Congo (1995)

Congo is a 1995 American science fiction action-adventure film loosely based on Michael Crichton's 1980 novel of the same name. The picture was directed by Frank Marshall starring Laura Linney, Dylan Walsh, Ernie Hudson, Tim Curry, Grant Heslov and Joe Don Baker. The film was released on June 9, 1995, by Paramount Pictures.^[1][2] Congo received negative reviews but performed better than expected at the box office.

While testing a communications laser in a remote part of the Congo jungle, TraviCom employees Charles Travis and Jeffrey Weems discover the ruins of a lost city near a volcanic site. Karen Ross, assisting at TraviCom's headquarters, loses contact with the team and activates a remote camera, discovering the camp destroyed with numerous corpses. Karen alerts TraviCom's CEO and Charles' father, R.B. Travis, who informs her that the group was actually searching for a rare blue diamond. Travis implores Karen to lead another expedition to the site to find his son, who is also her former fiancé.

Meanwhile, Peter Elliott, a primatologist at the University of California, Berkeley, and his assistant Richard teach human communication to primates using a mountain gorilla named Amy. With a specialized backpack and glove, her sign language is translated to a digitized voice. Despite the success, Peter is concerned by Amy's drawings of jungles and the Eye of Providence, and seeks funding to return Amy to Africa, but the university is reluctant. Romanian philanthropist Herkermer Homolka offers to fund the expedition. Having learned of the trip, Karen asks Peter to join his expedition since her visas are worthless without being connected to him. At first he is reluctant because no women are permitted on board the expedition plane, but when Homolka's credit fails to fund the journey, she is allowed to join after paying for a spot on board and for fuel.

In Africa, the group meets expert guide Captain Monroe Kelly, but are arrested and interrogated by local militia leader Captain Wanta, who finally grants them passage for a sizable bribe which the well-funded Karen again provides. As the group boards another plane, Monroe reveals that Homolka has led previous safaris in search of the "Lost City of Zinj", with disastrous results. The group parachutes into the jungle just before their plane, which is on auto-pilot, is shot down by Zairean soldiers.

On the ground, they encounter a native tribe that leads them to Bob Driscoll, a wounded member of Charles' expedition. On seeing Amy approaching, Bob begins screaming in fear and soon dies. The group continues by boat, and learn that Homolka, in search of Zinj and its fabled diamond mine, believes that Amy's drawings suggest she has seen the mine and can lead them to it. After an attack by massive hippos, they find the ruined camp and the nearby City of Zinj. Richard and a guard are killed by a vicious grey gorilla. Monroe Kelly and his friends take shelter at the ruined camp, keeping other gorillas at bay with high tech equipment.

When day breaks, they find Homolka, several aides and Amy missing. They return to the city, and surmise from hieroglyphs that the city's inhabitants specially bred the grey gorillas, encouraging their violent tendencies to guard the mine and kill anyone looking to steal the diamonds. The group suspects the gorillas turned on their masters yet still continue to protect the mine. They find the mine and are faced with a troop of gorillas. Homolka begins to collect diamonds, but is soon cornered and killed by some of the apes. Monroe, Karen, and Peter flee deeper into the mine, where they discover Charles' body, still holding a giant blue diamond in hand. As Amy protects Peter, Monroe fends the other gorillas off while Karen fits the diamond into a portable laser. The volcano begins to erupt, and the four escape as the city is flooded with lava, killing the gorillas.

Once safe, Karen reports to Travis on finding the diamond and confirming Charles' death. Realizing Travis was only interested in the diamond, she uses her laser to destroy the TraviCom satellite. In the nearby wreckage of another one of Travis' expedition cargo plane they had found earlier, they find a hot-air balloon, and prepare to leave. Peter sees Amy with a troop of silverback gorillas and bids her goodbye. The three take off in the balloon, and Peter throws the diamond back into the jungle below. Amy follows the departing balloon with a smile, then runs off to join her new silverback family.