Crocodile (1979)
aka Chorakhe
Article 6064 by Dave Sindelar
8-21-2022
Directed by Sompote Sands
Featuring Nard Poowanai, Ni Tien, Angela Wells
Country: Thailand
What it is: Another JAWS variant

Two men lose their families to a giant mutant crocodile, and they vow to destroy it.

No, it doesn’t follow the JAWS playbook religiously, but any movie about a man-killing aquatic animal whose second half consists of an extending sequence of a single boat in the middle of the sea doing battle with the title beastie is playing pretty close to the formula. And yes, this part of the movie works up a smidgeon of suspense, but only a smidgeon, and the fact that the movie seems intent on keeping the dialogue to a minimum only makes us feel that all of the characters are woefully undeveloped; JAWS got away with its final half by relying a great deal on well-developed characters. Most of the movie feels like filler; many of the scenes are unnecessary, and even the ones that are are stretched out too long. Special effects are also substandard. Another waste of time.