I love this movie so much

If the ambition is to provide two hours of instantly forgettable, popcorn-munching escapism, it succeeds.

what a terribly boring film. I'm sorry but this is absolutely not deserving of best picture and will be forgotten quickly. Entertaining and engaging cinema? No. Nothing performances with flat faces and mistaking silence for subtlety.

By the time the dramatic fireworks start popping off, each one feels earned.

One of the dullest so-called thrillers I've seen in a long time, CRAWL has aspirations to be the next classic Aussie movie. The only good thing I can say about it is that director Paul China clearly knows his movies, but there's being inspired by and ripping off, and CRAWL falls into the latter category. In various press releases, China and his brother are described as the new Coen Brothers, but CRAWL is more like a Coen Brothers rip-off.The opening scene is about the most memorable bit in it and even that rips off NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN like nobody's business. After this point we're in BLOOD SIMPLE territory, with a slow-burning plot involving a small cast who come together on one fateful night. Bloodshed ensues, but everything is dragged out to an endless degree so it becomes a chore to sit through. There's no artistry here, no suspense or gripping moments, just a film that eventually becomes silly because it's so po-faced.It doesn't help that the script fails to breathe life into the various uninteresting characters, or that the cast members are singularly unmemorable. But by far the worst thing about this is the director himself, who has no idea of how to make a thriller work. I think even I, with zero training in film-making, could have done a better job.

If you read the online comments on various internet message boards, you'll see phrases like 'a thinking man's horror film' and 'highly atmospheric.' Then, when people - sadly, like me - who simply describe the film as 'boring,' we get criticised for 'only liking the lowest form of film' and 'not appreciating it.' It's about a seedy bar-owner who hires a mysterious hit-man to do away with an out-of-favour colleague. However, things go wrong and the hit-man ends up stalking a hapless (and overly-perfect, in my opinion) barmaid who works at the bar.I'm afraid, for all the high-brow talk about Crawl, I just found it dull. There are long periods where there's no talking. And, in an attempt to 'create tension,' the same three chords are played endlessly on a cello. These scenes repeat at various intervals all the way through the film and you're just as well fast forwarding them and watching the speeded-up version (as you'll see what's happening at a fraction of the screen-time).I don't just watch Michael Bay films and movies filled with endless car chases. I do watch other movies where I also have to (occasionally) use my head to figure things out. However, I just couldn't help but get bored with this.Obviously, judging by the amount of positive praise there is out there for this film, then it has found an audience out there somewhere - I'm just one of those philistines who didn't appreciate it. Sorry! On the plus side, it's short!

The Croatian comes to town and sanctions (kills for hire) the owner of a petrol station, Rusty Sapp. He gets paid by the Slim Walding (who owns the bar where most of the other characters work) and leaves town. He runs over a pedestrian on the way to his next stop. This turns out to be Travis, who's truck had stalled out.Marilyn prepares for the return of her fiancé to be, Travis. He's late for business reasons. Then he keeps on being late. The Croatian breaks in, ties her up, and gags her. He's looking for transportation, but Travis had the truck as well as the keys to the old motorcycle.The police come visit Slim Walding about the murder of Rusty Sapp. Later, Slim and Holly play the spanking game to work off Holly's debt to Slim. He makes her crawl to him before she gets over his knee, bares her bottom, then spanks her hard.The Croatian goes back and kills what's left of Travis, then steals the engagement ring from the corpse. Slim finds his gun missing; he figures he's being set up. He drives to Marilyn's house, finds Travis' blood, Travis' truck, but not Travis. So he heads to Marilyn's house; he steps in the chocolate cake Marilyn's friend left on the stoop. He sees the blood from the Croatian's wounded leg. He tries to get answers after he unties Marilyn, but she has few answers. The Croatian comes in and disrupts their conversation. Then the Croatian goes after Marilyn.Do we find out the Croatian's motivations? Does Slim get what he seems to deserve? Will Marilyn survive all this? -----Scores-------Cinematography: 10/10 Excellent.Sound: 8/10 The incidental music was often spot on, but sometimes overbearingly loud.Acting: 7/10 Just fine if one likes the acting style that the Coen brothers favour.Screenplay: 7/10 Just what was the plot against Slim? What was the history with Slim and Holly? How did the Croatian come into play here? There are a few too many loose ends here.

I'm a fan of low budget horror films, from Brain dead to The Loved Ones, on to the Irish film Grabbers. However, this has the feel of a director who thinks he's directing an art movie. Lots of silences, not suspense, mind you, but just silence. Literally no sound, just two people looking at each other for 5 elongated minutes. When the action comes there is no logic to it. And finally, the sound track, or more accurately that same piece of annoying music that's randomly played regardless of what happening. All you need is 3 high piano key key to make a horror soundtrack. Watch any seventies or eighties horror. The acting was good, but that's the movies only saving grace. I wish I was living in Schwarzenegger's Total Recall, cos I got a memory I want to erase.