Crawl

This was so very slow progressing. I had to turn the movie off after 30mins. I couldn't watch another 50mins of something that was moving so very slow. At the 30min mark, I still had no idea what was going on. Usually an event has happened that leads I to the story line of the movie within the first 10-15 mins but not this one.

One of the dullest so-called thrillers I've seen in a long time, CRAWL has aspirations to be the next classic Aussie movie. The only good thing I can say about it is that director Paul China clearly knows his movies, but there's being inspired by and ripping off, and CRAWL falls into the latter category. In various press releases, China and his brother are described as the new Coen Brothers, but CRAWL is more like a Coen Brothers rip-off.

The opening scene is about the most memorable bit in it and even that rips off NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN like nobody's business. After this point we're in BLOOD SIMPLE territory, with a slow-burning plot involving a small cast who come together on one fateful night. Bloodshed ensues, but everything is dragged out to an endless degree so it becomes a chore to sit through. There's no artistry here, no suspense or gripping moments, just a film that eventually becomes silly because it's so po-faced.

It doesn't help that the script fails to breathe life into the various uninteresting characters, or that the cast members are singularly unmemorable. But by far the worst thing about this is the director himself, who has no idea of how to make a thriller work. I think even I, with zero training in film-making, could have done a better job.

I attended a screening of this impressive movie last night at FrightFest in Glasgow, also in attendance were the China Brothers.

After reading some critic reviews of the movie where it was described as a "slow burner" etc I prepared myself for 60 minutes of tortuous nothingness followed by 30 minutes of manic catching up before ending in a bang.

Crawl was not a slow burner. Crawl is a brilliantly crafted work of suspense, tension and horror. From the very beginnings, the China Brothers mould their characters in front of you, building them into solid centerpieces of their film - without giving too much away - the casting of the three main actors in this is perfect, and, given they only had a very limited script to work with, they deliver the tense and suspenseful scenes with powerful ease.

Location, actors, storyline, delivery and end product are all perfect, and I look forward to Brothers' future work with great anticipation, as they lavish such care and attention on their work, that they deserve a far wider release with Crawl and future films.

Don't miss this if it visits a cinema near you - you won't be disappointed.

The story is great, the actors are great but it is slow paced. The dialogue was very little. It would be more interesting if they added a bit more to the story. The killing over the dept could be more developed to justify the employment of the Croatian. But later we find out why. A bit flimsy in that area.

The photography & the music draw you as what will happen next. The Croatian was very creepy, great acting. However, again if the three main actors had more screen time, elaborating more on their parts would enhance the story.

The choice of the color of the jag, chocolate, adds to the creepy flavor of the Croatian. The chasing of Georgina round the house can be longer. I think the china brothers have a good vision & I am sure it will be greater in future films.

Some Hitchcock elements here too. but overplayed.

Pause and silence on of the powerful tools in movies but both overdone.

And one of the slowest movies I have ever seen,... very little intrigue,...action seems to get started but each time momentum dies off with long boring sequences.

So "Crawl" refers to how time crawls in this movie.

Do yourself a favor, keep your remote handy and your finger on the fast forward button,...

one sure sign of whether a movie is good is if you would like to see it again - this is a definite no.

Ram