Mighty Joe Young

Mighty Joe Young is a 1998 family film starring Bill Paxton and Charlize Theron and directed by Ron Underwood, most known for directing City Slickers. It is based on the 1949 film of the same name. In this version, the ape is much larger than in the original. Charlize Theron plays Jill Young who as a child has witnessed the death of her mother, Ruth Young (Linda Purl), and the mother of Joe, an infant mountain gorilla, at the hands of poachers led by Andre Strasser (Rade Šerbedžija). Strasser loses his right thumb and trigger finger to Joe, and swears revenge on Joe for the damage. Before she dies, Ruth tells Jill to take care of Joe, to which Jill agrees. Twelve years later, Jill has raised Joe (who, because of a rare genetic anomaly,...