The Rats (TV 2002)

A clan of evil rats overtakes a Manhattan department store and threatens to overrun the city.

Director:

John Lafia

Writer:

Frank Deasy

Stars:

Mädchen Amick, Vincent Spano, Shawn Michael Howard

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Mädchen Amick	...	Susan Costello
Vincent Spano	...	Jack Carver
Shawn Michael Howard	...	Ty
Daveigh Chase	...	Amy Costello
David Fonteno	...	Ray Jarrett (as David Wolos-Fonteno)
Sheila McCarthy	...	Miss Paige
Elisa Moolecherry	...	Nyla
Joe Pingue	...	Karl
Kathryn Winslow	...	Queen
Aron Tager	...	Janitor
Yanna McIntosh	...	Doctor
Jennifer Coristine	...	Nurse
Kim Poirier	...	Jay
Balázs Koós	...	Tech Guy (as Balazs Koos)
Jackie Laidlaw	...	Bitchy Woman (as Jackie Laidlow)

Storyline

In Manhattan, when a client is bitten by a rat in the dressing room of the Garsons Department Store and contracts Weil's disease, the manager Susan Costello is assigned to hire and give all the necessary support to the best exterminator in New York, Jack Carver. The efficient Jack and his assistant Ty find a colony of mutant rats and try to convince the health department administrator and former partner of Jack, Ray Jarrett, how serious the infestation is. But the politician Ray is interested in covering the problem to protect economical interests of powerful groups.

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Plot Keywords:

rat | department store | exterminator | dressing room | subway | 

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Taglines:

The City's Rat Race Just Got Deadly.

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Genres:

Horror | Sci-Fi | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for some creature violence and brief nudity

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

17 September 2002 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Colony

Filming Locations:

Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Company Credits

Production Co:

Cort/Madden Productions, Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation

Technical Specs

Runtime:

94 min 85 min (cut)

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.78 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Was originally going to air on September 11, 2001, but release was pushed back after the 9/11 terrorist attacks.

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Goofs

The characters in the movie pronounce "Weil" (as in Weil's Disease) to rhyme with "wheel". The doctor after whom the disease was named, Adolph Weil (1848 -1916), was German; his name should be pronounced to rhyme with "while" (and if you're a stickler for accuracy, the "w" should be pronounced like an English "v").

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Quotes

Susan Costello: Hi, I'm Susan Costello. Oh! Are you alright?
Jay: Yeah, I think so.
Susan Costello: How'd you cut it?
Jay: I don't know, I just reached down to get my clothes.
Susan Costello: Can you show me where?
Jay: [They walk to the changing room] It was right over there.
Susan Costello: Okay.
[She searches through Jay's clothes then gasps]
Susan Costello: It was a carpet tack.
Jay: But how can that just cut...
[...]

User Reviews

Unpleasant Theme, but Surprisingly Entertaining

In Manhattan, when a client is bitten by a rat in the dressing room of the Garsons Department Store and contracts Weil's disease, the manager Susan Costello (Mädchen Amick) is assigned to hire and give all the necessary support to the best exterminator in New York, Jack Carver (Vincent Spano). The efficient Jack and his assistant Ty (Shawn Michael Howard) find a colony of mutant rats and try to convince the health department administrator and former partner of Jack, Ray Jarrett (David Wolos-Fonteno), how serious the infestation is. But the politician Ray is interested in covering the problem to protect economical interests of powerful groups.

The theme of "The Rats" is absolutely unpleasant, but the way the story is approached in this movie is surprisingly entertaining. The chemistry between Mädchen Amick and Vincent Spano contributes to make this film work. I do not know if there is any veracity in the scary statistic of nine rats per dweller in New York, but if it is true, the reality is scarier than this film. My vote is six.

Title (Brazil): "Ratos em Nova Iorque" ("Rats in New York")