Dark Age (film)

Dark Age is a 1987 Australian horror adventure film directed by Arch Nicholson, produced by Antony I. Ginnane and starring John Jarratt, Nikki Coghill, and Max Phipps. In the film, an Australian park ranger is tasked with hunting a legendary, 25-foot crocodile that appears to have a spiritual connection with the local Aboriginals. The film was released on July 10, 1987.

Plot
During a massive rainstorm, a trio of poachers head out into a local river in the Northern Territory to hunt crocodiles. Upon finding a massive, 7.72 m saltwater crocodile, the poachers attempt to capture it. However, the beast tips their boat over and attacks, leaving only one survivor - John Besser (Max Phipps).

The next day, ranger and herpetologist Steve Harris (John Jarratt), Oondabund (Burnum Burnum), the leader of a local Aboriginal community, and his second-in-command Adjaral (David Gulpilil) head out to check on the poachers and rescue Besser. Besser however vows revenge against the beast.

The beast subsequently attacks and murders an Aboriginal child. Harris is assigned by his boss Rex Garret (Ray Meagher) to kill the beast. However, Oondabund refuses to allow this, revealing to Harris that the beast - named Namunwari - is believed to be a mystical repository of the community's souls.

The beast subsequently kills a thug at a local harbor. Harris leads a search for it, only to turn up nothing. Harris convinces Oondabund to help him hunt the beast, in exchange for capturing and releasing it downriver away from people in its original home. A reluctant Garret agrees.

Harris, Oondabund, and Adjaral set out hunting the beast along the river. Besser and one of his friends also set out to hunt the beast by trapping it in a net, intending to kill it. However, the beast is able to drag Besser into the water and bites off his arm.

Harris, Oondabund, and Adjaral are able to successfully capture the beast and bring it into the mainland. The trio set to transporting the beast via truck, unknowingly pursued by Besser and his friends and Harris's girlfriend Cathy Pope (Nikki Coghill) who intends to warn the trio. They manage to arrive at the beast's home, only for Besser and company to arrive immediately after.

Besser attacks the beast with an axe as it flees into the river, while his friends engage Harris, Oondabund, Pope, and Adjaral in a gunfight. Oondabund is fatally wounded by one of Besser's men, but the others are able to fend them off. Besser loses track of Nanunwari in the river and is ambushed by the beast and dragged underwater to his death. Sometime later, Adjaral feeds Oondabund's remains to the beast in accordance with their religion.

Cast

 * John Jarratt as Steve Harris
 * Nikki Coghill as Cathy Pope
 * Max Phipps as John Besser
 * Burnam Burnam as Oondabund
 * David Gulpilil as Adjaral
 * Ray Meagher as Rex Garret
 * Jeff Ashby as Mac Wilson
 * Paul Bertram as Jackson

Production
The film was part of a two-picture deal between executive producer Antony I. Ginnane and Hollywood studio RKO which also included The Lighthorsemen. Shooting took place five weeks in Cairns and one week in Alice Springs, starting 22 April 1986.

The plot shares many similarities to Jaws and contains homage shots such as the shot involving a shooting star.

Release
The movie was never seen in Australia theatrically and took a long time to be seen on DVD.

Reception
Dennis Schwartz of Ozus' World Movie Reviews gave a positive review, calling the film "well-produced and acted, and an intelligent environmental adventure film results."

Quentin Tarantino spoke enthusiastically of the film in the documentary Not Quite Hollywood: The Wild, Untold Story of Ozploitation!, commenting "You could re-release Dark Age in 2,000 screenings and people would go see it." In 2009, Tarantino hosted a screening for it in Sydney.

Filmink later said "The phenomenal box office success of Jaws meant producers inevitably looked towards Australia’s deadly fauna as a source of inspiration... In hindsight, it’s actually weird that more films about killer animals weren’t made in the 10BA era."