Razorback, 1984.
Directed by Russell Mulcahy.
Starring Gregory Harrison, Arkie Whiteley, Bill Kerr, Chris Haywood, David Argue and Judy Morris.
SYNOPSIS:
A hunter finds himself on the trail of a terrifying and massive feral pig that has been terrorising the Australian outback.
Australia. A country of stark natural beauty teeming with some of the most vibrant and exotic wildlife on the planet. Or, as I like to think of it, a vast scorching hot desert island full of monsters who eat children and drink Fosters. No offence to any Australians reading, but your country is scary, and I would love to visit. So, with this in mind, let’s look at the cult Australian natural horror Razorback. A film that is essentially Jaws on land but gifted with a hypnotic sense of style that is simply beautiful.
As I said in the opening, the story of Razorback is essentially a watered down (or dried up?) retread of Jaws, albeit taking place in the scorching dusty desert of the Australian outback. And instead of a giant Great White, we have a massive pissed-off pig. We even have a Quint variant in the form of a seasoned hunter with a burning hatred for razorbacks, especially the one that took his beloved grandson one dusty, stormy night.
However, unlike Jaws which, while simple in concept, was loaded with moments of terror mixed with moments of rich character-building, Razorback is just simple. The characters, while ably acted by the cast, are flat, severely underdeveloped and, save for a few exceptions, are largely forgettable. The hunt for the monstrous pig is also severely underdeveloped and not particularly engaging.
I know there is only so much you can have in a tale of a giant tank-sized pig, but you can at least make it exciting and action-packed. Instead, Razorback seems to move from scene to scene, often without much urgency or suspense. The titular monster doesn’t even feature that heavily. Neither did the shark in Jaws, but the lack of profound or engaging character development often leaves Razorback feeling like the outback, empty and seemingly devoid of life.
The cast, led by American actor Gregory Harrison, does their best with what they have, with Harrison being a serviceable but generic hero. The real show stealers among the cast are Chris Harwood and David Argue as the Baker Brothers, a pair of cave-dwelling misfits who look like rejects from Mad Max (complete with a monstrous truck) and boast a cackle that will leave you wanting to slice your ears off.
Credit should also go to Bill Kerr as Jake Cullen, giving a sympathetic performance as a vengeful hunter seeking to avenge the loss of his grandson. Kerr also gets points for his pitch-perfect delivery of the film’s best line, “There’s something about blasting the shit out of a razorback that brightens up my whole day”.
While it is lacking in story and character development, where Razorback exceeds my wildest expectations is its eye-popping sense of style. Directed by Russell Mulcahy (perhaps best known for directing Highlander and scores of 1980s music videos) and shot by cinematographer Dean Semler, Razorback is simply stunning to look at. Gifted with a visual style full of fluid, gliding camera movements, creative lighting, quick cutting and a vibrant colour scheme that renders many of its frames a treat for the eyes.
The stand-out sequence comes when Harrison, abandoned in the desert, begins a long trek that sees his increasingly dehydrated mind conjure up some surreal sights. It’s a beautifully shot scene of creatively used flares, shooting stars (which I’m not entirely sure are fake) and alternating harsh reds and soothing blues, with the various elements combining to give the outback an almost otherworldly vibe.
The most celebrated shot of the film comes during this sequence, and it happened entirely by accident. The moon was needed for the scene, so a mock one was built by the crew to use. However, as the scene was filmed, the mock moon was accidentally joined in the shot by the real moon. Thus, we have a surreal, eerie image of two moons in the sky, this lucky lunar mistake perfectly expanding the already heavy surrealism of the sequence.
The final confrontation with the razorback also stands out, with the swishing crane shots, deep, dark, blue lighting and quick editing managing to make the obviously fake-looking monster come across as a genuine threat. Who’d have thought that a film about a giant pig would also be one of the best-looking horror films of the 1980s?
I honestly had a hard time trying to rate Razorback. On the one hand, the story is repetitive and devoid of character, save for the Baker Brothers, and the story is far too similar to Jaws, but minus the rich character moments and suspense. However, the stunning visuals and masterful editing lend the film a music video-like style that is impossible to peel your eyes away from. All in all, Razorback is a mixed bag, but one that is at least worth a look.
Flickering Myth Rating – Film: ★ ★ ★ ★ / Movie: ★ ★ ★
Graeme Robertson
