History Film / LeJaguar

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* CampingACrapper: Matecamu's henchmen assaults Perrin in the toilets of the airport. They also assault a poor guy who was at the wrong place at the wrong time. Perrin survives only because Campana shows up and saves him.

''Le Jaguar'' (''The Jaguar'') is a 1996 French film directed by Creator/FrancisVeber. It starred Patrick Bruel, Creator/JeanReno, Patricia Velásquez, Harrison Lowe and Creator/DannyTrejo.

* TheChosenZero: Wanu chose Perrin as the jaguar spirit vessel who will help his tribe. To put it plainly, Perrin is initially a slimeball who only leaves France because his life is threatened by the {{loan shark}}s he owes money to, and initially shows little to no care about his mission in South America. [[CharacterDevelopment He gets better over the course of the film]].

* TrappedByGamblingDebts: Perrin is a [[TheGamblingAddict gambling addict]], and owes money to some {{loan shark}}s who don't hesitate to brutalize him to get their money back.

* LoanShark: Perrin's life is threatened by some ruthless gangsters he owes money to as he's TrappedByGamblingDebts, and it's the sole reason why he agrees to go to South America with Campana. Campana saves his butt right as he was ambushed by them at the airport.

Wanu (Lowe), a UsefulNotes/{{South America}}n shaman from UsefulNotes/TheAmazonRainforest, visits UsefulNotes/{{France}} for a public relations campaign to raise awareness about preservation of his forest and his people. He is accompanied by Jean Campana (Reno), a French ethnologist and environmentalist. In the Hotel Crillon's elevator in UsefulNotes/{{Paris}}, he meets a French good-for-nothing and incurable gambler named François Perrin (Bruel). He is fascinated by Perrin and follows him to his flat, and although Perrin is not very enthusiastic about so much interest in his person, he lets the shaman spend the night there.

Wanu (Lowe), a South American shaman from UsefulNotes/TheAmazonRainforest, visits France for a public relations campaign to raise awareness about preservation of his forest and his people. He is accompanied by Jean Campana (Reno), a French ethnologist and environmentalist. In the Hotel Crillon's elevator in UsefulNotes/{{Paris}}, he meets a French good-for-nothing and incurable gambler named François Perrin (Bruel). He is fascinated by Perrin and follows him to his flat, and although Perrin is not very enthusiastic about so much interest in his person, he lets the shaman spend the night there.

* JerkToNiceGuyPlot: Perrin is a selfish jerkass in the beginning. For example, he sleeps with a woman just to get money from her and he is not interested at all in helping Wanu (he does agree to help him at some point... only because he can escape from {{loan shark}}s doing so). In the end, he selflessly helps Campana when Campana is going to be defeated by Kumare.

* CampingACrapper: Matecamu's henchmen assaults Perrin in the toilets of the airport. They also assault a poor guy who was at the wrong place at the wrong time. Perrin survives because Campana shows up and saves him.

** Wanu, a South American shaman from the Amazon rainforest, visits Paris and stays at the Hotel Crillon. He sleeps in a hammock inside his hotel room. He goes out at night with his traditional, very light attire, whereas the weather is cold.
** Perrin has a hard time getting used to the Amazon rainforest.
* JerkToNiceGuyPlot: Perrin is a selfish jerkass in the beginning. For example, he sleeps with a woman just to get money from her and he is not interested at all in helping Wanu. (He eventually helps him only because he can escape from {{loan shark}}s so.) In the end, he selflessly helps Campana when Campana is going to be defeated by Kumare.
* JerkWithAHeartOfGold: Perrin is overal a selfish jerkass, but he has some redeeming qualities. For example, when he finds Wanu almost naked in the cold streets of Paris, he gives him his jacket. He also really cares about Maya: he tells Campana to give her his money and he even gives his Rolex watch for her in the end.

* OddCouple: The two main characters are very different: Perrin is a sleazy, coward, good-for-nothing gambler, whereas Campana is a brave, adventurous, generous ethnologist. They have to work together.
* PsychicLink: There is undeniably one between Perrin and Wanu. While Wanu is comatose, his body reacts to the injuries Perrin gets in his duel against Kumare and commands Perrin's sudden jaguar attacks on Kumare.
* SkepticNoLonger: Perrin doesn't believe in Wanu's rituals and religion/magic... until the climax.

Wanu (Lowe), a South American shaman from the [[TheAmazon Amazon rainforest]], visits France for a public relations campaign to raise awareness about preservation of his forest and his people. He is accompanied by Jean Campana (Reno), a French ethnologist and environmentalist. In the Hotel Crillon's elevator in UsefulNotes/{{Paris}}, he meets a French good-for-nothing and incurable gambler named François Perrin (Bruel). He is fascinated by Perrin and follows him to his flat, and although Perrin is not very enthusiastic about so much interest in his person, he lets the shaman spend the night there.

* TheAmazon: Wanu comes from the Amazon rainforest, and Perrin is brought there to save Wanu's spirit.

* TheAmazon: Where Wanu comes from, and where Perrin is brought to save Wanu.

* FishOutOfWater: Wanu, a South American shaman from the Amazon rainforest, visits Paris and stays at the Hotel Crillon. He sleeps in a hammock inside his hotel room. He goes out at night with his traditional, very light attire, whereas the weather is cold.

* {{Expy}}: Wanu is based on [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Raoni_Metuktire Raoni Metuktire]].