A "National Geographic" film crew is taken hostage by an insane hunter, who forces them along on his quest to capture the world's largest - and deadliest - snake.
When a documentary crew traveling through the Amazon jungle, picks up a stranded man, they are unaware of the trouble that will occur. This stranger's hobby is to capture the giant Anaconda snake, and plans to continue targeting it on their boat, by any means necessary.—FilmFanUk
In search of the elusive Shirishama tribe, the bold director, Terri Flores, leads an equally ambitious team of six documentarians deep into the Brazilian rain forest. Before long, while sailing the meandering Amazon River, a chance encounter with the stranded adventurer, Paul Serone, who claims that he has evidence of the mysterious indigenous tribe's existence, will renew the group's hopes. However, this is the habitat of a monstrous scaly predator, and Paul seems to know more than he's letting on. Now, slow and agonising death awaits the unsuspecting invaders. Is there an escape from the ever-tightening coils of the mighty, twelve-metre anaconda?—Nick Riganas
A film crew headed by anthropologist Steve Cale and director Terri Flores journey through a river to find a mysterious Indian tribe and shoot a documentary on them. They save a guy called Paul Sarone from a sinking boat. He offers to help in their search for the tribe, but he is actually a snake-hunter looking for legendary anaconda snake, and when Cale is bitten by some tropical insect, Sarone takes over the boat.—Anonymous
A "National Geographic" crew heads down the Amazon in a jungle boat to make a documentary on a long-lost tribe of natives. En route, they rescue a hunter from his sinking boat and take him on board. After the ship's captain is attacked by a poisonous insect and goes comatose, the hunter commandeers the boat, takes the crew hostage, and drags them along on his insane quest to capture a giant anaconda.—Scarface
On the Amazon River, a poacher (Danny Trejo) hides from an unknown creature in his boat. While it breaks through the boat and attempts to catch the poacher, he commits suicide by shooting himself to prevent it from killing him.
Meanwhile, a film crew is shooting a documentary about the Shirishamas, a long-lost indigenous Amazonian tribe. The crew includes director Terri Flores (Jennifer Lopez), cameraman and childhood friend Danny Rich (Ice Cube), production manager Denise Kalberg (Kari Wuhrer), Denise's boyfriend and sound engineer Gary Dixon (Owen Wilson), narrator Warren Westridge (Jonathan Hyde), anthropologist Professor Steven Cale (Eric Stoltz), and boat skipper Mateo (Vincent Castellanos). The group encounters stranded Paraguayan snake hunter Paul Serone (Jon Voight), who convinces them he can help them find the Shirishamas.Danny and Terri hook up on the barge. Serone takes the barge deep into the amazon and enters Anaconda territory. He says that the Shirishamas worship the anacondas as Gods and protectors.
Most of the crew are uncomfortable around Serone, and Cale clashes with him several times about Shirishama lore (Cale says that Serone is using folk lore from other tribes and attributing it to the Shirishamas, thus indicating that Serone doesn't know anything about the Shirishamas in reality). Eventually, Cale is stung by a wasp, and an allergic reaction swells up his throat and leaves him unconscious. Serone performs an emergency Cricothyrotomy, seemingly saving Cale's life, but soon after, he takes over the boat (when the crew wants to take Cale to the hospital by turning back asap) (Serone goes through a supposed short cut by blowing up a wooden barrier blocking their way. But the blast throws their fuel supply in the water and destroys their escape boat), forcing the crew to help him achieve his true goal: hunting down a giant record-breaking green anaconda he had been tracking, which he believes he can capture alive.
Mateo gets lost when he falls into the water and is the first to be killed by the anaconda near the wreckage of the poacher's boat. A photograph in an old newspaper reveals that Mateo, Serone, and the poacher were working together to hunt animals, including snakes. The others try to find Mateo while Serone kills a monkey to use as anaconda bait. Terri is not in favor of using bait to lure the anaconda, but Gary supports Serone. Serone promises that if the crew helps him find the snake, he will help them get out alive. Serone has the guns, and he now controls the barge. That night, the anaconda attacks the boat crew. Serone attempts to capture the snake by hitting it with a tranquilizer gun, but it coils around Gary, crushing him. Terri attempts to shoot the anaconda to save him, but Serone knocks her gun away and the snake devours Gary. The crew overpowers (after Terri seduces Serone and takes his gun away from him) Serone and tie him up as punishment.
The next day, the boat becomes stuck at a waterfall, requiring Terri, Danny, and Westridge to enter the water to winch it loose. Denise confronts Serone and attempts to kill him to avenge Gary's death, but he strangles her with his legs before dumping her corpse into the river. The anaconda returns, and Westridge distracts it long enough for Terri and Danny to return to the boat while Westridge ascends the waterfall. Serone breaks free during the attack and attacks Danny. The anaconda climbs a tree and attacks Westridge, but the tree snaps. The crew winds up in the water, Cale wakes up in the process, and Westridge is killed by the anaconda. The snake attacks Danny, but Terri shoots it in the head. Serone, still believing he can capture the snake alive, attacks her. Cale stabs him with a tranquilizer dart before losing consciousness again himself, and Danny knocks Serone into the river.
Serone manages to catch up to the group and captures Terri and Danny, using them as bait in an attempt to capture a second, much larger anaconda. The snake attacks the pair, slowly suffocating them. Serone attempts to catch the anaconda in a net, but it breaks free and attacks him, eventually swallowing him whole. Terri and Danny escape their bonds.Terri retreats to a building and finds a nest full of newborn anacondas. The snake regurgitates Serone's corpse and chases her up a smokestack. Danny pins its tail to the ground with a Pickax and ignites a fire below the smoke shack, setting the snake on fire. The resulting explosion sends the burning anaconda flying out of the building and into the water. As Terri and Danny recuperate on a nearby dock, the anaconda resurfaces, but Danny kills it with an ax to the head.
Afterwards, Terri and Danny reunite with Cale, who begins to revive on the boat. While floating downriver, the trio suddenly locate the Shirishama tribe, who help them escape the Amazon.
