Gustave (film)
Encyclopedia
Primeval is a 2007 horror film
which was released on January 12, 2007. The film was inspired by the true story of Gustave
, a 1 ton, 20 foot (6 meter) giant, man-eating crocodile in Burundi
.
in the African bush is looking over a mass grave of people who have been killed by what she claims are identical gunshot wounds. The woman and a UN soldier head away from the mass grave to inspect another one. She digs her shovel into what she believes is another grave only to be attacked by an unseen creature. The anthropologist is dragged into the water as the soldier opens fire. Other soldiers shoot at the attacker but it kills the woman and drags her into deeper water to consume her.
In a New York City newsroom, Tim (Purcell) is talking on his phone, while looking at a TV to see if his name is mentioned in connection with a case that he was working on in which the evidence was falsified. His cameraman and friend Steven is telling him maybe their boss, Roger, did not see or hear what was being broadcast, when Tim is asked to see Roger. Tim sees Roger who does not want to talk about his contract just yet, but instead introduces him to Aviva and Maria, two women standing by another television set viewing a report about the anthropologist whose fate we saw. Aviva and Maria are reporters who deal with animal stories, and they are interested in the story of Gustave
, an enormous crocodile known to have killed hundreds of people in Africa. Tim is browbeaten into going to Africa with them to capture Gustave alive, taking Steven along.
At the airport in Burundi
they are met by Harry, who warns them about the dangers of the bush including a dangerous warlord who has nicknamed himself "Little Gustave", but fails to delay their departure with wildlife expert Matt Collins. Their boat has machine-gun toting guards, who fight off an attack on their boat from the shore. When the party reach the village, they meet their guide, Jacob, and are blessed by the local shaman. The friendly villagers assemble a steel cage in order to catch Gustave, and take it to a nearby swamp. The first attempt to capture Gustave fails, but Matt manages to shoot him with a tracking dart. Steven, while getting scenic video, catches on film Little Gustave himself executing the shaman along with his family.
Jojo, a villager who helped set up the cage, tries to capture Gustave using himself as bait, in the hopes that if he captured Gustave the group would take him to America
. One of the guards is caught stealing money from a tent, and is about to rape Aviva when Gustave arrives and kills him. Aviva runs to the group, and they return to the devastated camp. The guards work for Little Gustave, and the remaining guard shoots and wounds Jacob; just as he is about to execute the whole group, Jojo shoots him with Jacob's elephant gun
. While Jacob's wound is being treated, Gustave attacks the group. Jacob recalls the story of how his wife, Ona, was killed by Gustave, and that he swore revenge. Jacob produces a grenade, and detonates it as Gustave attacks him in an attempt to kill him, but fails. A helicopter arrives to airlift the survivors, but Little Gustave's men attempt to blow it up to stop them from obtaining the video of the execution. Matt is struck by a car and shot to death by Little Gustave's men, and the group gets separated. When Gustave chases Steven, Maria and Tim go to look for him, but Aviva has to stay with the injured Jojo. They only finds Steven's camera. Harry arrives in a Range Rover, but Tim realises that he is Little Gustave and wants the video evidence. Tim attempts to trick Harry by giving him the GPS
locater for the dart that tracks Gustave, saying it tracks a suitcase that contains the video. Harry declines and forces Tim to find the "suitcase". While searching, Tim finds Steven's mutilated body, and kills the guard that was sent with him. Maria splatters crocodile pheromones over Harry, and Gustave comes and devours the warlord. Tim, Jojo, Maria and Aviva climb into the Range Rover followed by Gustave, but they manage to escape home. The ending states that with the death of Little Gustave, the civil war ended for good, but Gustave is seen still very much alive and killing people.
", who has claimed more than 300 victims and "remains at large". It is compared to Jack the Ripper
and the Zodiac Killer
with his non-human status never mentioned except for a brief line where the narrator says, "He's real, but he's not human." A shortened version of this trailer does not contain this at all. However, in the trailer, a crocodile, presumably Gustave, briefly flashes on screen. The promotional poster similarly calls Gustave "the most prolific serial killer in history". The film's official website rarely makes any mention that the killer is in fact a crocodile. Although the story is about a real crocodile, its similar reputation for causing 300 deaths is likely exaggerated.
.
Another crocodile horror film, Rogue
, had to be pushed back until Fall 2007 because of the film's similarities with Primeval.
