MovieMonday.com - Alligator with Robert Forster, Michael Gazzo, Robin Riker, Perry Lang, Jack Carter, Bart Braverman, Henry Silva, Dean Jagger

Techno Films

Alligator (B)

STARS...
Robert Forster, Michael Gazzo, Robin Riker, Perry Lang, Jack Carter, Bart Braverman, Henry Silva, and Dean Jagger.

PLOT SUMMARY...
A giant alligator, living in the sewers of a major city, is quite hungry.

QUICK SCAN...
ALLIGATOR brings to mind, "Tarantula". A really fun, modern, giant creature on the loose movie, in this case a jumbo alligator. Robin Riker offers fine support as a reptile expert/love interest. A running gag, in which numerous people make comments and offer advice to Robert Forster, concerning his balding head, ups the fun factor.

DIRECTOR: Lewis Teague
YEAR & RATING: 1980 (R)

BEST BETS:

Alien
Tarantula
Behind The Scenes
SYNOPSIS...
A little girl's Dad flushes a baby alligator down a toilet. Twelve years later, a giant alligator, living in the sewers, begins to feast on people. A veteran homicide cop investigates.

The body parts ,of more and more human victims, keep popping up in the city's sewage treatment plant. When a missing tabloid reporter's camera reveals shots of a huge alligator, the homicide cop teams up with a pretty reptile expert to resolve the gator problem.

A big game hunter is eaten alive by the alligator. The cop plants a large bomb in the sewer, blowing up the super gator.

Review:

Director Lewis Teague's, ALLIGATOR, is a well made "Jaws" ripoff, with some Sci-Fi flavorings.

At the start of the film, in 1968, a small girl gets a pet alligator in Florida. Later, back home, her dad flushes the little gator down the toilet during an argument. Twelve years later, a giant alligator goes on a rampage, using the city's sewers as its home base.

Robert Forester ("Banyon", "The Black Hole") is sympathetic as a weary homicide cop with a receding hairline and a boss who doesn't believe a giant gator is on the loose, despite the mounting evidence. Forester has unique looks, which improbably remind one of both John Garfield and Paul Newman. Under Teague's astute Direction, his character becomes a three dimensional guy, not just a blank super hero.

Robin Riker ("Brothers") is quite good as a reptile expert who becomes involved with Forester during the giant gator investigation. Her red hair and wide eyes help to make her a vivid screen presence.

John Sayles' Screenplay, (from a Story by John Sayles and Frank Ray Perilli), has some sly humor in it. A sewer worker, missing and presumed dead, is named "Ed Norton", which was the name of Art Carney's sewer worker character, on TV's "The Honeymooners".

Director of Photography, Joseph Mangine, does fine work here. His gator, P.O.V. shots are particularly good.

Fun is had with a running gag involving people making comments/giving advice concerning Forester's balding head. After making love, Riker plays with his balding locks. Forester tells her testily, "Look it: I'm fighting male pattern baldness. I'm a little sensitive on the subject, and I hope you don't mention it again." This is my favorite scene. Considering how vain most actors are, Forester was a good sport to go along with this subplot.

The Music, composed by Craig Hundley, is pretty mediocre. It's the only aspect of the film that appears to have been "phoned in", so to speak.

ALLIGATOR should be fairly watchable for most Sci-Fi viewers. Monster on the loose fans will get their money's worth.

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Alligator (B)
	STARS... Robert Forster, Michael Gazzo, Robin Riker, Perry Lang, Jack Carter, Bart Braverman, Henry Silva, and Dean Jagger. PLOT SUMMARY... A giant alligator, living in the sewers of a major city, is quite hungry. QUICK SCAN... ALLIGATOR brings to mind, "Tarantula". A really fun, modern, giant creature on the loose movie, in this case a jumbo alligator. Robin Riker offers fine support as a reptile expert/love interest. A running gag, in which numerous people make comments and offer advice to Robert Forster, concerning his balding head, ups the fun factor.
DIRECTOR: Lewis Teague YEAR & RATING: 1980 (R) BEST BETS: Alien Tarantula Behind The Scenes	SYNOPSIS... A little girl's Dad flushes a baby alligator down a toilet. Twelve years later, a giant alligator, living in the sewers, begins to feast on people. A veteran homicide cop investigates. The body parts ,of more and more human victims, keep popping up in the city's sewage treatment plant. When a missing tabloid reporter's camera reveals shots of a huge alligator, the homicide cop teams up with a pretty reptile expert to resolve the gator problem. A big game hunter is eaten alive by the alligator. The cop plants a large bomb in the sewer, blowing up the super gator.
Review: Director Lewis Teague's, ALLIGATOR, is a well made "Jaws" ripoff, with some Sci-Fi flavorings. At the start of the film, in 1968, a small girl gets a pet alligator in Florida. Later, back home, her dad flushes the little gator down the toilet during an argument. Twelve years later, a giant alligator goes on a rampage, using the city's sewers as its home base. Robert Forester ("Banyon", "The Black Hole") is sympathetic as a weary homicide cop with a receding hairline and a boss who doesn't believe a giant gator is on the loose, despite the mounting evidence. Forester has unique looks, which improbably remind one of both John Garfield and Paul Newman. Under Teague's astute Direction, his character becomes a three dimensional guy, not just a blank super hero. Robin Riker ("Brothers") is quite good as a reptile expert who becomes involved with Forester during the giant gator investigation. Her red hair and wide eyes help to make her a vivid screen presence. John Sayles' Screenplay, (from a Story by John Sayles and Frank Ray Perilli), has some sly humor in it. A sewer worker, missing and presumed dead, is named "Ed Norton", which was the name of Art Carney's sewer worker character, on TV's "The Honeymooners". Director of Photography, Joseph Mangine, does fine work here. His gator, P.O.V. shots are particularly good. Fun is had with a running gag involving people making comments/giving advice concerning Forester's balding head. After making love, Riker plays with his balding locks. Forester tells her testily, "Look it: I'm fighting male pattern baldness. I'm a little sensitive on the subject, and I hope you don't mention it again." This is my favorite scene. Considering how vain most actors are, Forester was a good sport to go along with this subplot. The Music, composed by Craig Hundley, is pretty mediocre. It's the only aspect of the film that appears to have been "phoned in", so to speak. ALLIGATOR should be fairly watchable for most Sci-Fi viewers. Monster on the loose fans will get their money's worth.