Excellent, I've always wanted to be the first to review a film on the IMDb! A fierce hurricane devastates an island somewhere just off the coast of Thailand. It destroys model houses and trees as if they weren't there. Thunder, lightening, lashing winds and torrential rainfall cause tidal waves and mudslides that wipe's an entire village community out. During this footage we get several shots of a group of crocodiles caught up in the hurricane. After witnessing this destruction we head into the opening credits. They alternate between shots of two topless women being eaten by a giant crocodile, two on screen credits for the producers and director (this film has no other credits besides these even at the end), and a still of what looks like a watercolour painting where all the colour's have run and mixed into each other, bizarre. We are introduced to a Dr. Anthony Akom (Nat Puvanni), Tony to his mates, his wife Angela plus their two daughters Linda and Ann, plus Linda's fiancé Dr. John Strom who are all having dinner together. Linda comments on a newspaper headline and asks whether the rumour's are true that the hurricane was caused by an atomic explosion. They all decide to take a short holiday and before we know it they've travelled to a luxury beach-side hotel. While swimming in the sea Dr. Akom's daughters Ann and Linda, plus his wife Angela are all eaten by a giant crocodile. To have one member of your family eaten by a giant crocodile would be considered unfortunate but have have all three would probably hurt on an emotional level. Dr. Akom resigns his position and together with John he sets out to destroy the giant crocodile. First Akom talks to an expert on reptiles a Professor Lowes who somewhat jumps to conclusions and suggests that it could be possible for a crocodile to survive in the sea and says that atomic radiation might have created a giant mutant. The crocodile attacks and destroys a few riverside villages and eats a few people. Akom enlists the help of a local fisherman named Tanaka (Kirk Warren) who says they can use his boat, and talks about legends where sea monsters rise from the sea and thus he feels it's his duty to help. Meanwhile the Thai police decide to try and kill the crocodile themselves, by setting an over-sized bear-trap at the bottom of a river and baiting it with a joint of meat! I'm not joking either. In another poorly edited sequence the plan fails miserably. The police admit defeat, and it's up to our hero's Akom and John to save the day! Akom has worked out that the crocodile is heading to the open sea, hang on a minute wasn't it in the sea when it ate his family? They lie in wait where the river joins the sea for the giant crocodile ready to fight it to the death! Oh, and a reporter named Peter goes along as well, for some reason. Directed by Sampote Sands this is one pretty bad film. It tries, but rarely succeeds. Just think Jaws (1975) set in Thailand with a giant crocodile and a lot less money, in fact the ending is practically the same as Jaws and I'm surprised Spielberg hasn't sued! The special effects are poor, miniature sets and a real crocodile look fake as does the full size crocodile and the various stiff looking puppet shots. When the crocodile is seen at night it has light's in it's eye's which almost look like headlights on a car! There's a bit of blood here and there and a cool shot where a man with no legs after the crocodile had bitten them off and eaten them tries to swim away. There is also a totally unnecessary scene where a real crocodile is stabbed in the head and killed for no apparent reason, in graphic close-up. The film is obviously dubbed, badly too. And it wouldn't surprise me if the music has been redone for this English version as it seems so out of place and doesn't react to the on screen action at all, and the main theme appears to be the same piano note being played over and over and it becomes highly irritating. The editing on this film is terrible, we get random shots of things just appearing out of nowhere and in context having absolutely no relevance to anything else that is happening on screen at that particular time, like the crocodile being killed for instance. Quite often the entire frame is devoid of any action, almost as if the camera wasn't pointed in the right direction, during one scene which last for about a minute, which is why it stands out, we get a shot of a hut and someones hand poking out of the corner of the screen and I have no idea what he was meant to be doing because during the whole shot we just see one of his hands and nothing else! Bizarre. The film moves along at a fair pace and is sort of entertaining on a 'bad' level. Towards the end the sloppiness starts to wear thin and it becomes a bit of an endurance test, to sum up I'll end by saying this is the best giant killer crocodile film from Thailand, but then again please bear in mind that it's the only one. Impossible to recommend to anyone, but I just about managed to watch it all the way through.
