An appreciation by Bob Ignizio
If you watch only one giant alligator
movie this year, it should be 1980's ALLIGATOR.
It's about as perfect a "nature gone amok"/giant monster
movie as you can find. Sure, it follows the structure of JAWS
pretty closely, but screenwriter John Sayles puts his own stamp on
the material, making ALLIGATOR
more than just a cheap imitation.
One of the film's biggest assets is its assortment of memorable characters. For starters, we've got a great hero in Robert Forster's David, a rough around the edges homicide detective fighting the ghosts of his past and male pattern baldness, and not faring too well against either. Reptile expert Marisa (Robin Riker) is kind of a mess, too. She still lives at home with her mother, and her collection of pet snakes isn't exactly a turn-on for most guys. Then there's the fun supporting parts by character actors like Sydney Lassick (Cheswick in ONE FLEW OVER THE CUCKOO'S NEST) as an unscrupulous pet shop owner and perennial B-movie stalwart Henry Silva (MEGAFORCE, CHAINED HEAT, LUST IN THE DUST, and many more) as an arrogant big game hunter hoping to add the gator to his list of kills.
One of the film's biggest assets is its assortment of memorable characters. For starters, we've got a great hero in Robert Forster's David, a rough around the edges homicide detective fighting the ghosts of his past and male pattern baldness, and not faring too well against either. Reptile expert Marisa (Robin Riker) is kind of a mess, too. She still lives at home with her mother, and her collection of pet snakes isn't exactly a turn-on for most guys. Then there's the fun supporting parts by character actors like Sydney Lassick (Cheswick in ONE FLEW OVER THE CUCKOO'S NEST) as an unscrupulous pet shop owner and perennial B-movie stalwart Henry Silva (MEGAFORCE, CHAINED HEAT, LUST IN THE DUST, and many more) as an arrogant big game hunter hoping to add the gator to his list of kills.
