Razorback (1984)

Directed by Russell Mulcahy. Starring Gregory Harrison, Bill Kerr, Chris Haywood, David Argue, Arkie Whiteley, Judy Morris, John Howard, John Ewart, Mervyn Drake, Don Smith. [R]

Aspirations to be “Jaws in the Outback” come up short in this Down Under killer-animal flick. American Harrison ventures into the bush to find his missing wife (Morris), not realizing that she was attacked by a couple of sicko hunters (Haywood, Argue) and devoured by a massive, man-eating boar (a.k.a, razorback). Dean Semler’s lensing is stellar (some low vehicular shots resemble his work on Mad Max 2), and the wilderness is presented as an alien landscape, enhanced further by trippy dream sequences…but the movie isn’t the least bit exciting (or scary), and it lacks a consistent protagonist worthy of audience interest. The animatronic boar never gets a chance to be truly fearsome, seen almost always in relentless close-ups, which are almost as tacky as a few instances of appalling overdubs. Feature film debut for music video director Mulcahy; rumor has it that he was offered the job because producer Hal McElroy was impressed by his work on the video for Duran Duran’s “Hungry Like the Wolf.”

44/100