User reviews

Okay, the plot sounds ludicrous, doesn't it? A giant killer pig? Despite the apparent ridiculousness of the plot, this movie is better than one might expect.

Beth Winters, a Canadian reporter, has come to the small Australian Outback town of Gamulla to shoot a story about the local dog food packing plant, which uses the meat of poached kangaroos in its product. When Beth disappears one night, her husband Carl arrives to find out what happened. Beth apparently ran afoul of the psychotic Baker brothers, who work in the plant. But crusty old Jake Cullen soon learns that Beth was a victim of a giant razorback, the same one that carried off his grandson years before and which he has been hunting ever since.

The Australian Outback becomes an almost alien world - desolate, strange and scary where any form of undiscovered life might exist. You don't get to see much of the giant pig, admittedly, but then they didn't have CGI back in the early 80's. The real menace of this movie lies with the kangaroo poachers, two brothers who reek of malevolence and filth all the way through the film. They were truly terrifying, and the insane laughter of David Argue (playing younger and more dangerous brother Dicko) still haunts me to this day.

Worth watching at least once.

It's not that scary with an abrupt ending and features some really annoying characters but Razorback is still overall a good thriller. Gregory Harrison and Bill Kerr are both great. There's a few effectively suspenseful scenes and it's surprisingly extremely well filmed with some really gorgeous shots. There are some laughably bad moments and the music by Iva Davies is really good.

In a small outback town a child is carried off by a massive wild boar, but the grandfather who was looking after the boy gets accused of killing the youngster. He tells that of a gigantic wild boar killed his grandson, but naturally the town's folk won't hear any off it. But in the trail there wasn't enough evidence to convict him so he's acquitted. Next a American female reporter who's an animal rights activist goes down under to get some interviews with some kangaroo hunters, but instead she comes face to face with the rampaging boar and disappears. The locals believe that she must have fallen down a mine shaft, but her husband Carl thinks otherwise and heads to Australia to dig up any dirt to what really happen.

Da Da.. Da Da dadada... Get out of the water! Oops, wrong film. Sorry about that as I just couldn't get that Jaws theme out of my head. "Razorback" is what you can call Australia's answer to "Jaws", but instead this one is on land and we get one angry looking boar terrorising locals and out-of-town visitors. The two films do share some similar characteristics, but while "Jaws" plays it mostly serious I found "Razorback" the opposite. Well, it would be hard to get anyone to take the story seriously because of how ridiculously stupid it is, but that doesn't stop this stylishly, grim shocker from being entertaining. Well, actually that wasn't the case on my first viewing of this flick as I wasn't particularly smitten over it. Maybe I was in a grumpy mood at the time, but on this occasion I enjoyed the silly experience far more.

The premise might cross into "Jaws", but the beginning also adds to the story - Australia's most infamous case of the baby that was taken by dingo, which still causes controversy today. The fella who penned this particular film Everett D Roche is probably Australian's most prominent screenwriter in the genre with such films like Patrick, Harlequin and Road Games under his belt. While, the story might be highly derivative there's enough imagination and excitement in spots to keep it from being uneventful. But there's one thing I can say about this production is that the thick style is all over thin substance. Who you can thank for that is a music video director making his debut in films - Russell Mulcahy (Highlander, The Shadow). He brought to the table an atmosphere that was visually stunning with its sprawling, desolate backdrop that has never been so eerily caught. Well lately, "Wolf Creek" did a good job on that aspect. But here there's a surreal quality about it with it's vibrant colour scheme and blanket of mist. The lighting composition is well staged with a visual goldmine exploding on screen with the spectacular shots of the horizon. The vacant outback simply spills off the screen that you just think that it's such a great backdrop for a horror flick. The expansive camera-work is swift in it's movement by capturing every frame with a certain amount of panache and the odd inventive angle and POV shot. The electronic score is effectively worked into the piece along with hissing sound effects that added even more to the unsteady, dreamlike texture.

Since there is not much in the way of surprises, director Mulcahy ups the thrills and action in such an unyielding fashion to set the film alight. While, the gore might be lacking, the deaths are unpleasant and also thrown in some animal cruelty. What was surprising is that the since the spot light is basically on the mechanical boar - it doesn't look too bad, well towards the end it might lose some of the effect it created early on. But I have seen far worse.

