Crocodile Dundee (1986) / Comedy-Adventure

MPAA Rated: PG-13 for language, sexual humor, and some violence
Running Time: 115 min.

Cast: Paul Hogan, Linda Kozlowski, John Meillon, David Gulpilil, Mark Blum, Michael Lombard, Reginald VelJohnson, Irving Metzman
Director: Peter Faiman
Screenplay: John Cornell, Paul Hogan, Ken Shadie

 

Australian comedian and actor Paul Hogan (Almost an Angel, Lightning Jack) stars as Mick "Crocodile" Dundee, the famed adventurer of Australia's rugged outback.  Hearing the seemingly tall tales about his survival of croc attacks and the like, a New York newspaper sends a reporter, Sue Charlton (Kozlowski, Village of the Damned), out to do an expose of the man that sounds more like a myth.  Once there, she realizes that the stories are quite fanciful, and many have become more so with repeated telling, as when she finally meets Crocodile Dundee himself, he seems very uncouth and womanizing, with a thirst for alcohol.  However, once they head out into the dangerous unpopulated terrain outside, she finds that Dundee is fully in his element, saving her life on a number of occasions.  Seizing on an interesting new idea, as Dundee has never traveled outside of his home area, Sue invites him to New York City, hoping that the exposure to one of the world's largest, most densely populated, and technologically advanced metropolises will shed new and interesting dimensions in making him as much a fish out of water as she was in the outback. 

Breaking box office records for an Australian film, Crocodile Dundee proved to be an international sensation.  Paul Hogan has crafted an eccentric, but fully realized character in Dundee that is both interesting and likeable, without being too cartoonish to take seriously.  You can't say good chemistry doesn't exist between Hogan and his co-star Kozlowski, as they would have a rumored fling on the set, and marry soon after.  They are still together at the time of this writing.

Peter Faiman (Dutch), the director for Hogan's long-running television show, "The Paul Hogan Show". knows his actor through and through, as he keeps the comic timing fresh, only indulging in a few contrived moments that are played strictly for a big laugh.  It's often a bit cliché, in its own quaint way, but we come to like Dundee's character, and the romance does eventually work, especially in a memorable crowd-pleasing finale. 

Dundee has become a tad dated over the years, and two lackluster sequels certainly haven't helped its reputation.  As a piece of pure entertainment in the 1980s, it is charming enough with some classic funny bits that have been reused many times afterward in other films.  Definitely worthwhile viewing for those looking for a little lighthearted adventure, comedy and romance.

-- Followed by two sequels, Crocodile Dundee II and Crocodile Dundee in Los Angeles.

©2005 Vince Leo