A wildlife ranger races to capture a giant
crocodile terrorizing the Northern Territory in order to save it from poachers.
Principals
Director: Arch Nicolson
Writer: Sonia Borg
Executive Produer: Anthony I Ginane
Director of Photography: Andrew Lesnie
John Jarrat as Steve Harris
Nikki Coghill as Cathy Pope
Max Phipps as John Besser
Burnum Burnum as Oondabund
(David) Gulpilil as Adajaral
About the film
Wildlife Ranger Steve Harris is obsessed
with crocodiles, studying them, caring for them and protecting them. His love
of crocs strains his relationships with the redneck poachers, his uptight
bureaucrat boss, and his on-again-off-again girlfriend.
When a humongous crocodile begins eating it’s way through the townspeople Steve’s boss forces him into an awkward position: kill the ancient and extraordinary creature or lose your job. Every person eaten threatens tourist numbers next season as well as Japanese investment in a big leisure centre.
When a humongous crocodile begins eating it’s way through the townspeople Steve’s boss forces him into an awkward position: kill the ancient and extraordinary creature or lose your job. Every person eaten threatens tourist numbers next season as well as Japanese investment in a big leisure centre.
Steve is also attempting to rekindle his
romance with the gorgeous anthropologist, Cathy who is studying the local
Aboriginal tribe. Their relationship is tempestuous and fraught with jealousy
over the attention he pays to the crocodiles and to other women.
All attempts to kill the croc prove fruitless as it munches up more bodies. Steve enlists the help of the Aboriginal elders. They hatch a crazy scheme to capture the croc and relocate it to a billabong away from the marauding poachers lead by the evil Besser. It’s a race against the clock as Steve fights to save the croc and his job and the local economy.
All attempts to kill the croc prove fruitless as it munches up more bodies. Steve enlists the help of the Aboriginal elders. They hatch a crazy scheme to capture the croc and relocate it to a billabong away from the marauding poachers lead by the evil Besser. It’s a race against the clock as Steve fights to save the croc and his job and the local economy.
My personal take
The film is not as scary as other “giant
animal” movies. The major problem is that the crocodile appears a bit clunky at
times and the film does itself a disservice by showing the monsters too much. I
do find the movie enjoyable for other reasons though.
John Jarrat’s performance is makes the film
work. Watching Ranger Steve Harris maneuver through the treacherous emotional,
ecological and ethical landscape holds the plot together for me. Combine that
with a few horror sequences, a ticking clock device in the third act and you’ve
got yourself a nice Friday night movie.
I also like Arch Nicholson’s direction. His
camera moves are good, he stages scenes well and, with the help of DOP Andrew
Lesnie (Lord of the Rings) makes excellent use of natural light. Sadly he died
in 1990 without making another action film.
Commentary
Unfortunately any film with a giant
man-eating “whatever” terrorizing a tranquil town is always going to be
compared to Jaws. Dark Age not a straight suspense thriller, it’s largely about
how the two Australian Outback cultures react to the giant crocodile. Unfortunately
the movie falls into the “good blacks/bad whites” stereotypes at times.
This film has a bit of everything in it:
relationship drama, horror, chase sequences, Aboriginal mythology, and an
environmental message. Some films falter from too much genre blending but Dark
Age benefits from it. Writer Sonia Borg deftly weaves these strands to create a
film that has echoes of Jaws but stands in stark contrast.
Genre: Ecological-Monster
This film fits snugly into the creature-feature genre. However there are aspects of this film which are unique. First off
there is a strong conservationist message in the film. Steve wants to study the
crocodile not kill it. Also Indigenous Australian culture is presented in the
film: Aboriginals relate dreamtime stories, perform a dance ceremony and use traditional
knowledge to catch the beast. Aboriginal Australians are presented as a functional community in this film.
Things to watch out for:
- Steamy love scene (artfully done of course)
- Aboriginal artist Burnum Burnum in his first acting role
- The film itself! (it was never released theatrically in Australia because of a problem in the distribution deal)
Watch this movie if:
- You like giant monster films
- You like genre blending movies
- You’re interested in portrayals of Aboriginal Australians in non-art house (read depressing) films
Avoid this movie if
- You require top-notch animatronics to enjoy a monster movie
- You want to see gruesome horror
- You think this film is Rogue (it’s not)
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