He needs a plane though to get to Machu Picchu, his chance comes when fleeing Romanian lovely Elena (Nicole Maurey) arrives in town. He uses her as bait to steal a plane hired by the Romanian secret service. He and Elena begin a trip through jungle and across mountains until they reach Machu Picchu. There to his dismay he finds there is already a party of archaeologists led by Dr Moorehead (Robert Young) and who have already found the tomb...
A very satisfying adventure, Heston plays Steele as a real anti-hero (though turns out to be the good guy in the end which is perhaps a bit of a cop out), he doesn't want to find the Incan relic to advance our knowledge of history but to become rich! The film is worth seeing for the number of scenes ripped off in Raiders of the Lost Ark nearly thirty years later. The rather extraordinary singing by Yma Sumac is also something which deserves a watch (or listen).
