Black Water Review
by Clint Morris
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This time last year
we were waiting elatedly to see this highly-publicized Aussie ‘Giant
Crocodile’ movie that the studio was convinced would be one of their
major releases for 2007.
Twelve months later it is here – only
it hasn’t been bankrolled by Harvey Weinstein; nobody in the cast has
banged Jennifer Garner and, er, it’s not called Rogue.
Every year there’s always two films about the same thing (be it Wyatt Earp;
Asteroids on their way to Earth; Volcanoes about to erupt; or, as was
the case last year, Truman Capote) that go head-to-head at the box
office.
By-and-large, these films are hardly ever Australian-movies though – but now that Black Water, the undeniable underdog of the ‘Croc’ films, has wiped the floor with the drastically pricier Rogue – which came and went in November – I’m predicting SportsTAB will see an increase in those betting there’ll be more.
Black Water is the film Greg McLean’s Rogue
should have been – especially considering the latter cost thirty times
as much, had a more well-known cast, and could actually afford the
luxury of shooting in the top end. What directors David Nerlich and
Andrew Traucki have proved with their film though is that it’s not all
about money and stars – it’s the story that has to take precedence, and
when all’s said and done, no giant animatronic croc can entertain for
that long (which is partly why this one uses ‘real’ Crocodiles).
A sweat-inducing psychological-thriller disguised as a monster flick, Black Water centres on a threesome (Maeve Dermody, Andy Rodoreda and Satisfaction
star Diana Glenn) who head off on a boat-trip down the pitch-black
rivers of the northern territory. Their boat is struck by a giant
crocodile, instantly killing their tour-guide, and leaving them either
up-a-tree (where a couple of them swim to) or stuck under the boat.
Made for under a million bucks and filmed in a Mangrove in Sydney (standing in for NT), Black Water
is filmmaking at its best and it’s most admirable. Despite their
limited resources, Nerlih and Traucki have worked themselves to the
ground – they spent half the film knee deep in water with real crocs! -
making sure their small film at least entertained – and, logically,
didn’t look like a cheap monster movie (which, for under a million
bucks, it could easily have).
But rather than simply
entertain, and aside from standing on its own, the film blows every
other blockbuster on release at the time out of the water! – It’s that
good! And yes, it’s that scary! Whether it’s the performances (which
are absolutely superb!), the script (which plays as fresh as a loaf
direct from an oven) or the fact that, yes, these are real crocodiles
in this one – much more scarier than their plastic sisters, I tell ya!
- Black Water is the scariest film of its type since Jaws – you’ll wanna strap in for this one … otherwise you’ll be continuously jumping out of your seat.
One of the most genuinely scary films I’ve seen in a long time, Black Water reaffirms the belief that money can’t buy everything.
If
there’s gum on the end of your cinema chair, remove it before the film
starts…. Because that’s where you’ll be sitting for the duration of
this one! 4 out
of 5 Black Water
Australian release: 24th April, 2008
Cast: Maeve Dermody, Diana Glenn, Andy Rodoreda, Ben Oxenbould
Director: David Nerlich & Andrew Traucki
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