Movie Review: The Crazies
Reviewed by Geno McGahee
I like George Romero but I wasn’t a fan of his 1973 flick “THE CRAZIES” from what I can remember. I saw it very long ago and I thought it was mediocre then and I have to be honest and I will upset the zombie fans, but I didn’t really think anything was spectacular outside of the original NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD. The follow ups that get so much attention I can take or leave.
When a remake of THE CRAZIES was announced, I wasn’t excited and expected another Hollywood crap movie, but after renting it over the weekend, I have to say that I was very pleasantly surprised. This is actually a great movie.
We begin with a disoriented man walking on a field during a little league game with rifle in hand. When David Dutten (Timothy Olyphant), the Sheriff, approaches, the man seems angry and points the gun at him. Before he pulls the trigger, Dutten shoots and kills him. Because of the nature of the incident, Dutten and his second in command, Russell Clank (Joe Anderson) both conclude that the man was drunk, but the toxicology report comes back clean. That was weird.
More and more people begin showing this strange and violent behavior and rumors of a crashed airplane begin to circulate. While floating on a pond looking for the wreckage, the cops realize that they may be facing something bigger then they thought. The plane is enormous. It’s a great scene.
The plane landed in a pond which is actually where the townspeople get their drinking water and despite what the fat Mayor demands, Dutten shuts it down. It’s too little, too late. The government sends in the troops to quarantine the town and destroy those infected. They are going to kill “the crazies.” I found it very amusing that the people with this problem were called “crazies.” I usually reserve that term for those with interest in bestiality.
David escapes the troops but they have his hot wife, Judy (Radha Mitchell), tied to a bed…apparently infected with this disease, but it’s a rescue mission now. Dutten and Clank break into the high school, where she is being held, and break her out and now the three of them are on the run, but the government has the town under close watch.
It becomes an exciting fight for survival as the three hide out and try to make it to the big city and out of the town. When they find a radio that has a countdown going, they get nervous and step on the gas and soon the secrets of the crazies is exposed. I really enjoyed Anderson as Clank…great character and well played. As (spoiler) he goes crazy, he gets more and more entertaining. Olyphant is great and overdramatic at times, which I absolutely loved. The trio was great together and worked off each other well and you had no choice but to root for them to get out of there and to safety.
THE CRAZIES is a well written, well directed, beautifully shot movie. I tip my hat…if I wore a hat, to those involved with this production. It is a great horror movie that really brings the viewer into the production and makes you ask yourself what you would do in this situation. The ending of this movie is superb and it’s just great overall. I highly recommend it.
RSR Rating: 8/10. I’m crazy for this movie!