IMDb RATING
6.0/10
1.6K
YOUR RATING
A park ranger is tasked with dealing with a killer crocodile that appears to have a spiritual connection with the local Aboriginals.A park ranger is tasked with dealing with a killer crocodile that appears to have a spiritual connection with the local Aboriginals.A park ranger is tasked with dealing with a killer crocodile that appears to have a spiritual connection with the local Aboriginals.
Kenneth Radley
- Reynolds
- (as Ken Radley)
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaAfter fourteen, years on 5th October 2011, the film was released for the first time on home video in its home country, Australia, with a DVD release from Umbrella Entertainment. The company later released a Blu-Ray edition in 2017. The film prior to this time had only had la few limited individual screenings in Australia such as one organized by Quentin Tarantino in 2009 in Sydney.
- Quotes
Rex Garret: Now you give me one good reason why crocodiles should be protected. Just one!
Steve Harris: One good reason? For 200 million years there's been a croc-like-animal... they were here at the time of the dinosaurs. For 200 million years! And we've taken them to the brink of extinction in 20.
- ConnectionsFeatured in Not Quite Hollywood: The Wild, Untold Story of Ozploitation! (2008)
Featured review
"Croc lover!"
You want a good crocodile flick which gives you the carnage but also well-meaning in its context, then you can't look any further than the 1987 Aussie exploitation ecological monster fare "Dark Age" starring a very young John Jarrett (who would be best remembered for his unnerving performance in 2005 horror feature "Wolf Creek") playing a Northern Territory park ranger Steve who's in-charge of conserving the disappearing crocodile population. But things go bad to worse, when locals start becoming a target for one very large crocodile and the hunters of the area (who always seem to a beer can in their hand) go about trying to wipe out the species. But Steve has a plan, but needs the help of an aboriginal elder who believes the crocodile to be sacred. You could probably say this was Australia's answer to "Jaws" and it would do a good job of scaring you out of the water. The material doesn't go into a lot depth with the character dramas (though they are there), but it effectively draws upon its conservational message but never letting it get in the way of a good jolt. Sonia Borg's smartly penned screenplay gels all elements rather well. Director Arch Nicholson (who also did the excellent 1986 made-for-TV survival hostage flick "Fortress") crafts out an exciting outback adventure, using conventional genre staples with unsparing force and the atmospherics of the terrain provided some arresting sequences of beauty and chills. Even the characters interactions draw up intensity, but it's the attack scenes which will stay with you. Watching the croc prey on its victims, then in a matter of seconds have them in a vice grip as we hear their bones crunching under the pressure with blood engulfing the water is an unnerving sight. But just seeing this creation in its glory is scary enough and the effects are outstanding, despite that it might seem a bit stiff in its movements. It's well shot and the camera uses different angles, which also helps. The performances are all game with some memorable turns by Max Phipps as gun-happy hunter John Besser, Nikki Goghill (whose blue eyes really stand out) as Steve's girlfriend Cathy, Burnam Burnam as the native elder Oonadabund and David Gulpill as his fellow tracker Adjaral. It had been awhile seen I last saw it and it surprised how well it actually stood up. Great nature-runs-amok outing which would make a perfect double bill with "Razorback".
"We born. We die. Spirit lives."
"We born. We die. Spirit lives."
helpful•131
- lost-in-limbo
- Mar 14, 2012
- How long is Dark Age?Powered by Alexa
Details
Box office
- Budget
- A$4,800,000 (estimated)
Contribute to this page
Suggest an edit or add missing content
![Nikki Coghill and John Jarratt in Dark Age (1987)](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BN2I3ZTllYmMtMzljNi00NjgzLTkyZjgtNzQ2N2YxNDZmNjFkXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMDM3ODU0Nw@@._V1_QL75_UY133_CR0,0,90,133_.jpg)