26/01/2011

Primeval/Primeval Kill - 2007 US d:Michael Katleman



A killer reptile film that quite surprised me. After the considerable joys of Rogue and Black Water I thought this third croc flick from the same time had to be bad, as the odds were against it.  But no, this is a decent and engrossing film made to high standards on a fairly low budget.

Here the croc is based on a true creature: Gustave, a giant Nile crocodile in Burundi who local rumour credits with hundreds of human victims.  The film follows an American team searching for Gustave and their unfortunate encounters with local warlord Little Gustave and his soldiers (this being at the height of the Burundi civil war with lawlessness and death abounding).

This is a tension wracked film, with Gustave one side and Little Gustave the other the central characters are put through an intense time and the film delivers this expertly.  The cast are more than up to the job and the film is well made, the photography, especially of the African country, is superb.

Don't overlook this film in your quest for watery monster thrills.  It is not quite as excellent as the aforementioned Australian croc films, but it is a lot closer than you might think, and the political aspects of the plot add another dimension to the story. Recommended.

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