Crawl (2011)

Very disappointing...

Touches You

Simply Perfect

Good concept, poorly executed.

If you read the online comments on various internet message boards, you'll see phrases like 'a thinking man's horror film' and 'highly atmospheric.' Then, when people - sadly, like me - who simply describe the film as 'boring,' we get criticised for 'only liking the lowest form of film' and 'not appreciating it.' It's about a seedy bar-owner who hires a mysterious hit-man to do away with an out-of-favour colleague. However, things go wrong and the hit-man ends up stalking a hapless (and overly-perfect, in my opinion) barmaid who works at the bar.I'm afraid, for all the high-brow talk about Crawl, I just found it dull. There are long periods where there's no talking. And, in an attempt to 'create tension,' the same three chords are played endlessly on a cello. These scenes repeat at various intervals all the way through the film and you're just as well fast forwarding them and watching the speeded-up version (as you'll see what's happening at a fraction of the screen-time).I don't just watch Michael Bay films and movies filled with endless car chases. I do watch other movies where I also have to (occasionally) use my head to figure things out. However, I just couldn't help but get bored with this.Obviously, judging by the amount of positive praise there is out there for this film, then it has found an audience out there somewhere - I'm just one of those philistines who didn't appreciate it. Sorry! On the plus side, it's short!

The Croatian comes to town and sanctions (kills for hire) the owner of a petrol station, Rusty Sapp. He gets paid by the Slim Walding (who owns the bar where most of the other characters work) and leaves town. He runs over a pedestrian on the way to his next stop. This turns out to be Travis, who's truck had stalled out.Marilyn prepares for the return of her fiancé to be, Travis. He's late for business reasons. Then he keeps on being late. The Croatian breaks in, ties her up, and gags her. He's looking for transportation, but Travis had the truck as well as the keys to the old motorcycle.The police come visit Slim Walding about the murder of Rusty Sapp. Later, Slim and Holly play the spanking game to work off Holly's debt to Slim. He makes her crawl to him before she gets over his knee, bares her bottom, then spanks her hard.The Croatian goes back and kills what's left of Travis, then steals the engagement ring from the corpse. Slim finds his gun missing; he figures he's being set up. He drives to Marilyn's house, finds Travis' blood, Travis' truck, but not Travis. So he heads to Marilyn's house; he steps in the chocolate cake Marilyn's friend left on the stoop. He sees the blood from the Croatian's wounded leg. He tries to get answers after he unties Marilyn, but she has few answers. The Croatian comes in and disrupts their conversation. Then the Croatian goes after Marilyn.Do we find out the Croatian's motivations? Does Slim get what he seems to deserve? Will Marilyn survive all this? -----Scores-------Cinematography: 10/10 Excellent.Sound: 8/10 The incidental music was often spot on, but sometimes overbearingly loud.Acting: 7/10 Just fine if one likes the acting style that the Coen brothers favour.Screenplay: 7/10 Just what was the plot against Slim? What was the history with Slim and Holly? How did the Croatian come into play here? There are a few too many loose ends here.

I'm a fan of low budget horror films, from Brain dead to The Loved Ones, on to the Irish film Grabbers. However, this has the feel of a director who thinks he's directing an art movie. Lots of silences, not suspense, mind you, but just silence. Literally no sound, just two people looking at each other for 5 elongated minutes. When the action comes there is no logic to it. And finally, the sound track, or more accurately that same piece of annoying music that's randomly played regardless of what happening. All you need is 3 high piano key key to make a horror soundtrack. Watch any seventies or eighties horror. The acting was good, but that's the movies only saving grace. I wish I was living in Schwarzenegger's Total Recall, cos I got a memory I want to erase.

As the other reviewer (only other one at this point of time), I did watch this at the Frightfest in Glasgow. I really liked the suspense the movie created and the filmmakers really did a nice job of capturing intense on film! While of course the movie could've been over sooner (if not for "movie logic"), this doesn't mean you have to dislike the movie for this suspension of disbelief.I sure hope you don't, because the movie would not be worth anything, if you start thinking like this. And I know what I'm talking about, because I do have those moments myself sometimes with movies. But this one was so fantastical, so otherworldly (great cinematography btw), that I didn't watch it as anything other than a tale or a fable (with horror mixed into it of course).While I also wouldn't exactly call it a slow burner, it isn't really fast paced either. You've got to know that this will not rush through things and will take its time to go places. I really enjoyed that and hope they'll come up with something new soon