UHM - Review - Razorback

I remember catching glimpses of this film back on TNT's Monstervision with Joe Bob Briggs, but since I missed most of it I never actually sat and watched it. That is until recently when I got my hands on the UK DVD. For reasons beyond me, the US doesn't offer the DVD, which is sad, because this is an interesting and original horror film that should be seen by those who enjoy creature flicks. With its brilliant cinematography depicting the vastness of the Australian outback and the dirty-look of the locals, we're given a Mad Max-type feel, which (in my opinion) enhances the quality of the film. Despite the fact that this is a creature flick, we actually don't see a whole lot of the viscous pig. Instead we're given a lot of interesting characters to follow and we cut to the pig in action every now and then to break from the slow pacing.

So the movie follows a man who goes in search of his missing wife/reporter/avid animal activist within a small community in the outback of Australia. Thought of by the locals as simply lost and presumed dead, her disappearance was never explored until now. As the man learns more about the area, he discovers that a flesh-hungry and oversized pig may be the cause of it. With little help except for a father-daughter-duo, the man is forced to put a stop to the pig and some locals who may also be the key to his wife's disappearance. As I stated above, we don't get to see a whole lot of action with the pig until the film nears its climax, but all the scenes with it before that are short, but to the point, leaving a successful impression in the viewer's minds. The rest of the movie just has the husband finding clues about his wife and learning more about a father-daughter-duo who have a little history with the pig.

With the interesting characters and solid acting, this creature flick plays out more like an investigative mystery with bits of a killer pig thrown in, adding the horror aspect in the mix. Normally when you mix the pacing like this the movie fails to fully capture the audience's attention, but thanks to the talented directing by Russell Mulcahy and the interesting backdrop of Australia, we're somehow never thrown off and stay glued to the tube. At least that's how it was for me. A couple of the more memorable scenes in the film would have to be when our lead first meets the pig and the ending when the two finally square off; tense stuff!

OVERALL

A good creature flick that successfully mixes a slow-paced story and a rampaging killer pig. Check it out.

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been there done that :

Posted 417 days ago

By far the best pig gone bad movie of the 80's. The Ausie rednecks are a very nice touch. This should be required watching for all those PETA people out-there.

been there done that :

Posted 417 days ago

By far the best pig gone bad movie of the 80's. The Ausie rednecks are a very nice touch. This should be required watching for all those PETA people out-there.

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