Razorback

source: Razorback

Trailer—Razorback

Razorback

Feels like your standard, worthwhile B-movie with enough Australian flair to make it stand out a bit more. There are some moments that make this feel like a larger scale project but then the elements of cheapness drag it right back down and keep it in that realm. The weakest part of the film was without a doubt the lead actor - almost entirely wooden, very hard to enjoy his performance. Everyone else in the film was great! The older Aussie who the film starts with probably gives the strongest performance in the film - he's so intense and animated! It's great! There are some pretty good cues on the score, and some really beautiful landscapes and environments, but in the end there's just not too much memorable about this flick other than some really cool shots of a giant pig breaking through walls and windows. Well, and those freaky, Johnny Rotten looking dudes...

This is one of those film that I decided to track down and buy because it was such a hoot. Great atmospheric scenes, a bit of gore and plenty of humour. I love it and I only paid £4.32 incl postage ! There's a lot of tricky night-time filming and very realistic killer pigs - if that hasn't hooked you then I doubt this film is for you. If you liked American Werewolf in London, get this and you won't go wrong. I don't want to be accused of padding but do an internet seach and you will always find great ratings for this film - it just seems to slip beneath the radar for most reviewers which is a shame because it deserves to become a classic for all the right reasons. Please add your comments if you agree - but remember to make it at least 10 lines OK

I first saw this film over 20 years ago and it has remained a favourite of mine ever since.The plot is a little bizarre but the performances and cinematography are excellent in evoking a nightmare world of loss,desperation and pain.I wouldn't automatically bracket this film as a "Horror" at all but more a violent depiction of loss and the need for revenge.The grandfather obsessively searching for the Razorback is brilliant-pain,loss and terrifying determination.For me the only down is the ending which I felt strays into "schlock horror" territory too much.It could have been much better and more interesting in keeping with the rest of the film but,overall,it doesn't do the film too much harm.Quirky,bizarre,nightmarish and crazy-nice one.

The best thing about this Australian production is Russell Mulcahey's direction which gives this admittedly doofy material a veneer of class. (Although he does have a tendency to overuse the fog machine.) What this film has going against it however is Gregory Harrision's ineffectual performance as the "hero". I remember him spending most of the film getting beaten up and/or falling down. If this had focused on the "Moby Dick" aspect of the storyline, that has a grizzled old man searching the outback for the killer boar that killed his baby, it would have been a bit stronger in the storyline department. As it is now, it's OK.

"RAZORBACK" (1984, Mulcahy). Rarely are films like this made. Beautiful original score, beautiful cinematography, intensely atmospheric, scary, wonderful beast, solid acting and highly memorable. This is a serious film for mature people. It is not a "JAWS" (1975, Spielberg) copy. There were giant monster films before "JAWS" and, to be fair to "RAZORBACK", very few that were made post-"JAWS" have been this inventive and/or original. I give it 8/10 because the ending could have been much better (but it doesn't undo the work of the rest of the film).

Dicko makes this movie. This movie came in the mail 2 weeks after Dad died. What a shame he would have loved it. Dicko was hilarious and cute as hell in it. I've heard people complained how he was in it too much. But I think he was great. The pig was cool, I love man vs nature flicks. I love the Mad max truck Dicko drives. I only am sad that Dad did not see it. He would have loved it and he would have agreed with me that Dicko looks like a Bo Hopkins offspring.

Judging by the external reviews, quite a few people appear to hate this film. I can see why, but I think they're coming at it from the wrong angle. I see it as - intentionally - trying to send up the whole genre of vengeful animals horror flicks. In truth, neither sharks nor grizzlies, and certainly not razorback hogs, are smart enough to conceptualize, let alone carry out, acts of vengeance on humankind. The film simply takes the "rules" of this particular genre and applies them to a ludicrously unfit vehicle: a giant pig. And there are some pretty funny scenes, notably one where the monster eats a nasty watchdog that's chained to the side of a house; naturally, the corner of the house to which the chain is attached comes off and Joe Couch Potato is left sitting in a wall-less abode, staring quizzically as his television disappears into the outback. Treat it as comedy, and the film makes a lot more sense.