Year: 1984
Runtime: 95 mins
Language: English
Director: Russell Mulcahy
A terrifying presence lurks beyond the road, sensing every heartbeat of those who venture too close. In the harsh Australian outback a massive, aggressive wild boar launches a relentless killing spree, leaving devastation and mounting fear as a small, isolated community fights to survive the savage onslaught.
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Read the complete plot breakdown of Razorback (1984), including all key story events, major twists, and the ending explained in detail. Discover what really happened—and what it all means.
Jake Cullen, Bill Kerr, is babysitting his grandson in the Australian outback when a massive razorback boar rips through his house and abducts the child to devour him. He is accused of murder, but the lack of evidence leads to his acquittal. The event destroys his life, and he vows revenge on the boar.
Two years later, Beth Winters, Judy Morris, an American wildlife reporter, is in the outback filming the fate of native wildlife as it’s processed into pet food at a rundown factory. She captures video of Benny Baker, Chris Haywood, and his brother Dicko, David Argue, illegally turning the animals into product, and the criminals chase her in their car. They force her off the road and attempt to rape her, only to be confronted by the same boar that killed Jake’s grandson. Beth tries to hide in her car, but the boar rips off the door, drags her out, and eats her. With no witnesses, people assume she fell down an abandoned mine shaft after wrecking her car, and her disappearance is ruled an accident.
Some time later, Beth’s husband Carl Winters, Gregory Harrison, travels to Australia in search of her and encounters Jake, whom Beth interviewed during her initial report. Jake points him to the local cannery, where he meets Benny and Dicko. He pretends to be a Canadian visitor and convinces them to take him on their next kangaroo hunt. When Carl spoils a potential kill, the two abandon him. Carl is then attacked by a herd of wild pigs, spurred on by the giant boar, which chase him through the night and force him to take shelter atop a windmill. The next morning, the pigs knock over the windmill, but Carl is saved by landing in a pond, which the pigs fear entering.
Once the pigs leave, Carl attempts to make his way back to civilization, all the while suffering from dehydration-induced hallucinations. Finally, he reaches the house of Sarah Cameron, a friend of Jake who has been studying the local pig population and the only person who believes his story of the giant razorback, Arkie Whiteley. While recovering, Carl learns that something has been stressing the wild pigs, driving them to increased aggression and even cannibalising their own young.
Meanwhile, after learning that Carl had seen the razorback, Jake sets out for the pumping station and shoots the razorback with one of Sarah’s tracking darts. He also finds Beth’s wedding ring in the boar’s faeces, which he returns to a grieving Carl.
Benny and Dicko overhear a radio conversation suggesting that Jake knows what really happened to Beth. Fearful that Jake is implicating them, Benny and Dicko attack him at his camp, breaking his legs with bolt-cutters and leaving him to be killed by the razorback. His remains are later found by Sarah and Carl, along with marks in the dirt made by Dicko’s cleaver. Realising that the brothers were responsible for both Beth and Jake’s deaths, Carl attacks Benny at the brothers’ lair, interrogating him by dangling him over a mine shaft before dropping him into it. As Sarah gathers a group to hunt down the razorback, Carl corners Dicko at the cannery when the razorback suddenly appears and mauls Dicko to death. The razorback then chases Carl into the factory until Sarah arrives and is seemingly killed by the boar.
The razorback continues to pursue Carl and damages the cannery’s power plant, setting the production line in motion. Carl lures the boar onto a conveyor belt that throws it into a giant meat grinder. After shutting down the machinery, Carl finds and rescues Sarah, who had merely been knocked unconscious, and the two embrace. The outback hushes around them as the danger finally ebbs, leaving a grim but hopeful note that survival and reunion can outlast madness and murder.
Last Updated: October 09, 2025 at 14:41
Discover curated groups of movies connected by mood, themes, and story style. Browse collections built around emotion, atmosphere, and narrative focus to easily find films that match what you feel like watching right now.
Stories of people pushed to the brink by nature's unforgiving and violent forces.If you liked Razorback's setting in the harsh Australian outback, explore more movies like it where the wilderness is the antagonist. These similar films feature survival against monstrous creatures, brutal landscapes, and the desperate fight for life in isolated, unforgiving environments.
Stories in this thread typically follow individuals or groups confronted by a lethal threat in a remote natural setting. The plot is a linear struggle for survival, often triggered by a personal loss or a need for vengeance. The narrative momentum is driven by relentless pursuit, strategic evasion, and a final, grueling confrontation with the source of the terror.
Movies are grouped here because they share a core premise: humanity's vulnerability against the savagery of the untamed wild. They create a cohesive experience through their oppressive atmosphere, the physical and psychological toll on characters, and the theme of nature as an amoral, destructive force.
Driven by profound personal loss, characters embark on a brutal and obsessive path for justice.For viewers who appreciated Razorback's theme of a husband seeking revenge for his wife's death, this list features similar movies with a strong revenge plot fueled by grief. Discover other stories where personal loss ignites a perilous and emotionally heavy quest for justice against overwhelming odds.
The narrative pattern begins with a foundational trauma that shatters the protagonist's world. The rest of the story is a linear, straightforward journey as they track down the responsible party, facing numerous obstacles and moral compromises. The climax is a violent confrontation, and the resolution is often bittersweet, as the victory is hollowed by the initial, irreplaceable loss.
These movies are connected by the powerful emotional engine of grief transforming into vengeance. They share a dark tone, a heavy emotional weight, and a protagonist whose motivation is deeply personal, making their struggle intensely relatable and the stakes feel unbearably high.
Don't stop at just watching — explore Razorback in full detail. From the complete plot summary and scene-by-scene timeline to character breakdowns, thematic analysis, and a deep dive into the ending — every page helps you truly understand what Razorback is all about. Plus, discover what's next after the movie.
Track the full timeline of Razorback with every major event arranged chronologically. Perfect for decoding non-linear storytelling, flashbacks, or parallel narratives with a clear scene-by-scene breakdown.
Discover the characters, locations, and core themes that shape Razorback. Get insights into symbolic elements, setting significance, and deeper narrative meaning — ideal for thematic analysis and movie breakdowns.
Get a quick, spoiler-free overview of Razorback that covers the main plot points and key details without revealing any major twists or spoilers. Perfect for those who want to know what to expect before diving in.
Visit What's After the Movie to explore more about Razorback: box office results, cast and crew info, production details, post-credit scenes, and external links — all in one place for movie fans and researchers.
Discover movies like Razorback that share similar genres, themes, and storytelling elements. Whether you’re drawn to the atmosphere, character arcs, or plot structure, these curated recommendations will help you explore more films you’ll love.
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