Posted on: February 28th, 2010 [REVIEW] The Crazies
The Crazies.
That could either be the worst film title of all time, or the best. Do remember though, that a title is just a title, and in this case Breck Eisner’s remake of the titular 1973 George A. Romero film sets itself apart from its predecessor, which really only has its title going for it.
The new version, which sticks relatively close to the original, follows the doomed small idyllic town of Ogden Marsh. Timothy Olyphant plays David Dutton, the town Sheriff, who, if you’ve seen the trailer you know, takes down one of the residents who walks onto a little league baseball field wielding a shotgun. That’s just the first sign of the town driven mad, as soon after its inhabitants all go bat-shit crazy and equally as violent. From there on out the town is quarantined and David and a select few uninfected try their damnedest to get out of Ogden Marsh and away from the crazies.
The thing that makes The Crazies work entirely, is its restraint and its focus. The film never aims to be over the top, nor does it treat its viewers like idiots. The genre is so saturated with films that require the audience to take a logistical leap of faith, but The Crazies keeps itself fairly grounded. The approach here being that the biggest pill we have to swallow is the concept itself – a town plagued with zombie-like lunatics. I’ve read one popular review online which criticizes the film for not having “interesting kills”. I think that’s the point, that the film is (moderately) using realism as a tool. Anything else would’ve felt cheap. Plus, since when was a standard police-issued pistol or a hunting knife not a practical weapon. Or frightening at that. The Crazies isn’t a gore film, or a kill film, nor is it even remotely a zombie film. It’s a straight survival film. It’s three normal people in the throws of chaos, trying to get from point A to point B. And where the film succeeds its original, is how it stays on these characters, and not the military. The military is a big part of the film, but more as an environmental element, another obstacle for our characters to endure.
The Crazies is entirely enjoyable and an overall fun theatre-going flick, though there are a couple of pacing issues. Nothing of a deal-breaker, but there are two scenes in particular that seem to slow the film down. The suspenseful moments are quite intense and effective, but dare I say the late second act became a tad too emotional, almost forced. Again, this points back to director Breck Eisner’s restraint, but one more thrilling sequence would’ve really hit this one home. I do however, applaud Eisner for pulling way back on the jump-out, sudden loud noise scares. If you’re looking for cheap, typical horror, you won’t find it here.
Lastly, I’ve got to make note of Timothy Olyphant. On the whole, the dude is underrated, and obviously a hard-working actor. I hope The Crazies really hits home that Olyphant can carry a film, and strongly at that. He’s been putting out solid performances for well over a decade, and this film is no different. I’m also really interested to see where director Breck Eisner goes with his career. For a relatively new director (his last major picture was Sahara) he seems ready to take off; coming up from him we have a remake of Flash Gordon. Based on The Crazies alone, I’d say Eisner is a solid, promising director.
Go check out The Crazies if you’re into the quasi-horror thriller. If you’re looking for a balls-out and brainless splatter fest, you may leave disappointed. As a remake, the film excels it’s peers, and as an entity on its own, the film just plain works. A valiant effort from all involved; hopefully the good word of mouth the film has received will keep it in theatres for a while yet.
One Response to “[REVIEW] The Crazies”
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Moks Says:
March 17th, 2010 at 11:10 amI agree with your comments on Olyphant. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a bad performance from this guy. He seems to relish every role he gets. His nuances and character depth always seem to be spot on. Deadwood was such a great HBO series, made even better by Olyphants role as the ‘reluctant town sheriff just trying to do right in a town where right is morally wrong’. I always enjoy his work.