There’s nothing scarier than a small town being the center of a viral outbreak. It’s a classic storyline for many well-loved movies in the zombie and horror genre. The main characters fight and struggle to survive while watching the people around them turn into monsters. One such film is 2010’s The Crazies, a science fiction horror remake of the 1973 film of the same name, starring Timothy Olyphant as Sheriff David Dutton in the leading role. The Crazies wasn’t the biggest commercial success, having made back its budget and a little more. It also wasn’t a favorite among critics, especially when compared to the original, but one thing is for certain: Olyphant shines through the subpar material, making a small-town sheriff feel grounded and providing the audience with a humane hero to guide us through the chaos.
‘The Crazies’ Is a Remake of a George R. Romero Zombie Movie
In the quiet farming community of Ogden Marsh, Iowa, life takes a dark turn when ordinary residents begin to act in increasingly violent and unsettling ways. It all begins when one of the locals interrupts a baseball game armed with a shotgun. Sheriff David Dutton (Olyphant) is forced to kill the resident to protect the townspeople. Dutton’s wife Judy (Radha Mitchell), the local doctor, also notices the same odd, speechless, and lifeless behavior in another local. That night, the local burns his farmhouse with his son and wife inside. What starts as isolated incidents quickly spirals into widespread chaos and infection, leaving the town shaken and unsure of what’s happening. As fear escalates, Sheriff Dutton and his wife struggle to protect themselves and their neighbors while sudden military intervention raises more questions than answers. The townspeople are stuck between the infected and quarantine, realizing survival may not be possible.
Timothy Olyphant Leads ‘The Crazies’ as a Well-Realized Character
There are plenty of leading characters who have been at the center of a zombie/infected horror movie. While Olyphant may not be at the top of the list as one of the greats, his acting chops in The Crazies deserve praise for playing a layered character who exhibits characteristics any person would battle with during a crisis. Olyphant grounds the movie with a performance that feels both authentic and commanding. As Sheriff Dutton, he isn’t just a stock horror protagonist running from danger. He’s a conflicted everyman caught between his duty to protect the town and his personal need to safeguard his family and neighbors. Olyphant plays Dutton with an intensity that feels natural, balancing the grit of a lawman with the vulnerability of someone watching his community unravel before his eyes.
Dutton feels an obligation to maintain order and help his community, even when the situation spirals beyond his control. At the same time, his loyalty to his wife and unborn child forces him to make impossible choices, torn between the greater good and the people he loves most. There’s nothing more intense than realizing that to survive, you have to kill people who were once your neighbors or friends. But his motivation to kill those closest to him and oftentimes put himself in danger is for the sole reason of protecting his family, and it becomes the crux of what drives the storyline all the way through. It pushes you to keep watching in the hope that Dutton and his pregnant wife make it to the end.
This dual responsibility shapes his every decision, allowing Olyphant to bring nuance to his performance. He isn’t just fighting for survival; he’s wrestling with the moral and emotional cost of leadership in a world collapsing around him. Even amid the chaos, Olyphant conveys subtle moments of compassion, fear, and determination, ensuring his character never gets lost in the spectacle of violence and paranoia. He reacts to the unfolding terror with a measured blend of levelheadedness and moral clarity, making the audience invested in his character’s choices. His dry humor and quiet determination give the role a dimension often missing in horror leads, turning what could have been a straightforward “survivor” into a layered, relatable figure.
Timothy Olyphant Anchors ‘The Crazies’ Amid Its Poor Storyline
The Crazies wasn’t an immediate hit due to a few factors at the time of its release, despite its decent Rotten Tomatoes score of 72%. A remake of genre legend George R. Romero’s 1973 film, critics and audiences felt it didn’t bring much new to the table. Many horror fans had already seen the “town gone mad by infection” setup before, which made the storyline predictable to many. The pacing is uneven, and most of the supporting characters are forgettable and underwritten. Not to mention, by the time The Crazies was released, the genre was crowded with movies like 28 Days Later, Resident Evil, I Am Legend, and more. The Crazies simply didn’t have a distinct hook to separate it from other horror releases at the time. Without a strong marketing push or a standout concept, it slipped under the radar compared to bigger horror franchises.
The material of the film struggles to match Olyphant’s performance, with many critics agreeing that Olyphant anchored the movie with a performance that felt authentic and emotionally charged. He balances terror and thoughtfulness, allowing his character to navigate the outbreak with both grit and humanity. There’s also plenty of applause for how Olyphant doesn’t shy away from the action and the more physical demands of the role. From tense confrontations with the infected to frantic chases and violent encounters, he tackles the movie’s high-stakes sequences with grueling commitment. It’s in line with the type of characters he’s known for, like in Deadwood and Justified; figures of authority who have to make difficult decisions under tension.
Timothy Olyphant embraces the scares The Crazies needs to make it watchable and keeps his character relatable, helping audiences invest emotionally even as the town descends into chaos. His performance is proof of how a skilled actor can elevate material that might otherwise be forgettable.
The Crazies
- Release Date
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February 23, 2010
- Runtime
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101 minutes