The performances are tolerable enough even with some eccentric yahoos who generated some agreeable humour. The script is purely senseless dribble, but there's some dry sarcasm, thick slang and a laid back attitude that works its way in because of the culture. Gregory Harrison is passable as Carl Winters. Bill Kerr is excellent as the stubborn boar hunter Jake Cullan who has a chip on his shoulder and who's crusade is to get the giant pig. Arkie Whiteley is lovely Sarah Cameron and Judy Morris is decent as Beth Winters. But the most memorable performances is the cheerful maniac brothers Benny and Dicko who are marvellously played by Chris Haywood and David Argue that add the wild and wacky feel to the flick.

A highly spirited and trashy Australian knock-off that goes down well with a few cold ones.

Razorback is one of the best Australian horror/action movies ever made. The direction is dazzling, the cinematography is truly remarkable and the cast is brimming with quality actors. Mysteriously, no one seems to care.

There is no denying that Razorback's basic plot premise is pretty ridiculous. In short, a giant boar (a Razorback) goes on a killing spree in a small outback town. This is about as unlikely as a giant shark terrorising swimmers ("Jaws") or a wet Japanese woman climbing out of a television set ("The Ring"). My point is that even the most ludicrous storyline can be overcome by excellent film-making and this is certainly the case with Razorback.

Razorback was the film that launched Russell Mulcahy's film career after making a name for himself directing music video clips for AC/DC, Queen and Duran Duran. Razorback reflects the same sensibilities that Mulcahy brought to his best video clips: frenetic pacing, flashy camera angles and stylish visuals. These qualities are almost disorientating during the film's action and horror sequences, making them all the more suspenseful and eerie.

Mulcahy's dizzying direction combines brilliantly with Dean Semler's superb cinematography. Semler seems to thrive on barren landscapes and he captures the harsh beauty of the Australian outback magnificently. The scene with the wooden horse bobbing up and down on the salt flat is mesmerising, as is the entire sequence of Carl hallucinating in the desert. Put simply, Razorback is one of the most beautiful horror films not made by an Italian giallo master.

The cast is equally accomplished, offering a smorgasbord of excellent Australian character actors. Judy Morris ("Phar Lap") does well as Beth, not being hampered too greatly by an American accent. Bill Kerr ("Gallipoli") seems to have appeared in every second Australian movie. He has one of his best roles as Jake. Chris Haywood ("Muriel's Wedding") is also memorable as the ultra vile Benny. American import, Gregory Harrison, does respectably as Carl and the late Arkie Whiteley is sweet as Sarah, a woman who inexplicably monitors boar movements in the middle of nowhere.

The special effects still hold up reasonably well and the creature effects for the Razorback are great. I love the close-up of its eye in the finale. There is not much gore, but what the film lacks in blood, it more than makes up for with constant action. Razorback begins with an action sequence and simply never lets up. There are car chases, kangaroo shootings, beatings, home demolitions and that just covers the first half of the film. Razorback is not a particularly scary film, but it compensates for this with eerie atmospherics and relentless tension.

In addition to the fine film-making, I also enjoy Razorback for its political incorrectness. The outback characters are arch stereotypes and just about every animal in town comes to a violent end. Benny and Dicko even run over Jake's dog for fun, which would be unimaginable in a film made today. Furthermore, the irony of an animal rights activist being eaten by a giant boar was not lost on me.

Razorback is an excellent genre film that deserves much wider recognition. I wish the Australian film industry would make more films like this. If Russell Mulcahy's upcoming "Resident Evil" instalment does well, he should consider making the long overdue sequel to Razorback.

For me it wasn't about the truly dreadful killer pig, but the sheer menace exuded by the horrific brothers. I watched it nearly 30 years ago when I was 20-21 and I still haven't forgotten it.

I thought the film was slow to start and rather dull too. I would have thought the film total rubbish, but some of the acting redeemed it a bit for me and made it one of the most chilling films I have seen - yes, really. I was young and impressionable then though and I would like to see it again to see if it still chills me. I daresay it's more of a chick flick really, cos it's the sort of film a guy might use to scare his girl into his arms I would think.

I will never forget the moment the nice old bearded hobo wakes up in the desert to find his distressed dog sniffing about his injured legs... that bit was the worst for me. Oh that, and did I mention the sheer horribleness of those brothers? One was dim and one was psycho and had insane eyes. Ugh!

