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Robert Forster, Robin Riker, Michael Vincente Gazzo, Dean Jagger, Perry Lang ... see more see more... , Henry Silva , Jack Carter , Bart Braverman , Royce D. Applegate , James Arone , Jim Boeke , Simmy Bow , Kendall Carly Browne , Bella Bruck , JoJo D'Amore , Robert Doyle , Corky Ford , Stan Haze , James Ingersoll , Patti Jerome , Anita Keith , Tom Kindle , Sidney Lassick , Sue Lyon , Larry Marko , Mike Mazurki , Buckley Norris , Pat Petersen , Angel Tompkins , John Lisbon Wood , John F. Goff , Peter Miller , Dick Richards , John Sayles , Lewis Teague , Ed Brodow , Richard Partlow , Margaret Muse , Michael V. Gazzo , Sydney Lassick

Lewis Teague directed this sly horror-comedy from a script by John Sayles, which plays off the old urban legend about the dangers of flushing one's pet alligator down the toilet. One such unlucky rept... read more read more...ile is "Ramon," who survives in the subterranean cesspool by feeding on the steroid-saturated carcasses of dogs dumped there by chemical company researchers and eventually bulks up to the size of a Winnebago. When assorted sewage workers start disappearing into Ramon's massive maw, hard-boiled cop David Madison (Robert Forster), who has a history of unlucky partners, reveals a strong personal interest in the case. Deemed a jinx and a nutcase by his superiors, he's kicked off the force and must go underground (literally) to destroy the beast with the help of young reptile-expert Marion (Robin Riker). The witty screenplay is filled with clever references, eccentric characters and in-jokes aplenty (a style reflective of Joe Dante's Piranha and The Howling, both of which Sayles also scripted), which combines with decent effects and a good amount of suspense (particularly in the sewer scenes) to make this an entertaining romp overall. Highlights include Henry Silva's over-the-top performance as a misplaced big-game hunter who recruits urban "native guides" in his back-alley search for the elusive Ramon. ~ Cavett Binion, Rovi

Flixster Users

48% liked it

2,681 ratings

Critics

60% liked it

10 critics

R, 1 hr. 34 min.

Directed by: Lewis Teague

Release Date: January 1, 1980

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DVD Release Date: September 18, 2007

Stats: 276 reviews

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Maid to Order 2 Maid to Order Madison in the sewers Alligator Alligator GTA style Alligator legless on the job The infamous pool scene cover of the Lionsgate DVD If you go down to the sewers today, you're in for a BIG surprise Robert Forster in Alligator Alligator Alligator
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Flixster Reviews (276)

  • TheDudeLebowski65
    March 31, 2012
    TheDudeLebowski65
    I love nature gone wild horror flicks. There's a certain appeal to killer animal films that just makes that genre of horror so memorable. Director Lewis Teague has made one of the classic gator flicks, years before films like Rogue and Lake Placid took to the screens. Alligator i... read mores fun monster horror flick about a killer alligator that terrorizes a town. This is a very good film that is pretty underrated. If you enjoy good old' fashioned cheesy monster films, then this is the perfect film to watch. As far as killer creature films are concerned, this is the most entertaining since 1976's Grizzly. There's plenty of good gruesome moments in this film to appeal to horror fans. If you love creature features, then check this one out. The cast do a good job and there's plenty of effective suspenseful moments to thrill you. This is a terrific B movie. it's a very enjoying film from start to finish. It's a well written, well directed from Lewis Teague, who also directed Cujo. It's very entertaining, and is a film that should get more exposure. Alligator is underrated and is a must see for fans who enjoy a good killer creature flick. Although nothing original, Alligator is nonetheless a solid entertaining film that delivers a thrilling viewing experience. The film is very tongue in cheek, and I think that's what makes this film so good, add to that an ample body count, and you have a horror film worth watching.
  • FilmFanatik
    January 2, 2012
    FilmFanatik
    When it comes to these creature features, they're pretty much a dime a dozen. I found Alligator to be quite special for a couple of reasons. First of all, it was made by competent filmmakers who put their own spin on things without losing sight of the main narrative. Second, Robe... read morert Forster, Perry Lang and Henry Silva are in it. The lovely Robin Riker is also in it, and one must experience Michael Vincente Gazzo's performance which is amazingly bad! Third, not only does it reference The Third Man in a very nice way, it's also been referenced and lifted from for everything from movies to video games. There are supposed to be some extended and deleted scenes from a TV version of the movie out there that I would like to have seen included on the side of the disc I watched, but the movie itself is quite entertaining. It's constantly giving us new information without becoming boring, and I like that a lot. It's also nice to see a leading guy who's not all that great. Not that Robert Forster isn't great, but the way he portrays his character makes him seem like a douche bag. It's great that he isn't the usual heroic type, yet still manages to come through in the end.
  • ajv2688
    October 21, 2011
    ajv2688
    This movie reminds me of Humanoids from the Deep, in the way that it takes sci-fi/horror conventions of the 50s, in this case the giant insect/animal sub-genre, and updates it to 80s standards. But this movie has a lot less gore than Humanoids did. Overall it's an okay movie, b... read moreut it could be a lot scarier.
  • kenstachnik
    February 15, 2011
    kenstachnik
    Robert Foster is AWESOME! The third best Alligator film after Lake Placid and Black Water.
  • animegirlaya
    November 30, 2010
    animegirlaya
    What a rip-off with a giant crocodile and well, are movies I Kina Hiroshi jaw Despite this I liked the movie. This is actually a land jaw, using the same characters, and plot lines.