8 Reviews
'Jaws of Steel!' The best giant killer crocodile film to come out of Thailand, ever.
poolandrews3 January 2005
Warning: Spoilers
Low budget croc
Chase_Witherspoon1 May 2011
This ultra-cheap Thai export, borrows wholesale from the last third of "Jaws", and yet despite the carbon copy approach, manages to end without the audience even knowing if the title beast has been overcome, or whether the hero has survived. There's an almighty commotion, then, the film abruptly ends.
While enjoying a weekend getaway with their wives and offspring, Dr. Tony and his budding medic friend soon become widows of an oceanic behemoth, that proceeds to devour everything in its path. Not content to grieve in silence, the pair gesticulate for about three-quarters of an hour on how they'll avenge their family's deaths; meanwhile, the beast is causing mayhem in the local village. After much soul-searching, reflection and the occasional bizarre chemistry experiment, the two eventually enlist the services of a rugged fisherman Tanaka (Kirk Warren) and set off by boat to end the creature's path of chaos and destruction.
Frequent use of miniature sets and paltry special effects afford this film a corny quality the antithesis of the otherwise intense and heavy-handedness of the characterisations. Disjointed editing, unintelligible dubbing, droning monotone synthesisers, and annoying cinematography (from extreme darkness to blinding sunlight pans) don't assist the flailing storyline. Must surely be considered a curiosity, and will more than likely compel a second look, even if just to try and decipher what happened (or didn't happen, but should have). An interesting insight into late 70's Thai cinema, and the techniques that were unemployed when making movies.
While enjoying a weekend getaway with their wives and offspring, Dr. Tony and his budding medic friend soon become widows of an oceanic behemoth, that proceeds to devour everything in its path. Not content to grieve in silence, the pair gesticulate for about three-quarters of an hour on how they'll avenge their family's deaths; meanwhile, the beast is causing mayhem in the local village. After much soul-searching, reflection and the occasional bizarre chemistry experiment, the two eventually enlist the services of a rugged fisherman Tanaka (Kirk Warren) and set off by boat to end the creature's path of chaos and destruction.
Frequent use of miniature sets and paltry special effects afford this film a corny quality the antithesis of the otherwise intense and heavy-handedness of the characterisations. Disjointed editing, unintelligible dubbing, droning monotone synthesisers, and annoying cinematography (from extreme darkness to blinding sunlight pans) don't assist the flailing storyline. Must surely be considered a curiosity, and will more than likely compel a second look, even if just to try and decipher what happened (or didn't happen, but should have). An interesting insight into late 70's Thai cinema, and the techniques that were unemployed when making movies.
I am a Crocodile! I have jaws too, you know...
Coventry20 February 2023
It's been a long while since I've seen it, but all through this "Chorakhe" I had the impression that it's the exact same movie as "Agowa Gongpo". And not just bit and pieces of footage that were edited into one another, but really one and the same film. IMDb lists them as two films, and they have different casts & crew listed, so I reckon they are two separate films indeed; - regardless of featuring the same film posters and very similar storylines.
And, of course, what does it matter anyways? They are both shameless and 200% uninspired "Jaws" rip-offs, only this time coming from the oriental part of the planet. Everything about "Crocodile" is copied from Steven Spielberg's blockbuster classic, including the music, the characters' personalities, the beach sequences, the POV-camerawork, etc. From the croc itself, we mainly see its evil eye in close-up and its rear end whenever the animal strolls back into the high grass after another lousily accomplished attack sequence. I love crocodile movies, in fact I love creature-features in general, but this one is practically unwatchable.
And, of course, what does it matter anyways? They are both shameless and 200% uninspired "Jaws" rip-offs, only this time coming from the oriental part of the planet. Everything about "Crocodile" is copied from Steven Spielberg's blockbuster classic, including the music, the characters' personalities, the beach sequences, the POV-camerawork, etc. From the croc itself, we mainly see its evil eye in close-up and its rear end whenever the animal strolls back into the high grass after another lousily accomplished attack sequence. I love crocodile movies, in fact I love creature-features in general, but this one is practically unwatchable.