Horror film
Horror films seek to elicit a negative emotional reaction from viewers by playing on the audience's most primal fears. They often feature scenes that startle the viewer through the means of macabre and the supernatural, thus frequently overlapping with the fantasy and science fiction genres...
which was released on January 12, 2007. The film was inspired by the true story of Gustave
Gustave (crocodile)
Gustave is a large male Nile crocodile living in Burundi. In 2004 he was estimated to be 60 years old, in length and to weigh around 1 ton, making him the largest confirmed crocodile ever seen in Africa. He is a notorious man-eater, who is rumoured to have claimed as many as 300 humans from the...
, a 1 ton, 20 foot (6 meter) giant, man-eating crocodile in Burundi
Burundi
Burundi , officially the Republic of Burundi , is a landlocked country in the Great Lakes region of Eastern Africa bordered by Rwanda to the north, Tanzania to the east and south, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the west. Its capital is Bujumbura...
.
Plot
The film opens as a forensic anthropologistAnthropology
Anthropology is the study of humanity. It has origins in the humanities, the natural sciences, and the social sciences. The term "anthropology" is from the Greek anthrōpos , "man", understood to mean mankind or humanity, and -logia , "discourse" or "study", and was first used in 1501 by German...
in the African bush is looking over a mass grave of people who have been killed by what she claims are identical gunshot wounds. The woman and a UN soldier head away from the mass grave to inspect another one. She digs her shovel into what she believes is another grave only to be attacked by an unseen creature. The anthropologist is dragged into the water as the soldier opens fire. Other soldiers shoot at the attacker but it kills the woman and drags her into deeper water to consume her.
In a New York City newsroom, Tim (Purcell) is talking on his phone, while looking at a TV to see if his name is mentioned in connection with a case that he was working on in which the evidence was falsified. His cameraman and friend Steven is telling him maybe their boss, Roger, did not see or hear what was being broadcast, when Tim is asked to see Roger. Tim sees Roger who does not want to talk about his contract just yet, but instead introduces him to Aviva and Maria, two women standing by another television set viewing a report about the anthropologist whose fate we saw. Aviva and Maria are reporters who deal with animal stories, and they are interested in the story of Gustave
Gustave (crocodile)
Gustave is a large male Nile crocodile living in Burundi. In 2004 he was estimated to be 60 years old, in length and to weigh around 1 ton, making him the largest confirmed crocodile ever seen in Africa. He is a notorious man-eater, who is rumoured to have claimed as many as 300 humans from the...
, an enormous crocodile known to have killed hundreds of people in Africa. Tim is browbeaten into going to Africa with them to capture Gustave alive, taking Steven along.
At the airport in Burundi
Burundi
Burundi , officially the Republic of Burundi , is a landlocked country in the Great Lakes region of Eastern Africa bordered by Rwanda to the north, Tanzania to the east and south, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the west. Its capital is Bujumbura...
they are met by Harry, who warns them about the dangers of the bush including a dangerous warlord who has nicknamed himself "Little Gustave", but fails to delay their departure with wildlife expert Matt Collins. Their boat has machine-gun toting guards, who fight off an attack on their boat from the shore. When the party reach the village, they meet their guide, Jacob, and are blessed by the local shaman. The friendly villagers assemble a steel cage in order to catch Gustave, and take it to a nearby swamp. The first attempt to capture Gustave fails, but Matt manages to shoot him with a tracking dart. Steven, while getting scenic video, catches on film Little Gustave himself executing the shaman along with his family.
Jojo, a villager who helped set up the cage, tries to capture Gustave using himself as bait, in the hopes that if he captured Gustave the group would take him to America
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. One of the guards is caught stealing money from a tent, and is about to rape Aviva when Gustave arrives and kills him. Aviva runs to the group, and they return to the devastated camp. The guards work for Little Gustave, and the remaining guard shoots and wounds Jacob; just as he is about to execute the whole group, Jojo shoots him with Jacob's elephant gun
Elephant gun
An elephant gun is a large caliber gun, rifled or otherwise, so named because they were originally developed for use by big-game hunters for elephants and other large dangerous game. They used black powder at first but then started using smokeless powder...
. While Jacob's wound is being treated, Gustave attacks the group. Jacob recalls the story of how his wife, Ona, was killed by Gustave, and that he swore revenge. Jacob produces a grenade, and detonates it as Gustave attacks him in an attempt to kill him, but fails. A helicopter arrives to airlift the survivors, but Little Gustave's men attempt to blow it up to stop them from obtaining the video of the execution. Matt is struck by a car and shot to death by Little Gustave's men, and the group gets separated. When Gustave chases Steven, Maria and Tim go to look for him, but Aviva has to stay with the injured Jojo. They only finds Steven's camera. Harry arrives in a Range Rover, but Tim realises that he is Little Gustave and wants the video evidence. Tim attempts to trick Harry by giving him the GPS
Global Positioning System
The Global Positioning System is a space-based global navigation satellite system that provides location and time information in all weather, anywhere on or near the Earth, where there is an unobstructed line of sight to four or more GPS satellites...
