Well, folks, it was bound to happen at some point. I called in a few favors, pulled some strings, greased some palms, and stopped just short of blackmail to land our first-ever interview here at moviegasm.
But I must say it was worth it, because I got the chance to chat with director Michael Katleman, who made one of the most interesting monster movies in years with his feature directorial debut Primeval.
You're probably familiar with Katleman's television work as a director and producer on Reunion, Tru Calling, and Point Pleasant. He decided to make the jump to features for a remarkably serious, thematically resonant movie about a killer crocodile in Africa and the news crew sent to document its capture. If those notions seem mutually exclusive, then you definitely have to check the film out (it's available on DVD) to appreciate the skill with which he weaves those elements together.
One of the most interesting things about the movie is that the crocodile itself is based on an actual croc named Gustav in Burundi. "The crocodile, from my understanding, is up to a hundred years old, anywhere from eighty to a hundred, and it's killed over three hundred people. That's pretty extraordinary right there." Although most of the story is fictionalized, many of the elements relating to Gustav are actually drawn from a National Geographic documentary. "What I liked about it was this thing is alive and it's really out there, and you look at it, obviously we made it bigger and badder than the real Gustav out there. But when you look at Jaws, Lake Placid, those things, they're all fictional, they're these beasts that don't really exist, you know. I think once I started reading all these articles about Gustav, and I saw the National Geographic documentary, you look at this thing and you go: this thing is out there, man. This thing is crazy. And so it's great inspiration for a monster because it's real."
Another element of the film that lends some reality is Katleman's decision to film on location in South Africa. "It was an incredible experience, because it's such a beautiful place, so you could just turn the camera on and point, and for the most part you'd just get extraordinary vistas and landscapes." Of course, it wasn't all sunsets and puppy dogs out there. "It was really difficult, the filming part, just because you're out in the jungle, and you're working around rhinos and snakes and all kinds of other animals. " Still, one of Katleman's favorite shots in the film (and mine) depicts a crocodile cage being carried by a procession of locals down to the river. It's an aerial shot, and it makes exquisite use of the landscape. Says Katleman, "It's funny, the location I found for them to put the cage down... I went to great lengths to find a place that hadn't been troubled by humans, so it was a nature reserve. We had to boat everything in, we're on a tight schedule, and I just wanted to make everything look good. But I will not forget seeing all those boats going up river, realizing that we're boating into a location... you just get this pit in your stomach, going 'oh my God what are we going to do'... Waterworld came to mind."
One of the advantages to a movie like this is that the crocodile is, in many ways, the star, and it frees the film from having to cast a Tom Cruise or... well, maybe not Cruise. Shia LaBeouf? Anyway, it frees up the casting, and Katleman made some inspired choices. First was Prison Break's Dominic Purcell as Tim Manfrey, a serious journalist who feels the crocodile story is beneath him. "He just seemed like a good action hero. He had a good grasp of the character, and his energy was phenomenal." Purcell does make a credible hero in the film, bringing a little old-school Schwarzenegger stoicism to the part. I'm curious to see what he does with his next feature role in Joel Schumacher's supernatural thriller Town Creek (you Schumacher bashers keep quiet; Falling Down, Lost Boys, and Tigerland are enough to keep me hopeful that he's got another good one in him).
Comments (2)
Sutter Cane, you are a nitwit. How can you possibly think that this movie is even remotely watchable? The story is bad, the acting is bad, the dialogue is horrible. There was absolutely no suspense ever built up in any scene. The part where the little girl was killed was forcibly inserted just to have a "moment" before they moved on with tracking the animal. And, was this movie really about a killer crocodile? I think the animal was involved, directly or indirectly, on screen for about 25 minutes out of a possible 90+ minutes. What kinda BS is that? The rest of the film deals with some political crap message, and terribly so, about lawlessness and survival. And thematic elements woven together? Come on, on one hand you have a killer croc that can't be stopped. On the other you have crazy dictator types ruling with iron fists. There's no weaving. Weaving would be, as in your favorite film Jaws, having a mayor/city council more concerned about dollars than the well fare of their constituents. There wasn't even a remote correlation in Primeval. What, you're gonna say the ruthlessness of the croc is the same as the dictator types? Ummm.... No. Did you write this article favorably b/c you interviewed the director? I thought you were a respectable critic but after the drivel I just watched I have lost a serious amount of respect for your work. Please, for those of you out there, do yourself a favor and stay away from this film. It's that bad.
1 of 2 | Posted by mayorlarryvaughn![[TypeKey Profile Page]](http://www.tvgasm.com/newsgasm/nav-commenters.gif)
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Posted on June 30, 2007 7:25 PM
Mayor Vaughn (love the name, btw),
I respect your opinion of the movie, and I've taken a drumming from a few friends for my opinion of it. And I understand that my opinion might seem influenced by my getting to interview the director, but I assure you it was not. I found it refreshing to see a film like this take its subject seriously instead of as self-referential joke. I admired the presence of a "political crap message" more than no message at all, and the idea that Gustav got his taste for people from the crazy dictator types dumping their victims in the river for me drew a credible connection between the political and natural violence. For all that, I thought the film did not receive enough attention, and so made the effort to seek out Mr. Katleman for this interview.
That said, it's not a prefect or great film by any means, and I understand that not everyone has the same taste. But I was tired of the Kevin Williamson-style monster movies, and I felt this was a nice change of pace.
And, frankly, I'm flattered you thought I was a repectable critic before this.
2 of 2 | Posted by sutter kane![[TypeKey Profile Page]](http://www.tvgasm.com/newsgasm/nav-commenters.gif)
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Posted on July 1, 2007 8:39 PM