Lowercase 'Jaws'
lor_8 January 2023
My review was written in November 1981 after a Times Square screening:
The ongoing cycle of horror pictures hits bottom with "Crocodile", an almost unwatchable "Jaws" ripoff shot in Thailand. Picked up for domestic use by Herman Cohen's new Cobra Media distribbery, film has a marketable title and little else.
Atomic testing in the atmosphere has created a huge mutant crocodile, destroying whole villages (its tail causing tidal wave effects) as it heads for Bangkok. A scientist Dr. Akom, his friend John and a ship captain named Tanaka set out by boat to destroy it, aided by a comic relief photographer.
Amidst the sloppily assembled footage of silly model shots, bloody killings and an unconvincing set of various-scale crocodiles, picture's only diversion is its risible dubbed dialog. "If it kills every three days it must be following a pattern", John announces at one point. Film is so inept that when they finally blow up the monster, we never see whether the heroes survive. Technical credits are poor.
The ongoing cycle of horror pictures hits bottom with "Crocodile", an almost unwatchable "Jaws" ripoff shot in Thailand. Picked up for domestic use by Herman Cohen's new Cobra Media distribbery, film has a marketable title and little else.
Atomic testing in the atmosphere has created a huge mutant crocodile, destroying whole villages (its tail causing tidal wave effects) as it heads for Bangkok. A scientist Dr. Akom, his friend John and a ship captain named Tanaka set out by boat to destroy it, aided by a comic relief photographer.
Amidst the sloppily assembled footage of silly model shots, bloody killings and an unconvincing set of various-scale crocodiles, picture's only diversion is its risible dubbed dialog. "If it kills every three days it must be following a pattern", John announces at one point. Film is so inept that when they finally blow up the monster, we never see whether the heroes survive. Technical credits are poor.
Nothing Short of Remarkable
Steve_Nyland5 December 2006
Giant rampaging monster alligator/crocodile movies are a (cough) pet favorite of mine. The grand daddy is probably Sergio Martino's GIANT ALLIGATOR RIVER with Barbara Bach. Other notables are KILLER CROCODILE and the environmentally conscious KILLER CROCODILE 2, not to mention Wes Craven's CROCODILE, and the two ALLIGATOR films cleverly named ALLIGATOR and ALLIGATOR 2, and of course Tobe Hooper's EATEN ALIVE. Even the Six Million Dollar Man fights a giant alligator or two, proving that this was a cross medium phenomenon.
Usually the stories amount to little more than rip-offs of various themes presented in JAWS, with an avenging family member trying to stop a rampaging mutant crocodile from eating it's way through some sort of tourist holiday/celebration, much to the annoyance of the uncaring or corrupt local officials. The reason why they usually "work" on a simplistic, juvenile and lunkheaded level is the Roger Ebert quote, "Show me someone who isn't afraid of a 40 foot long rampaging mutant alligator and I will show you a fool." Sompote Sands' CROCODILE will probably not be remembered as a classic of the genre, which is a shame, since it is one of the most remarkable films ever made. Half schlock JAWS ripoff and half leftover GODZILLA inspired rampaging monster movie, this is actually a production of the notorious Dick Randall, the brainiac behind such deliriously enjoyable bits of trash as KONG ISLAND, THE GIRL IN ROOM 2A, PIECES and HORROR SAFARI. We know we are in for quality, especially with the opening montage of disaster footage, hydrogen bomb test scenes and the sight of two topless teenage girls kicking and screaming while in the jaws of a huge fake monster crocodile puppet.
The movie never looks back: A doctor's family is decimated by an overgrown rampaging mutant crocodile who has seen JAWS and lurks in the sea, waiting to gobble up bikini-clad swimmers with pert breasts. Between feedings it smashes up native villages with a gusto not seen since KING KONG VS. GODZILLA. At one point it even swallows a water buffalo whole -- no easy feat -- then proceeds to gulp down an entire tourist group from Great Falls, Montana, injecting a curious duality into this Thai made film: Eating topless girls? Forgivable exploitation, I guess. Destroying native villages & their livestock? Nyehh ... Eating Caucasian tourists? NOT GONNA HAPPEN. Something must be done!
