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The film
Pete
Pete McKell
Played By: Michael Vartan
- Action Survivor: Pete finds himself forced to become this when everything goes to the dogs. Or the crocs.
- Deadpan Snarker: He has a quietly sardonic sense of humour.Neil: What the fuck you gawkin' at, four eyes?Pete: I don't know. I got the brochure, but it didn't say anything about assholes.
- Fingore: His battle with the crocodile leaves him absent two fingers.
- Fish out of Water: Pete is a travel writer who's used to nice hotels and fancy restaurants. He's more than a little uneasy and awkward in the Australian outback."You know what I do? I write stupid articles about hotels, restaurants, and resorts. Not about the Australian Outback."
- Took a Level in Badass: Initially a slightly irritable white collar guy, Pete gradually gains enough bravery and cunning to go toe-to-claw with the crocodile.
Kate
Kate Ryan
Played By: Radha Mitchell
- Deadpan Snarker: In a playful manner, prior to the attack.
- Not Quite Dead: Although she's taken by the crocodile, Pete later finds her in it's lair; badly injured, but alive.
Neil
Neil
Played By: Sam Worthington
- Gory Discretion Shot: At first played straight, but later subverted. When he's killed, all that's seen is a quick snap of jaws and a splatter of blood on the flashlight. Later, however, Pete sees his ripped-apart body in the crocodile's lair.
- Half the Man He Used to Be: The crocodile devours most of him, but not all.
- Jerk with a Heart of Gold: Neil is an asshole; he's loud, obnoxious, harasses his ex-girlfriend and likes to pick fights. But when things get serious, he drops the Jerk Jock demeanour, showing himself to be competent and brave.
- Oh, Crap!: While attempting to signal across the water, he hears the crocodile growl nearby. He only has a brief moment to register his exasperated fear before he's killed.
- Those Two Guys: With Collin.
Simon
Simon
Played By: Stephen Curry
- Camera Fiend: Simon has multiple cameras he's quite proud to show off, one of which has night vision capabilities and helps the group keep an eye out for the crocodile.
- I Need a Freaking Drink: Simon fetches Neil and Collin's six-pack from the water and quickly gulps down a beer.
- Nice Guy: Helpful, impressed by the trip early on, and better at keeping his calm and temper than a lot of the others are once they come under attack.
- Take a Third Option: Just as it looks like Kate will have to sacrifice her dog Kevin, Simon remembers the ducks Collin and Neil hunted will do.
Gwen
Gwen
Played By: Celia Ireland
Russell
Russell
Played By: John Jarratt
- Fire-Forged Friends: With the rest of the passengers.
- Hair-Trigger Temper Lashes out several times at perceived irrational behavior.
- Hidden Depths: He's a massive jerk in most respects, but plenty of depth is hinted at. He's on the boat tour to spread the ashes of a loved one, likely his wife, considering the tender way he behaves toward the terminally ill Elizabeth.
- Jerk with a Heart of Gold: Russell is short-tempered, irritable, grumpy and selfish. His softer side is gradually uncovered, particularly when he insists on helping Elizabeth.
- Took a Level in Kindness: Russell is initially the most antagonistic of the group, but softens over the course of the film.
Elizabeth
Allen
Allen
Played By: Geoff Morrell
- Nice Job Breaking It, Hero: His desperation and impatience ultimately destroys a real chance of escape for him and his family. He's slightly more sympathetic than most cases, since he isn't concerned for his own safety but for his wife and daughter.
Sherry
Sherry
Played By: Mia Wasikowska
Mary Ellen
Mary Ellen
Played By: Caroline Brazier
- Broken Bird: Everett's death renders her into a state of shock and constant terror.
- Happily Married: To Everett.
- Heroic BSoD: While climbing across the water, the reality of the situation hits her and she freezes.
- Nice Job Breaking It, Hero: She freezes in terror while climbing the rope across the water, leading to the plan breaking down and ultimately failing.
Everett
Everett Kennedy
Played By: Robert Taylor
- Happily Married: To Mary Ellen.
- Nice Guy: He's just a considerate, polite, genial man. It's perhaps best-seen when he stands up to Neil in defence of Kate. She's not wrong when she later describes him as a 'top bloke'.
- Nice Job Breaking It, Hero: A sympathetic version. He sees the distress flare that ultimately leads the boat into the crocodile's territory, but there was no way he could have possibly foreseen something so terrible would happen. He was just being responsible.
Collin
Collin
Played By: Damien Richardson
- Jerkass: Like Neil, but in a slightly lesser way. He might be a boorish asshole, but he isn't really malicious and seems mildly amused by the tourists when they meet.
- Those Two Guys: With Neil.
The Crocodile
The Crocodile
A massive saltwater crocodile that destroys the tour group's boat after they stray into its territory.
- Attack Its Weak Point: Like all crocodiles, it's covered in thick scales but during the climax Pete gouges out one of its eyes and finally kills it by tricking it into impaling itself on the jagged end of broken log through the vulnerable roof of its mouth.
- Badass Normal: It's not an alien monster or a supernatural creature, instead it's just a very large example of a real-life predatory animal. This somehow makes it more terrifying.
- It Can Think: Averted - the croc shares the basic instinctual intelligence as the rest of its species. The heroes take advantage of this to lure it away from one side of the island and give themselves a chance to escape. It works until the croc finishes eating the water birds used as bait, leading to an Oh, Crap! moment from Pete when he realizes the creature is now loose.
- Lightning Bruiser: Just as in real life, the crocodile can move at terrifying speed while in the water
- Super-Persistent Predator: Natch. It's highly aggressive and attacks boat that enters its section of waterway. It's big enough to crack the hull the large tour boat and completely flip Neil and Collin's tinny out of the water.