Razorback

Razorback is a 1984 Australian film, based on Peter Brennan's novel, written by Everett De Roche, and directed by Russell Mulcahy who would later make the first two of the Highlander trilogy. The film revolves around the exploits of a gigantic wild boar terrorizing the Australian outback, killing and devouring people.

Plot
A vicious wild boar terrorizes the Australian outback. The first victim is a small child who is killed. The child's granddad is brought to trial for killing the child but acquitted. The next victim is an American TV-journalist. Her husband Carl gets there and starts to search for the truth. The local inhabitants won't really help him, but he is joined by a hunter and a female farmer to find the beast.

Cast

 * Gregory Harrison as Carl Winters
 * Arkie Whiteley as Sarah Cameron
 * Bill Kerr as Jake Cullen
 * Chris Haywood as Benny Baker
 * David Argue as Dicko Baker
 * Judy Morris as Beth Winters
 * John Howard as Danny
 * John Ewart as Turner
 * Don Smith as Wallace
 * Mervyn Drake as Andy
 * Redmond Phillips as the Magistrate
 * Alan Becher as Counsel (as Alan Beecher)
 * Peter Schwarz as Lawyer
 * Beth Child as Louise Cullen
 * Rick Kennedy as Farmer

Production
By the early 1980s Australian Russell Mulchay had established himself as one of the leading music video directors in the world. He wanted to make features but at that point had only been offered musicals - a sequel to Flashdance that was never made and Space Riders - which he did not want to do. He was offered Razorback in August 1982 and accepted the job. The movie was mostly shot in Broken Hill.

Release
Razorback grossed $801,000 at the box office in Australia.

The film was given a limited release theatrically in the United States by Warner Bros. in November 1984. It grossed $150,140 at the box office.

The film was released in Australia by Umbrella Entertainment on 21 September 2005. It was presented in 2.40:1 Widescreen, and included a 5.1 Dolby Digital soundtrack and the original 2.0 Soundtrack. Special Features include a 70 minute featurette "Jaws On Trotters", an audio featurette interview with actor Gregory Harrison, four deleted scenes from the VHS release with extra gore, a gallery, an original theatrical trailer, plus two extra trailers for Roadgames and The Chain Reaction.

The UK release contains a 5.1 DTS track, biographies, a still gallery and a 25 minute featurette that contains interviews with several production crew.

Razorback was released in the United States by Warner Home Video in 2009 as part of the Warner Archive Collection.

Taglines

 * It's waiting outside and it can sense your fear. No nightmare will prepare you for it!
 * A new breed of terror
 * "It has two states of being...dangerous or dead"
 * Nine hundred pounds of marauding tusk and muscle!

Trivia

 * A full-sized, fully animatronic model razorback was built at a cost of $250,000 and is seen for only one second.
 * According to the Resident Evil: Extinction audio commentary, Russell Mulcahy said that the producer of Razorback offered him the chance to direct it after seeing the Duran Duran music video "Hungry Like The Wolf," also directed by Mulcahy.
 * This film is considered an "Ozploitation" (Australian exploitation) picture.