Concerned that having a giant rampaging mutant crocodile in his coastal waters gobbling up tourists might hurt the local economy the owner of the local Nike sweatshop allows our hero to organize a JAWS inspired personal revenge mission to hunt down and exterminate the crocodile, and then the plagiarism really kicks into full steam. We get the devil may care seaman with a personal grudge against crocodiles, the bright young student type who's lover was also eaten by the crocodile, and a feckless reporter who wants a scoop all joining forces on the sailor's boat to chase the crocodile with a dynamite tipped harpoon gun. They even use floating oil drums painted bright primary colors to track it and at one point one of the team members is swallowed whole. Not eaten, swallowed.
In case you have not gotten the picture yet this movie is utterly absurd, starting with the crocodile itself, which like Godzilla has the ability to change scale from scene to scene depending on the needs of the shooting script. Sometimes it is as big as a jumbo jet, others only as big as Mr. T for those tight, closeup shots of the crocodile biting people's legs off. At one point I ceased caring about the story and just enjoyed the wild unevenness of the movie, blending images that look like they were culled from Mr. Randall's 1978 production also called CROCODILE with modern day footage of the intrepid crocodile hunters boldly facing the wrath of nature to bring the crocodile to reptilian justice by blowing it up with the dynamite. The special effects are also hypnotically staged, though they look about as "realistic" as those Christmas specials with the little puppets & the Burgermeister Meisterburger.
Is it a good movie? Heavens no. Is it a fun movie? Perhaps. Is it an obscure, ultra hard to find gem of Z grade cinema worth finding just to laugh at? Absolutely! And I got exactly what I wanted from it, at least: A silly, exploitative, voyeuristic, at times disproportionately gory ultra low budget movie from Thailand about a giant rampaging mutant crocodile eating lots of people & then getting blown up real good. If you look for anything else in such a movie you are utterly wasting your time.
5/10
Usually the stories amount to little more than rip-offs of various themes presented in JAWS, with an avenging family member trying to stop a rampaging mutant crocodile from eating it's way through some sort of tourist holiday/celebration, much to the annoyance of the uncaring or corrupt local officials. The reason why they usually "work" on a simplistic, juvenile and lunkheaded level is the Roger Ebert quote, "Show me someone who isn't afraid of a 40 foot long rampaging mutant alligator and I will show you a fool." Sompote Sands' CROCODILE will probably not be remembered as a classic of the genre, which is a shame, since it is one of the most remarkable films ever made. Half schlock JAWS ripoff and half leftover GODZILLA inspired rampaging monster movie, this is actually a production of the notorious Dick Randall, the brainiac behind such deliriously enjoyable bits of trash as KONG ISLAND, THE GIRL IN ROOM 2A, PIECES and HORROR SAFARI. We know we are in for quality, especially with the opening montage of disaster footage, hydrogen bomb test scenes and the sight of two topless teenage girls kicking and screaming while in the jaws of a huge fake monster crocodile puppet.
The movie never looks back: A doctor's family is decimated by an overgrown rampaging mutant crocodile who has seen JAWS and lurks in the sea, waiting to gobble up bikini-clad swimmers with pert breasts. Between feedings it smashes up native villages with a gusto not seen since KING KONG VS. GODZILLA. At one point it even swallows a water buffalo whole -- no easy feat -- then proceeds to gulp down an entire tourist group from Great Falls, Montana, injecting a curious duality into this Thai made film: Eating topless girls? Forgivable exploitation, I guess. Destroying native villages & their livestock? Nyehh ... Eating Caucasian tourists? NOT GONNA HAPPEN. Something must be done!
