Perhaps one day he may succeed.
But, then again, on that day, nature may rebel, and THIS, could happen..."
A schlocky, but memorable Thai Jaws rip-off helmed by the infamous Sompote "Sands" Saengduenchai (best known for Hanuman vs. 7 Ultraman and his attempted thievery of the Ultra Series using that film). Bears the distinction of being the only Chaiyo film to be dubbed into English (though the international version is its own train wreck due to the nonsensical re-editing), and is by far the easiest to come across because of thisnote .
A nuclear test causes a massive hurricane and mutates a Crocodile to gigantic proportions. Dr. Akom and Dr. Strom, two overworked hospital M.D.s dealing with the massive amount of casualties from the disaster, decide to spend the weekend on vacation with their families, but all is not well in the water and the doctors' loved ones are picked off by the Crocodile. Upon discovering the killer's true identity, the doctors swear revenge and side with a local fisherman who is supposedly destined to face off with the beast, while the monster rampages through Thai water villages. Geared up and ready to kick some crocodilian ass, Dr. Akom, Dr. Strom, and Fisherman Tanaka head out to sea, and well, fail miserably at accomplishing much of anything.
Not to be confused with the unrelated 2000 Tobe Hooper film.
This film contains examples of the following:
- Animal Nemesis: The giant crocodile to Dr. Akom and Dr. Strom after their families are devoured by the monster.
- An Arm and a Leg: The film rather gruesomely depicts this on a massive scale during the village attack(s). An additional shot showing of dozens of limbs sinking beneath the river was cut in the international version.
- Bear Trap: One of the attempts to capture the beast revolves around a cartoonishly big bear trap. It does nothing save grabbing onto the croc's tail and causing it to uproot a tree and swim off with it.
- Death Glare: The Crocodile gives plenty in extreme closeup.
- Death of a Child: Ann is eaten by the crocodile first. Some boys are also devoured via stock footage of another Sands film in the international cut.
- Developing Doomed Characters: The Akom and Strom families, who are savaged by the crocodile a good half hour into the film.
- Downer Ending: The Crocodile is killed, but no one survives.
- Feed It a Bomb: How do you think they kill it?
- Foreign Remake: Of Jaws, albeit without permission. Even the opening scene of the crocodile mauling a woman and it's final defeat if lifted from the Hollywood film!
- Heroic Sacrifice: It is Dr. Akom who finally destroys the crocodile in the Thai cut. It is Peter's doing via re-editing in the international cut.
- Intrepid Reporter: Peter, who shows up in the third act out of nowhere.
- Immune to Bullets: The croc.
- Leave the Camera Running: Many shots in both versions linger uncomfortably, most memorably a shot of a live Siamese crocodile being carved and a overly long sequence of the giant crocodile eating a cow.
- Madness Mantra: Dr. Akom keeps hearing Ann's "I love you, daddy!" over and over.
- Mood Whiplash: The film switches between light family drama and various plot irrelevant crocodile kills in the first act.
- Never Smile at a Crocodile: If you haven't already guessed what this movie is about.
- Nuclear Mutant: "By God, a mutant!"
- Ostinato: The annoying, omnipresent Crocodile theme in the international version is a brief strain of blaring orchestral music cannibalized from the Thai version accompanied by a repetitious synth pulse that never ceases.
- Re-Cut: Re-editing is put to disastrous effect in the international version. The original version wasn't a cinematic masterpiece, but at least the sequence of events made actual sense.
- Stupid Sacrifice: Peter's death in the Thai cut. This is edited with different results in the international version.
- When You Coming Home, Dad?: Dr. Akom is hardly there for his family, until his family isn't there for him.