    Ramonwani the toilet is flushed like a baby, that one could wish to Dearimasen also possible fo... read morer this one as all the ecological, social connotations to provide a shady By eating dead animals have received experimental hormone, to grow into giant monsters' Left, Right, people usually go for a movie about alligator big eat the heart and T - in the outside world , is the inevitable tragic consequences of the decision, but Ramon relatively more interesting than the sewers ....

    I also told you in the land to the chin, and people got the same letter. However, despite its flaws, the film is only very slightly lame, boring is not good yet.

    70 percent for the story: The epic of the jaw as anything ever, it is still Suropuru

    Special effects 75%: better than any crocodile, I think it looks cool

    60% performance: Nothing surprising is that you have some good performance

    50% Character:

    All other 60%: OK

    I tell you if its worth the watch would be good this way, please refer to that is not the second!
  • phubbs1
    September 7, 2009
    phubbs1
    A delightfully cheesey 'monster' flick of sorts with a mixture of typical crappy effects and actually some nice well worked effects with real alligators and models. Its hard not to compare this to 'Jaws' of course, some of the attack sequences and even some musical moments are si... read moremilar hehe. But its a fun horror with nice limb ripping, creepy dark sewers and over the top moments of sillyness like the alligator bursting up through the pavement lol and the whole ending 'rampage' sequence is really dumb haha
    meh...its old, Forster was young so what do you expect?

    I was waiting for the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles to arrive :)
  • briandeguelle
    August 22, 2008
    briandeguelle
    Forget Rogue this is the Jaws of the Croc/Alligotor genre.
    Much funny and bloodier and it's just a great thill ride even after 28 years it still holds up.Only other movie to come close is Lake Placid, check em both out and you decide you want by sorry !
  • 76Majikat
    May 27, 2008
    76Majikat
    Obviously dated in the style of effects and of course not scary in this day and age as it seemed to back when I was a kid, but I enjoyed Robert Forster's performance and it was at least watchable.
  • DragonEyeMorrison
    February 17, 2008
    DragonEyeMorrison
    Holy shit, i remember this one. Fuzzy memories that is, but i recall enjoying it. I can already see a remake coming out any day. Also, Robert Foster should be in more movies.
  • rayman0071
    September 25, 2007
    rayman0071
    After the huge success of what "Jaws" did to turned people away from the water and turn beaches red and Universal's coffers green,Hollywood unleashed a wave of films dealing with the concept of man-vs.-beast knockoffs: 1976's Grizzly(or the slogan..just when you thought if was sa... read morefe to go in the woods),which dealt with a rampaging grizzly bear;1977's The Swarm,which dealt with killer bees terrorizing a small town(which was produced by Irwin Allen of "The Poseidon Adventure" and "Towering Inferno" fame),and 1978's "Piranha" not to mention a slew of these movies that exploded in the mid to late 1970's that also included "Rattlers","Tentacles","Man's Deadliest Friend"(killer dogs-wolves!!!).

    It wasn't until 1980,when this B-grade classic came out called "Alligator" which was a cult gem written by a young John Sayles and produced by the king of cult B cimema--Roger Corman. Cleverly suspenseful,outrageously funny,and explicitly bloody,"Alligator" stars Robert Forster as a gruff Chicago cop jokingly bitching about his hair plugs,pitching woo to a sexy herpetologist(Robin Riker) while on the hunt for a ravenous killer reptile that is as big as a Cadillac,weighing over 2,000 lbs. stalking the sewers of the Windy City looking for its next victim. And it has to be stopped before its too late. Great Cult Classic from the early 1980's. Can you believe this was drive-in material?

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Critic Reviews

Eric Henderson
November 6, 2007
Eric Henderson, Slant Magazine

Lewis Teague is only too willing to hand over the entire project to Sayles's hunger for allegorical subplots. Full Review

Alex Sandell
February 5, 2003
Alex Sandell, Juicy Cerebellum

Pretty good, as far as these gigantic Alligator things go.

Scott Weinberg
July 27, 2002
Scott Weinberg, eFilmCritic.com

John Sayles' screenplay mixes monster flick mayhem with a whole lot of wit.

March 26, 2009
Variety

Click to read the article Full Review

Roger Ebert
October 23, 2004
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times

Click to read the article Full Review

Vincent Canby
August 30, 2004
Vincent Canby, New York Times

Click to read the article Full Review

Emanuel Levy
September 26, 2005
Emanuel Levy, EmanuelLevy.Com

No review available.

Randy Shulman
January 22, 2004
Randy Shulman, Metro Weekly (Washington, DC)

No review available.

Shannon J. Harvey
February 4, 2003
Shannon J. Harvey, Sunday Times (Australia)

No review available.

Chuck Rudolph
December 1, 2002
Chuck Rudolph, Matinee Magazine

No review available.

Critic ratings and reviews powered by RottenTomatoes.com

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