Concerned that having a giant rampaging mutant crocodile in his coastal waters gobbling up tourists might hurt the local economy the owner of the local Nike sweatshop allows our hero to organize a JAWS inspired personal revenge mission to hunt down and exterminate the crocodile, and then the plagiarism really kicks into full steam. We get the devil may care seaman with a personal grudge against crocodiles, the bright young student type who's lover was also eaten by the crocodile, and a feckless reporter who wants a scoop all joining forces on the sailor's boat to chase the crocodile with a dynamite tipped harpoon gun. They even use floating oil drums painted bright primary colors to track it and at one point one of the team members is swallowed whole. Not eaten, swallowed.
In case you have not gotten the picture yet this movie is utterly absurd, starting with the crocodile itself, which like Godzilla has the ability to change scale from scene to scene depending on the needs of the shooting script. Sometimes it is as big as a jumbo jet, others only as big as Mr. T for those tight, closeup shots of the crocodile biting people's legs off. At one point I ceased caring about the story and just enjoyed the wild unevenness of the movie, blending images that look like they were culled from Mr. Randall's 1978 production also called CROCODILE with modern day footage of the intrepid crocodile hunters boldly facing the wrath of nature to bring the crocodile to reptilian justice by blowing it up with the dynamite. The special effects are also hypnotically staged, though they look about as "realistic" as those Christmas specials with the little puppets & the Burgermeister Meisterburger.
Is it a good movie? Heavens no. Is it a fun movie? Perhaps. Is it an obscure, ultra hard to find gem of Z grade cinema worth finding just to laugh at? Absolutely! And I got exactly what I wanted from it, at least: A silly, exploitative, voyeuristic, at times disproportionately gory ultra low budget movie from Thailand about a giant rampaging mutant crocodile eating lots of people & then getting blown up real good. If you look for anything else in such a movie you are utterly wasting your time.
5/10
I wasn't prepared for what I've just seen.
bensonmum224 December 2005
Warning: Spoilers
WARNING Watching Crocodile could prove hazardous to your physical, mental, and emotional health. Having just finished watching Crocodile, I'm almost dumbfounded by the ineptitude I've witnessed. I had been warned by a couple of trusted friends that the movie was bad, but nothing could prepare for what I've just seen. To call Crocodile bad would be an understatement an an insult to other bad movies. It's one of the worst examples of movie-making I've ever seen.
The plot, as best I could discern, involves a man whose entire family is killed by a giant crocodile. The man vows revenge. Sound familiar? While even the worst of the other "Man vs. Nature" movies I've seen handle this scenario with a little class, originality, or a minimum of technical skill, Crocodile is pathetic in comparison. Acting as bad as I've seen. Music never appropriate to the image. Editing sloppy is too nice a word. Special effects what's that? Plot see Jaws. Cinematography a monkey could have framed the shots better. Crocodile excels in poorly constructed miniatures, random shots of people and objects that have no bearing on the plot, and an overall incoherence that makes the movies Ed Wood and Al Adamson seem like masterpieces.
Consider yourself warned. .
The plot, as best I could discern, involves a man whose entire family is killed by a giant crocodile. The man vows revenge. Sound familiar? While even the worst of the other "Man vs. Nature" movies I've seen handle this scenario with a little class, originality, or a minimum of technical skill, Crocodile is pathetic in comparison. Acting as bad as I've seen. Music never appropriate to the image. Editing sloppy is too nice a word. Special effects what's that? Plot see Jaws. Cinematography a monkey could have framed the shots better. Crocodile excels in poorly constructed miniatures, random shots of people and objects that have no bearing on the plot, and an overall incoherence that makes the movies Ed Wood and Al Adamson seem like masterpieces.
Consider yourself warned. .
Worst JAWS rip-off ever!
WriteJoe7230 July 2013
You guys who gave this movie more than one star are nuts!
This movie is slapped together in a way that can only be described as awful! I watched it with a group of friends and most of them were drunk or drinking and it was not even that funny.
Aside from a shot of a monkey on the crocodile's tail and some bad fake blood being spit out of a victim's mouth there was little to find amusing. The special effects are weak and silly looking. The music is warbled and weird. The acting is non-existent. The direction is no where to be found. Also they kill a live crocodile on screen which is tasteless and disgusting.
