The Crazies (2010) ***1/2

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In 1973 George Romero released The Crazies upon the world, a maniacal tale not of crazed citizenry but a look at the tyranny of a big brother that is covering its screw up by any means necessary. Jump to almost forty years later and The Crazies takes a more cynical turn after the lies and bullshit that the government has piled upon us like kindling.


The film is about the small town of Ogden Marsh. The two past times in this town are going to see high school sports and talking about high school sports. It's at one of these sporting events that a local is gunned down by Sheriff Dutten (Timothy Olyphant) after walking into center field with a shotgun and a willingness to kill. The next day a farmer seen as ill by Dutten's wife Judy (Radha Mitchell) winds up burning his family alive in their home. Then the men in the suits arrive and all hell breaks loose. It becomes a matter of survival for the Sheriff and his wife.


There are two antagonists in The Crazies. The first is obviously the infected townspeople, obsessed like zombies only their main goal is to kill not to eat. Simple slaughter. They are lurking in the dark and behind doors and around corners like every good movie monster. They are the primitive enemy. The modern enemy are the men in the suits, a fearful government that doesn't care about the town, only containing an embarrassing blunder. Someone will have their ass handed to them over this one. This lurking beast is wired to the brink with helicopters, satellites, snipers, and all the little goodies paid for by these same tax payers that are now being led to their deaths.


Typically, this film isn't as good as Romero's original, but it reminds us of Zack Snyder's Dawn of the Dead six years earlier. The premise is the same, tweaked for a new generation. It's not particularly scary, but it does deliver thrills that are lacking in today's horror genre. In an era of remakes The Crazies stands out as a superior film that doesn't underestimate its audience by giving you what you expect (I'm looking at you Nightmare on Elm Street). It's a thrill ride in the heartland.