Piranha

Having watched 'Piranha, Piranha' just last night, when I look at film sites online about it, and see all of these so-called cinephiles so upset because they felt the title was a ripoff (don't worry, I'm not going to give any spoilers), and that the film is an unenjoyable mess, 'to each his own', I say, for I really enjoyed it. Don't get me wrong, it's no 'Piranha', 'Jaws' or 'Moby Dick', but for what it does have, and what it does try to do, I give full marks for.

Like Jack Palance and Henry Silva, William Smith is one of those presences that no matter how much you hate, you have to respect, and deep down inside, no matter how good you are, or think you are, you wish you were. Nothing phases them, and they're in complete control of their destinies. If someone bothers them, they are eliminated, and if they want someone, they reach out and grab them. This is one of those films that fully endorses that mythology, in Smith's character, Caribe.

The film is an intriguing blend of 'Deliverance' and 'The Most Dangerous Game'. It's no masterpiece by any stretch of the imagination, but it's nowhere near as bad as people make it out to be. And it's no ripoff to Dante's thriller, because it came out six years beforehand (and three years before 'Jaws' made this type of movie so popular). What is very difficult for me to grasp is that around this same time, in an even more desolate area of South America and with even more temperamental actors, Werner Herzog was making a masterpiece in 'Aguirre, the Wrath of God'...

I got this on a multi-title DVD of monster movies, so it not being a monster movie was a bit surprising, but as the movie was playing I kind of realized it was going that way fairly quickly.

It's an early 70's Crime Thriller of sorts set in the jungles of Venezuela instead of the big city streets.

Besides not being the piranha-fest most people were hoping for, this crime-thriller type of movie moves too slow for most people's liking and not enough happens.

The hurried turn of events at the end is kind of lackluster and even non-realistic in how it happens in many ways.

It's kind of like the end was thrown on quickly when they realized they had enough other footage to pad the movie out to 90 mins., or they were running out of time and money. There's plenty of animal stock footage, diamond mining footage, and a pretty much pointless motorcycle race.....

The ending was kind of predictable too once there were only a few players left and some resolution of the conflict evolving was inevitable.

I wanted to like the movie more, but it just was weaker than it should have been on too many fronts, probably why it's a bargain title or thrown in on multi-title DVD's so cost of it should be around $1 or so to see it.

Brother (Simcox) and sister (Capri) are a pair of photographers visiting Venezuela to shoot the Amazon. With Peter Brown joining them as guide at the airport, they set out by motorcycle for the Amazon, stopping at a seedy bar along the way where they meet Caribe, a local hunter of notoriety (Smith). Mesmerised by his charisma, they agree to hook-up and venture deep into diamond mining territory where relations become strained and Caribe's sinister ulterior motive is revealed.

Almost sounds entertaining. Note to self - it isn't. Yes, like possibly everyone else who's seen this movie, I thought it was something it wasn't (i.e. a film about piranha). The DVD box cover however did imply that it was reminiscent of "The Most Deadly Game" where the hunter hunts his human prey after giving them a head start. Also not true. What is true is that this is a C-grade faunalogue in which Capri, still traumatised by a dark family secret, tries in vain to persuade Smith he should subscribe to the RSPCA. Smith's response is ultimately what you'd expect from his character - brutal and sadistic.

An aimless motorcycle race, a Venezuelan booty-call and a lesson in diamond mining punctuate what is merely an outline of a narrative concept - both thin on plot and light on quality. Smith is okay in his typical brawny style, Brown is wooden and in case you're still wondering, yes, there is a piranha scene contained in this film, although doubtful it satisfies the content requirements to live up to its dubious title. Meat pies are required to contain a minimum quantity of actual meat to qualify as a meat pie; what we have here is suitable only for vegetarians.

There seems to be about 30 minutes of movie here and 60 minutes of shaky, hand-held shots of birds, monkeys, guys on an endless motorcycle race. Seriously, the race comes from out of nowhere and takes forever! One guy jumps over a log with a gator beside it. Spine-chilling thrills, there! Hey, let's get some cash together and spend some time in Venezuela! Yay!

Oh yeah, it's about 55 minutes in before anyone even says the word "piranha" and about an hour and ten minutes before you see one "in action".

I, too, got this one for about 5 bucks. I was thinking it was the OTHER Piranha movie. (This one is even so deceptive to be labeled only "Piranha")

Lame. Not even lame enough to be much fun, I'm sad to say.

This is just one of those films which cannot justify much of anything that happens. These people are going on a trek: the young girl wants to photograph animals. There really are no Piranhas, but I guess the psychotic hunter guy is the real piranha. Anyway, there are lots of animals and there is lots of driving. There is considerable anti-gun talk, but we all know where that is going. Toward the end, there's lots of action and a rape thrown in. Somebody must pay, and they do. It would have been nice to have a couple of piranhas to sort of fill the thing out. There were lots of monkeys. If you fast forward through the dull parts, you have a tight little five minutes.