One of the all-time worst JAWS rip-offs! A horribly shot, edited and mixed film. Altogether atrocious!
This movie is slapped together in a way that can only be described as awful! I watched it with a group of friends and most of them were drunk or drinking and it was not even that funny.
Aside from a shot of a monkey on the crocodile's tail and some bad fake blood being spit out of a victim's mouth there was little to find amusing. The special effects are weak and silly looking. The music is warbled and weird. The acting is non-existent. The direction is no where to be found. Also they kill a live crocodile on screen which is tasteless and disgusting.
One of the all-time worst JAWS rip-offs! A horribly shot, edited and mixed film. Altogether atrocious!
Forget Jaws, Here's Crocodile... Then Forget Crocodile, It's 1-2-Miss
P3n-E-W1s324 June 2021
Before I get into the review for Crocodile, here are my ratings for the movie.
The story gets 0.5 out of 2: For Direction and Pacing a 0.75: While the Performances get 1: And my Enjoyment level earns a 0.75 out of 2: Crocodile, therefore, receives a total of 3 out of 10.
Crocodile is a lacklustre rip-off of Jaws, with the killer fish changed out for a killer reptile. And if you thought the great white shark looked fake, wait until you see the croc for the first time. Get your coffin ready you'll die laughing.
That's assuming you'll make it to that scene.
The sad thing with this movie is the acting isn't too terrible. It won't win an Oscar, but it's enjoyable enough. Though the cast members are the best thing about this movie, they couldn't lift the story of the direction up into the realms of watchability.
Director, Sampote Sands, sets the pace of this movie at a meander, and it never breaks into a walk, let alone a jog. The slowness hinders the feature immensely, and you may perceive yourself drifting off to sleep. Impeding it further are the countless stock scenes of ambulances. These needed editing to make them exciting. However, Sands must have thought the sight of an ambulance was thrilling enough for the audience. It isn't.
Crocodile's most significant handicap is its directing and editing. Everything appears haphazard and ill-thought-out. You have close-ups when they're unrequired and distance shots when you need to be in the thick of the action.
Everything considered this was a poorly written, inadequately filmed and edited flick, with an okay cast of actors and actresses.
That said, for such a terrible movie, it does possess an entertaining side. Its awfulness made me smile (I do love B-movies.), though I found it too dreadful to recommend.
If you want a good creature feature film to watch, then dust off your Jaws DVD and enjoy.
Take Care & Stay Well; Get Inoculated.
The story gets 0.5 out of 2: For Direction and Pacing a 0.75: While the Performances get 1: And my Enjoyment level earns a 0.75 out of 2: Crocodile, therefore, receives a total of 3 out of 10.
Crocodile is a lacklustre rip-off of Jaws, with the killer fish changed out for a killer reptile. And if you thought the great white shark looked fake, wait until you see the croc for the first time. Get your coffin ready you'll die laughing.
That's assuming you'll make it to that scene.
The sad thing with this movie is the acting isn't too terrible. It won't win an Oscar, but it's enjoyable enough. Though the cast members are the best thing about this movie, they couldn't lift the story of the direction up into the realms of watchability.
Director, Sampote Sands, sets the pace of this movie at a meander, and it never breaks into a walk, let alone a jog. The slowness hinders the feature immensely, and you may perceive yourself drifting off to sleep. Impeding it further are the countless stock scenes of ambulances. These needed editing to make them exciting. However, Sands must have thought the sight of an ambulance was thrilling enough for the audience. It isn't.
Crocodile's most significant handicap is its directing and editing. Everything appears haphazard and ill-thought-out. You have close-ups when they're unrequired and distance shots when you need to be in the thick of the action.
Everything considered this was a poorly written, inadequately filmed and edited flick, with an okay cast of actors and actresses.
That said, for such a terrible movie, it does possess an entertaining side. Its awfulness made me smile (I do love B-movies.), though I found it too dreadful to recommend.
If you want a good creature feature film to watch, then dust off your Jaws DVD and enjoy.
Take Care & Stay Well; Get Inoculated.
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