Out of all of the diabolical Sci-Fi channel TV movies I've had the misfortune to sit through, MANEATER emerges as the best so far. It's not a brilliant film by any means, but it is fitfully entertaining and well paced, made with a level of skill and intelligence usually missing from such productions. Cast your mind back to the abominable BLOOD MONKEY, for instance. MANEATER works because it's straightforward: a tiger is menacing a small community and the sheriff has to do something about it. Along the way, soldiers are killed, victims are stalked, and a big game hunter shows up to tackle the menace, and it's all fairly engaging. There's no rubbishy CGI here, just a real tiger going about and eating people. Simplicity works, big time.
Anyway, the script throws up no real surprises, but there are some meaty gore effects involving severed body parts and a few mildly suspenseful stalking sequences. A whole sub-plot involving a wayward kid with some kind of telepathic link to the beast is a bore, though, and should have been excised in favour of more big cat thrills. Still, the low budget is handled adroitly, and director Gary Yates deserves kudos for at least making his film look good. Cast-wise, we get the usual level of performances, excepting two leads: Ian D. Clark, having a ball as an OTT game hunter, and Gary Busey as the sheriff hero. Busey is exceptional, in this, a modern day Klaus Kinski, a guy the camera can't shy away from. Stuck in an ill-fitting suit for the entire film and gnashing away at his weird lines, he's worth a star in his own right and adds plenty to the entertainment value. Go, Gary!
Anyway, the script throws up no real surprises, but there are some meaty gore effects involving severed body parts and a few mildly suspenseful stalking sequences. A whole sub-plot involving a wayward kid with some kind of telepathic link to the beast is a bore, though, and should have been excised in favour of more big cat thrills. Still, the low budget is handled adroitly, and director Gary Yates deserves kudos for at least making his film look good. Cast-wise, we get the usual level of performances, excepting two leads: Ian D. Clark, having a ball as an OTT game hunter, and Gary Busey as the sheriff hero. Busey is exceptional, in this, a modern day Klaus Kinski, a guy the camera can't shy away from. Stuck in an ill-fitting suit for the entire film and gnashing away at his weird lines, he's worth a star in his own right and adds plenty to the entertainment value. Go, Gary!