Alligator

You know the urban myth about the baby alligator flushed down the toilet that turned into a giant man-killer prowling the sewers? That pretty much sums up the timeless appeal of Lewis Teague's 1980 Alligator, one of the best B-movie Jaws knock-offs that emerged in the wake of Steven Spielberg's shark-attack blockbuster. Made for an estimated $1.5 million, the flick boasts a terrific tongue-in-cheek screenplay by then-little-known writer/director John Sayles (who also wrote Piranha) that follows all the rules of creature-features while injecting some of the class-oriented political commentary that would characterize much of Sayles' later work. Teague was also at the start of his own promising career (after seeing Alligator, Stephen King recommended him to direct Cujo), and he matches Sayles scene-for-scene with a perfect blend of low-key comedy and low-budget mayhem, beginning with—as you might have guessed—a baby alligator flushed into the sewer system of a large city. Robert Forster brings just the right gravity to his lead role as a cop with a past who tracks the man-eating reptile (super-sized by a diet of toxically polluted animal carcasses) together with a lovely herpetologist (Robin Riker). Alligator is a film buff's delight, with numerous in-jokes, sight gags, and a supporting cast of veteran players that include actor/playwright Michael Gazzo (Frank Pentangeli from The Godfather, Part II), actor/comedian Jack Carter (whose fate is hilariously grisly), Oscar-winner Dean Jagger in one of his final roles, timeless villain Henry Silva spoofing himself as a gator-hunter who's about to become gator-food, and vintage Hollywood thug Mike Mazurki in a walk-on cameo. And while the movie's brief gore and bloodletting is tame by present-day standards of "torture porn" horror, Alligator is miles ahead of those films in terms of overall wit, intelligence, and B-movie vitality. DVD extras include an audio commentary by Teague and Forster, and a video interview with Sayles. Recommended. (J. Shannon)