Iguana is a 1988 American adventure crime film directed by Monte Hellman and starring Everett McGill in the main role.
Monte Hellman won Bastone Bianco Award (Special Mention) for this movie on the Venice Film Festival in 1988.
The ship leaves the island and Gamboa orders that sailor Sebastian (Michael Madsen) be tied to a post on the coast as punishment for letting Iguana escape.
After some time, a ship holding Carmen (Maru Valdivieso) and her fiancé Diego (Fernando De Huang), is moored near the island.
At night, he climbs on board, kills two sailors on the deck, takes Gamboa prisoner, and sets the ship alight, having previously locked the hull[clarification needed].
Vázquez-Figueroa initially discussed a potential adaptation with Italian film producer Franco di Nunzio, who sent him to Monte Hellman.
It was chosen because of its vast tracts of land covered with basalt and volcanic ash, which are similar to the Hood Island, where the action of the film takes place.
[12] As a result, none of the versions appeared in the wide release; for a long time the producer refused to sell the film as he was not satisfied with the price offered by distributors.
In the US, the film was available only on VHS until 2001 when Anchor Bay Entertainment released the 98-minute version on DVD with a two-minute fragment being omitted, namely, the scene in which Diego wakes up and disappears in the dark corner of the cave.
Mark Zimmer from Digitally Obsessed awarded it a grade B+, commending the film's performances, cinematography, and mood.
Dennis Schwartz from Ozus' World Movie Reviews rated the film a grade C+, calling it "Interesting only for its mythical pretensions.
"[16] American writer and critic Nick Newman placed Iguana on his 2022 Sight and Sound list of the greatest films ever made, saying "Shakespeare originated this story in The Tempest; Monte Hellman improved it.