This Aussie horror picture talks about a journalist from N.Y. goes to Australian little village called Gamulla to investigate massacre over kangaroos and animals. Then, there appears one giant pig that is terrorizing the villagers and the countryside. Later comes her husband(Gregory Harrison), he along with an old man(Bill Kerr) confront against two nasties brothers and the large wild boar.

Gregory Harrison, Bill Kerr and Chris Haywood offer cool performances on a cast mostly unknown. Powerhouse special effects light up the screen in this story of a giant pig from the depths of the Outback that causes massive destruction along the Australian landscape. A little boring at times, but the brilliantly achieved effects and Aussie outdoors make this a must-see film even on the small screen, and don't miss the astounding attacks by the giant wild boar. Glamorous and luxurious cinematography with surrealist scenario and visually striking images when the starring wandering along desert . The magnificent cameraman is Dean Semler who'll do Hollywood career. The eerie music heightens the tension to underscore the boar's presence and scare the audience right out of their seats. The motion picture is well directed by Russell Mulcahy, in his feature debut. He gained fame as video clips director for Duran Duran, Elton John, Bonnie Tyler, among others. After he directed hits, as 'Highlander and Highlander II, the Quickening, 'Ricochet', 'The shadow' and 'Tale of mummy' and TV films, such as 'Mysterious island' and 'Curse of king Tut's tomb', his last success for cinema is 'Resident Evil: Extinction'.

An American journalist disappears in the Australian Outback whilst investigating illegal kangaroo poaching, her husband leaves New York to try and find out what happened to her. This is a nature strikes back horror movie featuring a huge wild boar with tusks known as a razorback. But it's not only the giant pig that gives the unwelcome Americans hell, some of the locals are a cross between characters from The Texas Chainsaw Massacre and Mad Max, it's hard to know which is worse. There are some great looking locations, rich in colour and atmosphere, plus the music is OK. However some of the acting is hardly Oscar worthy, the horror aspect isn't particularly strong and the plot at times is just silly. I first watched this back in the 1980's and thought it excellent, having just revisited it I have downgraded my opinion but it is still a decent film.

Plot

As a vicious wild boar terrorizes the Australian outback, the husband of one of the victims is joined by a hunter and a farmer in a search for the beast.

Cast

Not familiar with anyone involved except the ill fated Arkie Whiteley.

Verdict

This was recommended to me by a guy who likes throwing me the absolute most dire and cheesy monster flicks, it's because of him I'm pretty sure I've seen the entire Scyfy original catalogue.

Razorback most certainly comes under that category, namely a dire cheesy monster flick! Set in the outback we see our hapless hero teaming with a grizzled hunter who has history with porky and fending off two local miscreants who are more of a threat throughout than the beasty itself.

Our piggy is barely on screen and when it is it's generally ultra close up shots of its tusks/nose at no point do you really get a proper look at it and I'm sure the reasons for this are pretty obvious.

The plot is bland, it never reels you in. You never feel the threat of this creature, you're more annoyed by the other pair of antagonists who are just dreadful! And our lead? He couldn't have been anymore bland if they tried, awful awful character.

Razorback is not an 80's classic, it's a movie kept afloat in peoples mind by the power of nostalgia.

Rants

Oh Arkie, what could have been? There was a young talented actress with a successful career on the up! What a dreadful shame, so incredibly young, she hadn't even hit 40 before falling. I'd have loved to see how her career would have inevitably blossomed.

The Good

Arkie Whiteley

The Bad

Weak creature effects Awful finale Bland leading man Antagonist humans were simply too annoying Fails to engage the viewer.

Probably the only thing Jaws has over Razorback (aside from the obvious - Hollywood, Spielberg etc) is that the 'hero' of Razorback is really kinda crap. Where Jaws' Chief Brody is genuinely capable, and good at his job, Razorback's Carl Winters is pretty much the opposite and constantly out of his depth in the Australian outback. Otherwise, we've got the barely-seen antagonist 'played' by a mechanical animal, we've got the local authorities refusing to believe the 'ludicrous' claim of what the threat is, and we've got the overzealous hunter-type determined to take down the threat single-handedly. Hell, we've even got the movie starting with the unseen antagonist attacking someone and dragging them off into its natural habitat!

That's not to say that this is at all intended as little more than a rip-off of Jaws, or that it's in any way bad. It's actually a genuinely good genre movie that excels in almost every way - aside from the aforementioned, crappy, 'hero'. Where it differs is that, here, that initial attack is almost-witnessed first-hand, with the story actually being sparked by an animal-rights activist heading to outback Australia from New York to expose illegal poaching, being terrorised by a couple of deranged locals, and eventually killed by the titular Razorback boar, with her husband then following to try to find out what happened to her.

