Montezuma’s Revenge (1978)

Duration: 0:29:17

Year Published: 1978

Sound: sound

Description: Before enrolling in the film program at the University of Southern California, filmmaker and Texas native Kevin Reynolds audited film classes at the University of Texas at Austin. There, he wrote and directed his first film, Montezuma’s Revenge, which would later serve as the inspiration for Reynolds’ famous cult classic, Fandango (1985). Montezuma’s Revenge is a condensed version of Fandango, following six college students as they drive to Mexico and encounter numerous comedic difficulties. Driven by the promise of authentic Mexican food and pretty women, the boys drink plenty of Coors, run into car trouble, and find themselves on the wrong side of the law. At USC, Reynolds made another version of Montezuma’s Revenge called Proof. Director Steven Spielberg saw the film and helped fund a feature-length version, which became Fandango. Reynolds is also known for directing films such as Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves (1991), Waterworld (1995) and The Count of Monte Cristo (2002). Bill Mackie was a professor in the Radio-Television-Film Department at the University of Texas.