THE CRAZIES
US, 2010, 101 minutes, Colour.
Timothy Olyphant, Radha Mitchell, Joe Anderson, Danielle Panabaker.
Directed by Breck Eisner.
George A Romero, of the Living Dead films, made a small film in the early 1970s which had good reviews and something of a cult status, The Crazies. Almost 40 years on, here is a remake that brings the story up to date.
As remakes go, this is a pretty good one, and not a bad terror story either.
Set in a small midwest town, the film opens with streets and buildings on fire and people running amok. It then goes back 48 hours to show how disaster struck – and continued.
The heriff is an upright man and his assistant loyal and helpful. The sheriff's wife is the local doctor and is pregnant. The baseball match is going on. On to the field comes a man with a shotgun and a quietly crazed look. The team and the watchers flee for cover and there is a shootout. Then someone else seems mad. A house is burnt down. Communications are cut off (although the audience knows that someone is watching this town with a kind of google earth device).
Where the film works well is in the writing and the performances and the growing tension. Some explanations are discovered – human error and not something weird or from another world or the supernatural. Masked military arrive to take charge and herd the residents into trucks to intern them or to kill them.
Finally, of course, there is a remnant trying to reach safety against impossible odds. Plenty of tension with the mystery of what is going on and how this all came about.
Timothy Olyphant (who can be villainous or cynical in roles) brings a sturdy integrity to the role of the sheriff with British Joe Anderson very good as Russell, the Deputy. Australian Radha Mitchell is the wife and doctor.
Familiar enough but much better than the average film of this type.
1.A remake, updating? The transition from the 70s to the 21st century? Satisfying?
2.The tradition of The Invasion of the Body Snatchers, mysterious virus films, the Living Dead? The variations on these themes?
3.The background of the American military, experiments, the intentions, dangers and accidents, consequences? The isolation and destruction of a town and its population?
4.The quality of the film, dialogue, characters, performances, suspense?
5.The framework of the destroyed town, the fire? The flashback to forty-eight hours earlier?
6.The introduction to David, to Russell, their work as the police, the small town, law and order, the baseball match, the ethos, the fans and support? Seeing them at work?
7.The introduction to Judith, her work as a doctor, her discussions with Becca, her various clients, friendships? Her being pregnant?
8.The baseball match, the deranged man coming onto the field, the threat, David having to handle it, the man’s behaviour, the threat, David shooting, the reactions, the team and the crowd leaving, the coach and the principal bewildered? The effect on David, the next day, Judith’s advice? His worrying? Back at work? Going to the morgue, the anger of the dead man’s wife and son (and their later attacks on David and Judith)?
9.The other infected men, the man in the cell, the family concerned, his setting the house on fire? The increasing violence?
10.The plane, the crash, going out on the lake to find the plane, above it, the aerial shot of the sunken plane? Studying the water system and distribution? Making contact with the outside world, losing it, the town being isolated? The military secrecy?
11.The scenes of maps, satellite photographs?
12.The effect, the people and the drinking water, their losing their minds, becoming sick, the violent attacks? The Living Dead? Mayhem? Destruction, fire?
13.The military, the appearance of the men, in uniforms and masks? Going to the houses, rounding up people, David and Judith? The vehicles and the mass transport? The interning in camps? The myriad deaths, the range of bodies? The military and their masks – and the taking of the soldier in the barn, removing his mask, his saying that they had been warned not to remove their masks because of the danger of the virus in the air?
14.The women, taken away, separated, children separated? Judith and Becca, the violence, tied to their beds, the violent man with the pitchfork? The attacks? Russell and David and the rescue?
15.The rapport between Russell and David, David and his strong sense of responsibility, for the town, Russell as the deputy, following orders? The rescue of Judith and Becca?
16.The group having to be shrewd, going across the fields, getting the car, hiding, the carwash and the terrors, the helicopter destroying the car?
17.The effect on the group, their being pursued, Becca and the sudden violence of her death? Russell discovering he was sick, the gun, suspicions? His final self-sacrifice and distracting the military from Judith and David?
18.Judith and David, the store, getting food and water? The violent men – previously seen out duck-shooting? Their reactions and their deaths?
19.Reaching the city, everything seeming normal? The television announcer, the information about the town – and then the TV faltering…?
20.How effective a film as horror, terror? With a message about human nature, victims, survival, the role of authorities and their going beyond their mandates in developing weapons with deadly consequences?
