Film Review: Last Cab to Darwin

‪ 

Last Cab to Darwin. Rated M (coarse language and mature themes). 124 minutes. Directed by Jeremy Sims. Screenplay by Reg Cribb and Jeremy Sims.

The collision between cultures and mortality is at the heart of this extraordinary film that features a career-defining performance from Michael Caton, and a fearless, break-through performance from Mark Coles Smith.

Last Cab boasts a cinematic luxury of riches, from Sims’ focussed and insightful direction of a near-flawless screenplay (adapted from Cribb’s play that was based on the true story of Max Bell) to Steve Arnold’s gorgeous cinematography, of which the Outback is the undeniable star.

Rex (Caton) is a taxi driver who has never left Broken Hill. When told he has only months to live, he decides to drive to Darwin where Dr Farmer (Jacki Weaver) is promoting the virtues of voluntary euthanasia, which was legal in the Northern Territory from 1995 until the law was overturned by the Commonwealth Government in 1997.

Leaving behind his mates, his dog, and the love of his life, Polly (a terrific Ningali Lawford-Wolf), Rex begins the long drive north, picking up drifter Tilly (Coles Smith) along the way. As Rex’s health suddenly deteriorates, a backpacking English nurse Julie (Emma Hamilton) joins them to ensure Rex realises his dream of a dignified death.

Of the many complex relationships explored, it is the unexpected one between the defeated, childless and single Rex and the irascible Tilly that is absolutely compelling. Tilly has an abundance of energy and self-destructive attitude, while the ailing Rex is more selective with what he says and why. The scenes they share in ‘the long grass’ are among the film’s finest, matched only by Tilly’s unforgettable charge along an airport runway when, for the first time in the cinema this year, I held my breath.

This review was commissioned by the West Australian Newspaper Group.

Film Review: Silver Linings Playbook

Silver Linings Playbook. Rated M (mature themes, coarse language, sexual references and violence). 122 minutes. Written and directed by David O Russell. Based on the novel by Matthew Quick.

Verdict: One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest meets Strictly Ballroom.

Hot on the heels of Flight’s compelling study of alcohol and drug dependency comes an equally difficult, but less successful, study of living with mental health issues. Russell’s respectful screenplay is, admirably, completely lacking in sensationalism. It is more concerned with how extraordinary circumstances can impact on the lives of ordinary people. But even ordinary people can rise to previously unscaleable heights to take on the challenges – perilously high stakes that are not in play in Silver Linings Playbook.

Film Review: The Five-Year Engagement

The Five-Year Engagement. Rated MA15+ (strong sexual references and coarse language). 124 minutes. Directed by Nicholas Stoller. Written by Nicholas Stoller and Jason Segel.

Verdict: A long, verbose and laboured one-note rom-com that takes itself far too seriously.

This long, verbose and laboured one-note rom-com boasts some excellent comedy pedigree behind the scenes. Producer Judd Apatow is responsible for Bridesmaids (2011), Get Him to the Greek (2010) and Forgetting Sarah Marshall (2008) to name just three. Mr Stoller directed Get Him to the Greek and Forgetting Sarah Marshall and wrote the screenplays for The Muppets (2011) and the regrettable Gulliver's Travels (2010). Surprisingly, given the team’s track-record, the extent to which this tired old affair appeals will depend entirely on how much of fan you are of the leads Jason Segel (The Muppets, Bad Teacher) and Emily Blunt (Gulliver's Travels, The Wolfman, Wild Target).

When chef Tom (Segel) and psychology PhD graduate Violet (Blunt) first meet, they both realise that they are destined to be together forever. A year later, blissfully engaged and working hard to realise their personal goals, Violet is given the opportunity to move to Michigan to further her studies and Tom reluctantly goes with her – leaving his job in a prestigious restaurant behind. As Violet’s career blossoms, Tom becomes more and more disillusioned with his new life and the impact on their relationship becomes increasingly difficult to manage.

The sense that The Five-Year Engagement is trying to be more quirky and meaningful (1994’s Four Weddings and a Funeral springs to mind) than hilarious and engaging is evident in the sombre pacing, and the fact that when the laughs eventually come, they are long overdue and barely worth the wait. The MA15+ rating is courtesy of some filthy language and some artless attempts to make the supporting characters risqué and contemporary that only succeeds in creating squirm-inducing discomfort.

Chris Pratt (Moneyball) has his moments as Tom’s nemesis and colleague Alex, while Oscar nominated Jacki Weaver (Animal Kingdom) in her first Hollywood outing since that acclaimed performance is punching well below her weight as Violet’s mother Sylvia. But if the film belongs to anyone, it’s Alison Brie’s Suzie – whose brief speech at the early engagement party sequence is the only sign of true comedic flair we get.

Film Review: Animal Kingdom

Animal Kingdom. 113 minutes. MA15+. Written and Directed by David Michôd.

When David Michôd’s debut feature Animal Kingdom was catapulted into the international spotlight by winning one of the Sundance Film Festival’s prestigious Grand Jury Prizes, the anticipation accompanying its release in Australia became intense. Here was an Australian film from an unknown writer and director that had taken the film world entirely by surprise. Absent were the big name drawcards, the massive production and marketing budgets, and the almost pre-requisite tourism tie-ins.

Michôd’s near-perfect film is an astonishingly accomplished debut – nurtured by, one suspects, devoted and complete attention to every creative detail by Producer Liz Watts (Little Fish). Brave producers are rare beasts, and they can make or break a film’s chances of escaping anonymity. The intensive script development process to which Michôd’s script has been subjected, has paid rich dividends. It’s the most engrossing piece of writing for the camera in recent memory – and the creative team, including Art Director Janie Parker (Somersault, Little Fish) and Production Designer Josephine Ford (My Brother Jack) have responded to its lean, purely cinematic muscle with absolute relish and conviction.

The allegorical ‘animals’ of the title are the Cody family, led with chilling efficiency by matriarch Janine (Jacki Weaver, in a career-defining performance). When her daughter dies from a drug overdose leaving her teenage son Joshua (James Frecheville, pictured) orpahaned, Janine takes responsibility for the boy’s future. What he will learn – and quickly – about life as the youngest member of a criminal family, results in a story of extreme levels of constant and increasingly unbearable anxiety and fear.

Everything about Michôd’s direction and cinematographer Adam Arkapaw’s photography is measured, considered and necessary, while editor Luke Doolan ensures the deceptively languorous pace – reminiscent of a recurring nightmare – renders the story both relentlessly and utterly compelling. Antony Partos’s score and Sam Petty’s sound design combine perfectly to create a soundscape of such soul-tearing complicity with the material that, at times, it was just impossible to hold back the tears.

The entire cast are outstanding and never put a foot wrong – with Ben Mendelsohn, Luke Ford, Guy Pearce, Joel Edgerton and Sullivan Stapleton all delivering career-best performances. But Frecheville – whose stunning turn as the cub of the pride – is a revelation. His scene, alone, in a suburban bathroom will break your heart.

Stripped of all the crime genre’s recently attendant glamour and neon, Animal Kingdom owes more to The Godfather than it does to Underbelly – but if you aspired to live the life that this family lives, regardless of what trimmings and advantages you might think came with the territory, you’d have to be seriously fooling yourself. This is an unmissable, landmark Australian film. See it.

This review was commissioned by the Geraldton Newspapers Group and was published in the print edition (Wednesday 16 June, 2010) of the Geraldton Guardian.