Yes, our 'hero' is ineffectual, and some of the effects look terrible and dated by today's standards, but what we've got here is a genuinely rock-solid, atmospheric as all hell, animal-attack thriller with an antagonist that actually looks terrifying up close. It's just a shame that the protagonist is so terrible. Hell, even the two deranged locals who are illegally poaching the wildlife to make pet food are fantastic!

One striking shot follows the next in this monster B-movie, and the overall tone of the visuals is beautiful, I think. And there is some thick, intense atmosphere. In those departments it's so stunning that the many flaws can't ruin the film. The acting is OK all in all but there are some moments that make you want to put your head through the next wall. The action scenes and especially the ones with the razorback, a huge boar, are more or less comprehensible in that you get the basic idea of what's going on but all the crucial scenes happen between cuts, so the editing is jumpy, kind of like a TV edit. The worst example is the movie's finale and the destruction of the monster, which after an exhaustingly loud, dark, monotonous battle between man and monster plot-wise also ends on a ridiculous and schmaltzy note and so the film leaves you with a bad aftertaste. But those visuals, man, those visuals... It's kinda like a more extreme 'Alien³'. Worse plot, more stunning visuals. What else could I do but consider this a new B-movie favorite?

When an American journalist goes missing on assignment in the Australian outback, her husband begins the search for answers leading to a startling discovery. Various oddball characters are living in fear of a mythical giant wild boar, roaming the prairie preying on the vulnerable. Music video director Mulcahy made an (at the time) inauspicious feature debut with his picture about a big pig. It didn't limit his career though, with several high grossing and popular films to his credit since ("Highlander", "The Shadow", "Resident Evil: Extinction"). Time has elevated this curiosity to cult status, and it now receives more attention as a genre piece. For itself, it's heavily allegorical, bears resemblances to news of the day (which might be lost out of context), and benefits from some strong performances (particularly Kerr) and outback scenery and sets.

Harrison's one-man army churns and burns through an almost post-apocalyptic looking outback hunting down the clues to the mystery, dispatching of enemies with sadistic relish (one character is dispensed down a disused mine shaft with disturbingly callous cruelty). Meanwhile, guilt-ridden grandfather (Kerr) overcome by the loss of his grandchild, spirited away during the night, spends his remaining screen time, effectively writing his epitaph. Only one of these men will have redemption and avenge their loss, but both their plights, while starkly different methods, are engaging. There's a certain Ahab quality in both cases, and the biblical references are corny, but appropriate in the circumstances.

Paints a depressingly desolate view of rural Australia, filled with perils both man made and ecological, yet also handles some mature issues with sensitivity and reverence. All this achieved, and still in the shadow of the world's biggest marauding ham steak with the tusks of a rhino and attitude to match. No wonder it's a cult favourite.

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.

Based on the novel by Peter Brennan, and scripted by the then prolific Everett De Roche, the horror movie "Razorback" works well in terms of shocks yet also has an undeniable sense of humour to it as well. It doesn't always take itself too seriously, which is nice. Its single most fascinating and effective aspect is the way it shows off the Outback landscape, showing it as both a beautiful and scary place.

The story proper kicks off when Beth Winters (Judy Morris), an animal rights activist / reporter, travels to the Outback to cover a story about kangaroo slaughter. Instead she meets and becomes a meal for an enormous, ferocious wild boar - a boar that had already snacked on an infant and destroyed a house in the pre-credits sequence. Beths' husband Carl (TV veteran Gregory Harrison) goes to Australia himself to find out what had happened and ends up having to help the locals vanquish the beast.

As directed by Russell Mulcahy, who went on to helm "Highlander", "Razorback" is at its best when basking in the atmosphere inherent to this wilderness. When Carl is abandoned by trouble making jerks the Baker brothers (Chris Haywood, David Argue), and has to make a trek across the countryside, there are some truly great and surreal moments. The cinematography by Dean Semler, who had shot "The Road Warrior", and who went on to tremendous success in Hollywood, is truly impressive. Location work is excellent, as well, and Iva Davies' music is perfect accompaniment to the action. The makeup effects and rampaging razorback are the work of Bob McCarron (whose other credits include "The Road Warrior", "Howling III", "Dead Alive", and "The Matrix") and crew. This is an enjoyably grisly and visceral movie and doesn't skimp on thrills.