locater for the dart that tracks Gustave, saying it tracks a suitcase that contains the video. Harry declines and forces Tim to find the "suitcase". While searching, Tim finds Steven's mutilated body, and kills the guard that was sent with him. Maria splatters crocodile pheromones over Harry, and Gustave comes and devours the warlord. Tim, Jojo, Maria and Aviva climb into the Range Rover followed by Gustave, but they manage to escape home. The ending states that with the death of Little Gustave, the civil war ended for good, but Gustave is seen still very much alive and killing people.
Cast
- Dominic Purcell as Tim Manfrey
- Brooke LangtonBrooke LangtonBrooke Langton is an American actress. She is best known for the role of Samantha Reilly on the original Melrose Place.-Personal life:...
as Aviva Masters - Orlando JonesOrlando JonesOrlando Jones is an American comedian and film and television actor. He is notable for being one of the original cast members of the sketch comedy series MADtv and for his role as the 7 Up spokesman from 1999-2002.-Early life:...
as Steven Johnson - Jürgen ProchnowJürgen ProchnowJürgen Prochnow is a German actor. His most well-known roles internationally have been as the sympathetic submarine captain in Das Boot , Duke Leto Atreides I in Dune , the minor, but important role of Neo-Stalinist dictator General Ivan Radek in Air Force One and the villain Maxwell Dent in...
as Jacob Krieg - Gideon EmeryGideon EmeryGideon Emery is an English actor and voice actor, known for his stage work in South Africa and for providing voices in video games. He lives in Los Angeles.-Early life:...
as Mathew Collins - Ecstasia SandersEcstasia SandersEcstasia Sanders is a Canadian film and television actress.- Filmography :-External links:* on Facebook...
as Maria Wilson - Gabriel Malema as Jojo
- Linda Mpondo as Gold Tooth
Promotion
The film's promotional trailer dubs Gustave a "serial killerSerial killer
A serial killer, as typically defined, is an individual who has murdered three or more people over a period of more than a month, with down time between the murders, and whose motivation for killing is usually based on psychological gratification...
", who has claimed more than 300 victims and "remains at large". It is compared to Jack the Ripper
Jack the Ripper
"Jack the Ripper" is the best-known name given to an unidentified serial killer who was active in the largely impoverished areas in and around the Whitechapel district of London in 1888. The name originated in a letter, written by someone claiming to be the murderer, that was disseminated in the...
and the Zodiac Killer
Zodiac Killer
The Zodiac Killer was a serial killer who operated in Northern California in the late 1960s and early 1970s. The killer's identity remains unknown. The Zodiac murdered victims in Benicia, Vallejo, Lake Berryessa and San Francisco between December 1968 and October 1969. Four men and three women...
with his non-human status never mentioned except for a brief line where the narrator says, "He's real, but he's not human." A shortened version of this trailer does not contain this at all. However, in the trailer, a crocodile, presumably Gustave, briefly flashes on screen. The promotional poster similarly calls Gustave "the most prolific serial killer in history". The film's official website rarely makes any mention that the killer is in fact a crocodile. Although the story is about a real crocodile, its similar reputation for causing 300 deaths is likely exaggerated.
Production
Filming commenced in April 2006 in South AfricaSouth Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
.
Another crocodile horror film, Rogue
Rogue (film)
War is a 2007 American action thriller film, directed by Phillip G. Atwell who makes his film debut, with fight choreography by Corey Yuen. The film was released in North America on August 24, 2007 and stars action film actors Jet Li and Jason Statham, making their second collaboration after the...
, had to be pushed back until Fall 2007 because of the film's similarities with Primeval.
See also
- AnthropophagyAnthropophagyAnthropophagy is the eating of human flesh. It may refer to:*Cannibalism, the eating of human flesh by another human**Self-cannibalism, the eating of one's own flesh*Man-eating, the eating of human flesh by man-eaters...
- Gustave (crocodile)Gustave (crocodile)Gustave is a large male Nile crocodile living in Burundi. In 2004 he was estimated to be 60 years old, in length and to weigh around 1 ton, making him the largest confirmed crocodile ever seen in Africa. He is a notorious man-eater, who is rumoured to have claimed as many as 300 humans from the...
- List of killer crocodile films
- Man-eaterMan-eaterMan-eater is a colloquial term for an animal that preys upon humans. This does not include scavenging. Although human beings can be attacked by many kinds of animals, man-eaters are those that have incorporated human flesh into their usual diet...