Razorback (1984)

The greatest movie ever made..!

Did you people see the same film I saw?

brilliant actors, brilliant editing

The movie's not perfect, but it sticks the landing of its message. It was engaging - thrilling at times - and I personally thought it was a great time.

In the Australian outbacks, Jake Cullen (Bill Kerr) is on trial for the murder of his two year old grandson. He claims an attack by a rampaging razorback. He is acquitted but becomes an outcast. Two years later, NY reporter Beth Winters travels to Australia to report on kangaroos being slaughtered for pet food. Her investigation leads to a confrontation which ends with her death by the razorback. Her husband Carl (Gregory Harrison) follows her footsteps to search for the truth.This is in the long line of Ozploitation films. It's got a bit of Mad Max. The pig is kept out of sight for the most part which draws comparison to Jaws. It's nowhere near as effective. The acting is par for the course. Part of that is Harrison leading the movie after 30 minutes. After following various characters, he struggles to take the lead. It would be simpler to start the movie with Beth's investigating and jump to Carl quicker. Jake can be introduced later as a mysterious Captain Ahab. The introduction of love interest Sarah Cameron does clash with his search for justice for his wife. Try as they may, the pre-CGI razorback has great limitations. This is a functional B-movie at best.

When an American journalist goes missing on assignment in the Australian outback, her husband begins the search for answers leading to a startling discovery. Various oddball characters are living in fear of a mythical giant wild boar, roaming the prairie preying on the vulnerable. Music video director Mulcahy made an (at the time) inauspicious feature debut with his picture about a big pig. It didn't limit his career though, with several high grossing and popular films to his credit since ("Highlander", "The Shadow", "Resident Evil: Extinction"). Time has elevated this curiosity to cult status, and it now receives more attention as a genre piece. For itself, it's heavily allegorical, bears resemblances to news of the day (which might be lost out of context), and benefits from some strong performances (particularly Kerr) and outback scenery and sets.Harrison's one-man army churns and burns through an almost post-apocalyptic looking outback hunting down the clues to the mystery, dispatching of enemies with sadistic relish (one character is dispensed down a disused mine shaft with disturbingly callous cruelty). Meanwhile, guilt-ridden grandfather (Kerr) overcome by the loss of his grandchild, spirited away during the night, spends his remaining screen time, effectively writing his epitaph. Only one of these men will have redemption and avenge their loss, but both their plights, while starkly different methods, are engaging. There's a certain Ahab quality in both cases, and the biblical references are corny, but appropriate in the circumstances.Paints a depressingly desolate view of rural Australia, filled with perils both man made and ecological, yet also handles some mature issues with sensitivity and reverence. All this achieved, and still in the shadow of the world's biggest marauding ham steak with the tusks of a rhino and attitude to match. No wonder it's a cult favourite.

As creature movies goes this one is highly original. Why? Because of the animal chosen. I mean a Piggy that can storm through houses like it is was made of cardboard (it probably was,but who cares)that is definitely not something I have seen before.OK the fact that it is an extremely huge Piggy makes it even more ludicrous. But come one which creature movie isn't. Razorback does have a tendency to exaggerate. If people really would act like the characters in this movie I would never go to Australia. Strange doesn't quite cover it. And surprisingly it isn't even that gory or bloody. Sure you have some scenes that would make you think twice about eating pork again. Still when it comes to the killings it is surprisingly clean. Visually "Razorback" is stunning. If you are familiar with Russell Mulcahy's Highlander than you will recognize his style. Most important for this movie is that it is fun. Hilarious even. Certainly worth your time!

Went to borrow the DVD because the 20 to 1 TV show episode featuring Top 20 Movie Monsters rated the Razorback #11 on the list - beating Jaws (a mere #18) and King Kong (#20!). Bunged the disc in the DVD player expecting a nice horror flick to enjoy on a rainy night - big letdown! The big pig appears only in fleeting moments throughout the film and moves too slowly for a monster hellbent on consuming every human that gets in its path. It wasn't scary enough to send hairs standing on end, the whacko duo Dicko and Benny should've featured in the title role instead (Razorheads?). Even if the production was done on a limited budget, they could've been more realistic in depicting a pig in its natural environment. Also an explanation of how one particular porcine could grow to abnormally large size while the rest of the herd remained within normal proportions is in order.Don't waste money buying the DVD.