The acting is solid - Harrison is fine as an average guy & unlikely sort of hero, the lovely and appealing Arkie Whiteley, who sadly died way too young, is a joy as female lead Sarah, Bill Kerr solidly convincing as the vengeance minded old boar hunter, and Haywood and Argue appropriately repulsive as the human antagonists.

Overall, this is a good deal of fun that puts its own spin on the entire "nature strikes back" sub genre that was especially popular in the '70s after the success of "Jaws". For those who may scoff at the thought of a giant killer pig movie, it's more entertaining than one might think and as said is not playing everything 100% straight faced anyway. Horror fans are advised to give it a shot.

Seven out of 10.

I saw this movie once when I was younger, and what stood out the most for me is that the razorback was really not all that important to the plot till the end. The story has a guy being terrorized a bit by said razorback, but also by this other guys. Kind of a deliverance type movie as there are psychos bothering our main character and throw in a super powerful pig to cause even more problems than our main character really needs. Not all that much bloodshed in this one, it is far from boring, but it just seems to much of a gimmick movie. Basically, that of man being terrorized by this and that. I can not really get much more into than that as it has been forever since I saw this movie and I only saw the thing once. It does not leave all that much of a lasting imprint as the main thing I remember is the razorback in the factory towards the end and a rather nice conclusion to an otherwise blah kind of flick. That and the razorback would at times take a back seat to the strange other guys in the movie.

I've seen this described as Jaws except set in the Australian outback instead of the ocean, and featuring a giant, murderous boar instead of a giant, murderous shark. There are certainly similarities between the two, especially near the start. I guess naturally they build to somewhat comparable climaxes, but there's a whole bunch of stuff in the middle that makes it far from a rip-off or anything like that.

Part of what distinguishes it from other wild creature/monster movies is how surprisingly mean-spirited it is. There's some really vile human characters, and a couple of truly cruel scenes - namely, the opening one, and another that happens about 20-25 minutes into the movie. They serve to make the rest of the film feel less predictable, but they are maybe a tad too upsetting and mean. They didn't fully ruin the movie for me, but they could well for others.

As for positives: this movie does at least look really good. Great use of colour and some really inventive visuals - also, there's one really trippy dream sequence that got under my skin. I also think they do the giant boar effects pretty well. Here, they certainly take a page out of the Jaws playbook by not showing the monster too much, but still making sure you see enough to get an idea of its size and the damage it can cause, really Goldilocks-ing it in the process.

Also, the Australian outback as presented here is creepy enough that the movie almost didn't need a giant boar. I guess that's what Wake in Fright is, though: a relatively grounded (and tense) thriller about being stuck in the outback.

Razorback's probably worth a watch for horror fans, but I can't say it's for everyone. And nor can I say I really loved it, but I certainly liked some of it, for what that's worth.

One of the lousiest films i`ve seen so far. The story is a mere joke, the actors are pretty bad and the so called "special effects" in this movie are a laugh. Well, the cuts are really weird, in the final men-to-pig fighting scenes our hero is outside/inside again, or switches positions suddenly. Forget about this film, it`s not bad enough to laugh about and too dumb to watch.

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

Russell Mulcahy is a talented director who brought us good films when cinema still depended more on the pulse of the director and the talent of the actors. It is a nice film, we are presented with a fearsome wild boar that, despite barely appearing on the screen, thanks to the great direction and editing, allows us to have an entertaining and pleasant experience. Mullcahy later offered us the great Highlander with Cristopher Lambert and his not so excellent Highlander 2. Like Spielberg's Jaws, monster movies do not depend so much on the animal but on style; This film showed that Mulcahy's talent was enough to offer great films that for one reason or another did not take place.

Call me stupid, but this is actually one of my favorite horror flicks. The story's about a giant wild boar munching on Aussies in the outback. Our hero goes in search of his wife...she's missing out there. Many interesting ideas come forth in this movie. I especially like the kangaroo killing brothers Benny and Dicko (hehe). The way the movie portrays them is interesting, contrasting the life of the outback trash to the much more civilized life of Bill, the hero. I also enjoyed the use of weird settings(the desert with that "horse") to create atmosphere. Overall, I enjoyed this flick a lot, and I think most horror fans would if they look beneath the seemingly ridiculous plot.