''Crawl'' is a 2011 Australian suspense-thriller written and directed by Paul China and produced by Benjamin China. The film stars George Shevtsov,

Georgina Haig Georgina Haig (born 3 August 1985) is an Australian film and television actress, known for her roles in the Australian children's television series '' The Elephant Princess'', as well as the American television series ''Fringe'', '' Limitless'' ...

and Paul Holmes.

Plot

Slim Walding (Paul Holmes), a bar owner, hires a Croatian (George Shevtsov) to kill an acquaintance over an unpaid debt. The crime is carried out, but the culprit leaves behind the murder weapon, an antique pistol belonging to Slim (thus framing him for the homicide). As the Croatian makes his getaway, he accidentally runs down a stranded motorist. The murderer seeks refuge at a nearby, isolated house, where he holds a young woman, Marilyn Burns (

), hostage. The Croatian learns that Marilyn's fiancé is the motorist he has killed. To escape on a motorcycle (the only vehicle at hand), he returns to the crash site to retrieve the man's keys. There, the Croatian murders the fiancé, after discovering he is still alive. Later, Slim realizes that his prized pistol has been stolen and that he has been set up. Learning the Croatian's whereabouts, he heads off looking for revenge. At the house, however, after freeing bound-and-gagged Marilyn, Slim is killed when the Croatian unexpectedly attacks him with an axe. Marilyn then kills the Croatian.

Cast

*George Shevtsov as The Stranger *

as Marilyn Burns *Paul Holmes as Slim Walding *Lauren Dillon as Holly *

Lynda Stoner Lynda Stoner (born 10 September 1953) is an Australian former actress, and animal activist
, ''Animal ...

as Eileen *Catherine Miller as Annie *Andy Barclay as Travis *Bob Newman as Rusty Sapp *Paul Bryant as Sergeant Byrd *John Rees-Osbourne as Constable Rolly

Production

The film was shot on location in

Queensland, Australia ) , nickname = Sunshine State , image_map = Queensland in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Queensland in Australia , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , established_ ...

in late 2010.

Soundtrack

Australian composer Christopher Gordon scored the film.

Release

''Crawl'' played at over thirty international film festivals, including Sitges Film Festival in Spain, FrightFest in the UK, and Brisbane International Film Festival in Australia. Bloody Disgusting released the film in the US on 1 September 2012, and

Arrow Films Arrow Films is a British independent film distributor and restorer specialising in world cinema, arthouse, horror and classic films. It sells Ultra HD Blu-rays, Blu-rays and DVDs online, and also operates its own subscription video on-d ...

released the film theatrically in the UK on 22 February 2013.

Reception

''Crawl'' has received positive reviews from critics, scoring fresh rating on

Rotten Tomatoes Rotten Tomatoes is an American review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee, and Stephen Wang ...

based on reviews, with an average score of . Sean Decker of Dread Central said the film ″rivals ''

No Country For Old Men ''No Country for Old Men'' is a 2007 American neo-Western crime thriller film written and directed by Joel and Ethan Coen, based on Cormac McCarthy's 2005 novel of the same name. Starring Tommy Lee Jones, Javier Bardem, and Josh Brolin, th ...

'' in gritty style and suspense″ and was an ″assured

Hitchcockian Hitchcockian films are those made by various filmmakers, with the styles and themes similar to those of Alfred Hitchcock. Characteristics Elements considered Hitchcockian include: *Climactic plot twist. *The cool platinum blonde. *The presence ...

slow-burn.″ Journalist Alan Jones awarded the film four stars saying ″not since the Coen Brothers' ''Blood Simple'' has there been a more exciting thriller debut...a nail-bitingly effective study in slow-burning terror...scary, sly and sexy...a twisted and skillful homage to film noir.″

Accolades

References

External links

*{{IMDb title, 1848832
''Crawl''
at

2011 films Australian thriller films 2011 directorial debut films 2010s English-language films