Down Under Delight

"Crocodile" Dundee

Directed by Peter Faiman

At USA Cheri

THERE'S ONLY ONE feasible explanation why "Crocodile" Dundee earned $8 million last weekend to become the nation's hottest film. Its name is Paul Hogan. Who, you ask, is Paul Hogan? He's that guy who volunteers to "slip another shrimp on the barbi for 'ya" in those wildly successful ads for the Australian board of tourism. He is also the creator, co-writer and star of "Crocodile" Dundee, and, without a doubt, its greatest asset.

The plot of "Crocodile" Dundee is hardly more than an updated version of The Country Mouse and the City Mouse mixed in with the comic heroism of Raiders of the Lost Ark and the exotic landscape photography of The Gods Must be Crazy. Mick "Crocodile" Dundee (Hogan) is an Australian adventurer who agrees to an interview with Susan, a visiting reporter from New York (newcomer Linda Kozlowski).

They slog through the outback for a few days, where she learns how to hypnotize animals, twist the heads off snakes and avoid those terrifying crocodiles lurking in every innocent-looking lake. The film is dotted with humorous scenes, including a laugh-out-loud encounter with a modern aborigine.

The first half of the film focuses on the relationship between Mick and Susan, which becomes predictably romantic as he snatches her out of the jaws of--you guessed it--a giant crocodile. She is intrigued by his indifference to the problems of the world, and, after two days, she has acquired an appreciation for the basic, natural life of the outback, as well as an unlikely boyfriend.

CROCODILE DUNDEE takes a comic turn as the film leaves Australia for the wilds of New York, where Susan has brought Mick for a visit. She shows him the best the city has to offer: cabbies, muggings, pimps and pretentious Italian restaurants, and he approaches every new experince with optimism, humor and clever tricks from the outback.

Having never seen an escalator, you can imagine what he thinks of the bidet in his hotel room. Of course, Susan is forced to choose between her proper editor/boyfriend and the rugged Crocodile of her dreams, but Hogan, an appealing actor of sardonic understatement, gives this old hat plot new life. He plays Mick with a warmth and naivete which make all of his gaffes fun to watch, and his encounter with two prostitutes is a comic stand-out. "Crocodile Dundee" surely will not be remembered as one of history's finest films, but, thanks to Paul Hogan, it proves to be a fair enough way to say "g'day."