Michael Vartan plays an American travel writer who’s stuck in the Australian Outback without his suitcases, or his computer--which were lost by the airline. He trudges on with his tour of the Northern territory by taking a boat ride with a group of tourists to see crocodiles. The operator of the boat, as well as the tour guide, is a young woman named Kate Ryan (Radha Mitchell), who has to carefully guide the boat through treacherous waters, as well as fend off a pair of obnoxious local boys in a speedboat who pester her and the tour. But when the group later notices a flare shot up into the sky, Kate, having no choice but to help out those in need of rescue, turns the boat around and goes further upriver to see if whoever shot the flare needs help.
Entering a desolate section of the river, Kate and her boat mates are too late
to help those who shot the flare: their boat is floating half-submerged in
the water, with no sign of life. They soon find out for themselves what caused
this incident when their own boat is viciously broad-sided by something large in
the water. Damaged beyond any ability of repairs, and quickly taking on water,
Kate beaches her sinking tour boat on a small island. They’ve been hit by a
massive crocodile, who thinks they have invaded its territory, and thus will not
stop until each and every last person aboard the boat is dead. And, to make
matters worse, they’re on a tidal river--which means that the narrow island
they’ve sought refuge on will soon be underwater.
I’ve wanted to see Rogue for two reasons: it was written and directed by Greg
McLean, who did the marvelous Wolf Creek, which was
a terrifying and uncompromising horror film if there ever was one. The other
reason I wanted to see Rogue was the presence of Radha Mitchell (Pitch Black), one of my
favorite actresses, who gives another great performance here as the sympathetic
Ryan. Vartan is also very good as the jaded, seen-it-all journalist who gets far
more than he bargained for on this trip. Although it’s very different in tone
than Wolf Creek (this isn't a psycho torturing halpless vacationers), Rogue is still a
horror film--and a great one--that's in the same league as Steven Spielberg’s Jaws.
The crocodile is wisely kept hidden for the better part of the film’s running
time, which makes it far more scary menace. And McLean takes full advantage of
the primal fear of the unseen thing that lurks beneath the murky waters.
His script is taunt and frightening, without resorting to either dumb shocks,
or having his characters act stupidly to serve the plot. The suspense is often
unbearable, and that’s why this film works so well. The DVD comes with a
commentary, along with several very well made ‘making of’ documentaries. It may
lack the unbearable, white-knuckle, 'take-no-prisoners' intensity of Wolf Creek,
but Rogue is a vastly entertaining, and satisfying, roller coaster ride that’s
far more accessible for all movie fans.
--SF
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