Thus far it’s been a relatively disappointing summer for
mainstream movies, as one massive, big-budget studio tentpole
after another has been a letdown. Thankfully along comes the refreshingly
small-scale “Crawl.” A lean, mean genre picture about an estranged father and
daughter repairing their fraught relationship while facing off against a pack
of hungry alligators, the film delivers exactly what it promises: fast,
action-packed, white-knuckle thrills, and plenty of scenes featuring people
getting chomped on by toothy reptiles.
The
ruthlessly efficient thriller comes from French filmmaker Alexandre Aja, the
director of brutal little horror flicks like “High Tension” and the buoyantly
trashy “Piranha 3D.” The latter movie proves he has experience with water-based
creature features, and working from a script by Michael and Shawn Rasmussen,
Aja turns this film into a suspense-filled joy.
“Crawl”
features a brilliantly simple B-movie premise: Florida college student Haley
(Kaya Scodelario) returns to her former family home
at the request of her sister to check on her divorced father, Dave (Barry
Pepper), who’s not answering calls as a Category 5 hurricane threatens to make
landfall. The trip turns into a rescue mission when she finds him trapped in
the house’s crawlspace with a broken leg and a rather nasty looking bite mark
from a rogue alligator that found its way indoors. Things look dire, but go
from bad to worse as more of the gator’s buddies descend on their home, while
the flood waters rise with dismaying speed.
Writers
Michael and Shawn Rasmussen find no shortage of ways to put their characters in
increasing jeopardy, allowing Haley and Dave’s plans of escape to crumble as
one terrible thing goes wrong after another. The stakes are high but
gratifyingly simple: don’t drown, escape the house, and avoid getting eaten.
The
crawlspace setting presents its own challenges, with a labyrinth of pipes and
architectural obstacles to navigate. But there are also a few narrow spaces the
alligators can’t get to, providing the pair bits of temporary sanctuary. The
murky waters contain unseen threats waiting to come bursting to the surface,
all snapping jaws and gnashing teeth.
A few
ill-fated supporting characters pop up occasionally, allowing plenty of
opportunity for the giant reptiles turn the water blood red. There’s also an
adorable dog, and spoiler alert for those who need to know the fate of the pup
before they slap down money for a ticket: the adorable pooch makes it out just
fine.
This is a
film with little on its mind besides pure excitement, and you could probably
read some minor commentary about the climate and global warming’s effect on
severe weather events that force animals to find new hunting grounds. But
that’s not really the focus here.
Scodelario is a magnetic presence on screen, and she
carries the film. At its heart the film is about the relationship between a
father and daughter; in between fighting for their lives, the pair sort through
their uneasy history together. Haley’s a star member of her collegiate swim
team, and Dave coached her as a young girl, ingraining in her a fierce
competitiveness to be the “apex predator” in competition. That pressure may
have put some strain on their relationship, but it now gives her the skills she
needs to go up against those reptilian horrors.
The tension
in that father-daughter relationship provides just a hint of fleshy emotional
tenderness for the film to sink its teeth into. Aja’s past films have had a
certain nasty streak, but here the central relationship keeps him from getting
too mean-spirited, and focused on making us care whether these two will make it
out alive.
The Rasmussens’ script makes sure their characters’ actions are
just smart enough. They may take some desperate risks, but always to increase
whatever slim chance they have of survival. It’s the kind of film that makes
you admire the characters resourcefulness and ability to cope under that kind
of stress. I’m fairly certain I’d be dead within five minutes, and I know damn
well I’m too squeamish to fashion myself an effective tourniquet.
The gator
effects are impressive throughout. Mostly digital creations, the beasts have a
weight to them that makes them feel like a real threat. And the film has plenty
of atmosphere thanks to Alan Gilmore’s grimy production design and Maxime Alexandre’s stormy gray cinematography.
“Crawl” sets
itself apart from most summer blockbusters competing for your dollars at the
box office with its admittedly fairly modest B-movie ambitions. Running a fleet
87 minutes, “Crawl” maintains its intensity without letting up, and there’s a
pleasure in its simple story done exceedingly well. It’s immensely satisfying
entertainment, and for those up for a bit of bloody gator action, it should
provide the thrills you’re hungering for.
This article appears in Jul 24-30, 2019.
