Rogue (2007)

Director:

Greg Mclean

Writer:

Greg Mclean (writer)

Release Date:

8 November 2007 (Australia)

Genre:

Action | Adventure | Horror | Thriller

Tagline:

Welcome to the Terrortory

Plot:

An American journalist on assignment in the Australian outback encounters a man-eating crocodile.

Plot Keywords:

Trap | Danger | Tour Boat | Flee | Child In Peril

Awards:

1 win & 1 nomination

Cast

Radha Mitchell	...	Kate Ryan
Michael Vartan	...	Pete McKell
Sam Worthington	...	Neil
Caroline Brazier	...	Mary Ellen
Stephen Curry	...	Simon
Celia Ireland	...	Gwen
John Jarratt	...	Russell
Heather Mitchell	...	Elizabeth
Geoff Morrell	...	Allen
Damien Richardson	...	Collin
Robert Taylor	...	Everett Kennedy
Mia Wasikowska	...	Sherry
Barry Otto	...	Merv

Also Known As:

Rogue Crocodile (Singapore: English title)

MPAA:

Rated R for language and some creature violence.

Runtime:

USA:92 min

Country:

Australia | USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Certification:

Singapore:NC-16 | USA:R | Australia:M | New Zealand:M | Hong Kong:IIB

Filming Locations:

Australia

Company:

De Naray Sothcott Entertainment

Trivia:

The croc's lair was constructed and shot in a warehouse in Maidstone (Melbourne Victoria Australia) which was the same site for much of internal barn shots in Charlottes Web (2006). With story set in the rugged Northern Territory and much of the shooting done there also many would be surprised to learn that many of the "island" shots were done in a man made lake in country Victoria. The art department and the greens department being responsible for making the rocks and trees resemble those in the Territory.

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: During the scene when Pete is walking through the forest during the early hours of the morning, the sunlight is coming from directly above him as seen by the shadows beneath him and the plants around him.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Pete McKell: Hot as hell out there, huh?

A Nutshell Review: Rogue Crocodile

Not another crocodile movie again, you might groan. I did too, as I wonder just how many killer shark and killer crocodile/alligator movies need to be made, before they finally die off. Not too long ago we had Primeval, which was a crocodile movie set in the African continent which had attempted to weave local politics into it. Here, it's set in the Northern Territories of Australia, and with such killer-reptilian movies, the more exaggerated the size and aggression of the animal, the better. So we have a seven metre long crocodile for the characters to contend with.

It's a simple set up, in which Radha Mitchell plays Kate Ryan, a river tour guide who pilots her own boat to ferry tourists down a river to experience the wild life, as well as learning little details such as them not getting themselves attacked by any crocs because their tour boats are larger, or so they would like the tourists to believe. That said, our monster in question took about 30 minutes before deciding to increase the pace and tension of the movie, by knocking up against the boat of our merry bunch when they respond to a distant distress signal.

It takes a while to get things moving because writer-director Greg McIean (Wolf Creek) had dedicated the earlier portion of the movie to get the audience chummy with the characters, before they become fodder for our hungry crocodile. And surprisingly, I have to say that Rogue Crocodile did work, despite it being a crocodile movie done countless of times over, and whose plot development we can see coming from a mile away. What probably worked in its favour, is that there aren't any gung-ho heroes in the story - no cops or natural crocodile dundees, but everyday folk like you and I, and we naturally would root for them as they try to escape their predicament.

And it looks like a typical episode from the television series Lost too. You have a makeshift island where our temporal inhabitants seek refuge from, though the tide's coming through to flood it in time, and with water comes natural territory for the crocodile to wade through. Communication devices aren't working and they're cut off from the rest of the world. So they can only rely on their own ingenuity, plans crafted with time working against them, if only they can get past their occasional bickering on what to do.

There are enough tension filled moments to excite you as this crocodile chomps without remorse, and it doesn't shy away from showing some gory bits, though the number of set action pieces are limited, and involves a little too much thrashing about by the roguish reptile which turns out to be not too smart, relying on plain brawn. Suitable for those lazy Sunday afternoons.