind his happiness is unclear; he should be worried about imminent death, yet he seems delighted, even though he's now a wanted man who will likely lose his property. It’s safe to say returning home won't be an option for him. This feels like poor storytelling, which is disappointing because the movie was genuinely exciting and enjoyable before that point. Afterward, it became predictable and dull. Despite this flaw, the scenery is beautiful, Turner and Douglas have good chemistry, and there are plenty of (superficial) moments of excitement. It’s unfortunate that nearly all of the second half makes the film easily disposable. A follow-up movie, “The Jewel of the Nile,” was released a year later. The film has a running time of 1 hour, 45 minutes and filming took place in Snow Canyon, Utah (for the beginning); New York City; and various locations around Mexico City or to the east, including Veracruz (the old stone fort), Huasca de Ocampo, Xalapa, El Arenal, Tonaya, Xico, Barraca Grande, and Valle de Silencio. Studio work was completed in Mexico City. GRADE: B-/C+

Source on TMDB