35 Years On: The Darker Side of Crocodile Dundee

Australia’s most successful movie of all time not only broke records and placed our industry on the global map, it became a cultural icon synonymous, for many, with what it means to be Australian. One can, therefore, only hope that we have since shedded that reputation, being that 35 years later, the film is nothing but an offensive embarrassment.

Don’t feel bad. Like almost everyone in the Western world, I enjoyed it back in 1986 too. As a mere nine-year-old, I indulged in multiple viewings with my family. That line about the knife had us in stitches, and the notion of an outback Aussie, fish out of water hero in the big smoke of New York City seemed charming and irresistible.

You can imagine my horror, therefore, when revisiting it recently for the first time since, only to discover it is not just unfunny, cringeworthy and lacking a decent narrative, but also wildly offensive on practically every front.

I know what you’re thinking. Another pusher of cancel-culture who is outraged by everything. I assure you, I’m not usually one to offend easily, but after the onslaught of racism, sexism, homophobia and transphobia in, not only the first film, but it’s tedious sequel (yes I subjected myself to both), offence seemed the only option.

At one point, Mick Dundee, played by co-writer Paul Hogan, compares the issue of Indigenous land rights to “fleas” debating “who owns the dog”. He later sexually assaults a transwoman in public after his friend tells him “It’s a guy” and the word “faggot” is thrown around amidst laughter, mocking and a crowd who cheer the assault on.

Latent sexism also runs rampant such as Dundee’s expectation that he can leave his other half to go “walkabout” for a couple of years and expect her to be waiting for him with dinner on the table if and when he decides to return. He even goes on to sexually assault a cis-gendered woman in the same overt way as his previous attack, in some kind of effort to ensure she is not also trans.

In the sequel, the apparent titular hero is trying to talk a suicidal man down from a ledge and ends up hugging him, yet promptly lets go in disgust when the man mentions his same-sex lover, inferring Dundee wants no part of saving a homosexual and is seemingly no longer phased if the man does kill himself.

It’s hard to believe there was ever a time this was considered acceptable, let alone funny. Yet, the likes of streaming giant Stan added the film and its first sequel to their library, despite a slew of popular titles being culled from streaming services for their insensitive and discriminatory content.

Moreover, Hogan even quite recently described the Dundee franchise as having “stood the test of time” when it surfaced that a reboot was on the cards. Sure, maybe if his clock is ticking in reverse, but I guess when your bigotry is validated to the tune of over 300 million dollars, it’s gonna take some hefty reflection to see otherwise.

Still, I’d like to think that most Australians have evolved in the 30 plus years since the 80s (along with our reputation) and subsequently no longer see the funny side in belittling every minority group in plain sight. Whether or not Hogan and his filmmaking cohort has evolved, however, is another matter entirely.