Razorback #36 of the 150 Movies of 1984
Razorback is an Australian horror movie from director Russel Mulcahy. Written by Everett De Roche, the film is based on the 1981 novel of the same name. Starring Gregory Harrison as Carl Winters. A dim witted New Yorker and our protagonist. Alongside Bill Kerr, Arkie Whiteley, Chris Haywood, and David Argue. The film was first released in Australia on April 19th 1984. It came to the United States in November of that same year.
This movie is a mixed bag, but I found myself intrigued and enthralled by much of it. This might even be one of my favorite finds of this project. I’m not too familiar with ozploitation, so I was delighted to come across Razorback. The plot might be a bit meandering, but it’s the visuals, the filmmaking, and the presentation that make it so entertaining.
The plot revolves around a small town in the Australian outback that has a good sized population of kangaroo poachers and hunters, and one guy that specializes in hunting razorbacks. He’s perpetually searching for the giant Razorback that killed his son and a young animal rights activist, Barbara Winters. Barbara’s husband has come out to Australia to find his wife or the beast that killed her.
Carl Winters is a terrible character, and it’s ridiculous how quickly he moves on from his wife with the obvious romance subplot. However, it’s a bit of a dichotomy because Gregory Harrison is actually quite good as a leading man; it’s just the character’s plot that’s lacking. Bill Kerr steals the show. He plays the second protagonist and is tremendous. I love his gruff, outback-hardened exterior juxtaposed with the bursts of pure emotion at the beginning and end of the film.
Benny and Dicko might be two of the most deplorable, wretched villains in all of film history. I hate them. They’re needlessly cruel. The horrible things they did throughout the picture kept the plot moving, though. Chris Haywood and David Argue did such a good job that I wanted to see them get their comeuppance.
Cinematographer Dean Semler does a really bang up job with the visuals. We’ve got awesome sequences that experiment with camera angles, colors, and lighting. There is a segment of the movie where Carl Winters is left in the Australian desert being hunted by wild boar. And the style while he is wandering through the outback is massively impressive.
Razorback was an awesome find! I’m so happy I came across it. It’s definitely one that I’ll be seeking out on VHS, and also on Blu-ray if one is available. I’ll have to do some research on that. This one comes highly recommended. Suspense level: high, anxiety level: high, horror level: high. RottenPop gives it three and a half stars.
Razorback
Release Date: April 19th 1984
RottenPop Rating: ★★★½
Director: Russel Mulcahy | Writer: Everett De Roche
Starring: Gregory Harrison, Bill Kerr, Arkie Whiteley, Chris Haywood, and David Argue
Studios: Independent
Country: Australia
Genres: Thriller Horror
