Film reviews
Men In Black 3
It’s not a sequel that needed to be made, but thanks to the charm of its leads and a tone that harks back to the wit and humour of the original, it’s a pretty enjoyable trip.
Bel Ami
The excellent female support cast saves this patchy effort, which is let down by its leading man and a flat screenplay.
The Dictator
A disappointing, often repulsive and mean-spirited mess of a film with seemingly only one real criterion on its agenda: to shock and offend.
The Woman In Black
Packed with atmosphere, this old-fashioned but deftly told ghost story delivers ample chills and thrills.
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Road Train (Film)
Rating: MA
Running Time: 90
Country: Australia
Director: Dean Francis
Cast: Georgina Haig, Sophie Lowe, Bob Morley, Xavier Samuel
Distributor: Pinnacle Films
Release Date: October 21, 2010 (Adelaide)
Film Worth: $9.00
FILMINK rates movies out of $20 - the score indicates the amount we believe a ticket to the movie to be worthWith enough blood and sex to keep the teens entertained, this well shot film kicks off to a promising start but the narrative soon veers into the ridiculous.
"I know it doesn't make any sense!" wails Marcus (Xavier Samuel) when the road train that he and three friends are driving leads them to an abandoned quarry. He could just as easily be talking about the film in general which, after a promising start, leads its audience into a narrative cul-de-sac of extraordinary silliness from which there's no easy escape.
Marcus, his best mate Craig (Bob Morley), and their girlfriends, Liz (Georgina Haig) and Nina (Sophie Lowe), have been enjoying an outback camping trip, until a malevolent force changes everything. In a scene straight out of Duel, a road train leaves them for dead and then, inexplicably, stops to watch. Yet it seems that the truck has been abandoned, allowing the youths to drive themselves to safety. The truck may well be driving them instead, however, raising the first of many questions that include motive, random gunshots, why Craig is moved to tears by the truck's bonnet, and the secret that he shares with Marcus. Intriguing...
This debut feature by Dean Francis, shot in the irrepressible South Australian outback, is a good looking film. He makes fine use of location, and neatly juxtaposes gruesome horror against the landscape's stunning beauty. Lighting and effects are judiciously used, yet that doesn't overcome erratic plotting, clunky dialogue, and stilted performances.
In his wildest moments, Stephen King grounded similar stories in a tangible reality. Missing that touchstone, Road Train quickly turns into something of a train wreck that even jaunty star Morley is unable to save as logic is abandoned in favour of oozing body parts. The undemanding will not be disappointed, and there's enough sex and blood to satisfy any libidinous teenager. The rest of us will have to make do with yet another cautionary tale about driving through the outback.
