Breck Eisner's remake of George Romero’s 1973 cult classic, The Crazies, without a doubt falls in the “Wait for the DVD” category.
The film's gripping plot and exceptional acting keep it interesting at the start but the excessive use of blood and not-so-creative murder techniques can only entertain for so long.
In the film the small Iowa town of Ogden Marsh falls victim to a dangerous water-based virus that makes the infected not only crazy but extremely violent. The main character and town, sheriff David Dutton, played by Timothy Olyphant (A Perfect Getaway), is among the first to witness the virus in action during the local high school baseball game. Sheriff Dutton is forced to shoot the infected citizen after he refuses to lower a loaded shotgun.
David's wife Judy Dutton, played by Radha Mitchell (Surrogates), is the town doctor and along with her husband and his deputy Russell Clank, played by Joe Anderson (Amelia), one of the few town inhabitants who are not infected. The film jumps around from a genuine horror type film to an adventure story where David Dutton and posse are faced with not one but two deadly enemies: the zombie-like crazies and the United States military looking to exterminate the entire town.
The Duttons, Russell, and one of the last non-infected town citizens named Becca Darling, played by Danielle Panabaker (Friday the 13th/, 2009), are now in an all out sprint for survival with everything working against them. Normally the military taking action would end the nightmare but it only makes matters worse for the survivors because everyone in town is thought to be infected. With word of a mass extermination being planned David Dutton has very little time to save himself and the other survivors before the world they know become nothing but dust.
The film’s twisting plot makes it worth seeing but it also leaves many loose ends. From the ridiculous reasoning behind character’s actions to the overall fast paced development of the film, some parts can be difficult to follow. Still, focus on the plot and gritty action should please most movie fans.
The crazy bad of the film kills the crazy good in this predictable thriller and it will be just as gory on DVD as in the theatre. Recommendation: WAIT.
101 mins, R, Palladium
