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The Vow

A saccharine and paint-by-numbers slice of romance, which is largely boosted by the appeal of its two leads.

Star Wars: Episode 1 - The Phantom Menace (3D)

The under-utilised 3D adds little to this prequel, which only serves as a sore reminder of the brilliance of the original films.

Any Questions For Ben?

The talented bunch of actors ably cut through the surface gloss, but it’s tough to remain invested in the plight of the self-absorbed lead.

Shame

It starts off as brutal but arresting stuff, and the two lead performances are scorching, but disappointingly dissolves into a case of tragedy for the sake of tragedy.

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The Tumbler (Film)

by Annette Basile | August 31, 2010 14:13 | Edited September 01, 2010 12:15

While the film isn’t perfect, it delivers an intriguing and swiftly paced narrative.

The Tumbler helps answer the question about what kinds of stories Australian cinema should be telling. It's at once universal, international and uniquely Australian. An intriguing drama centred on the search for hidden gold in the desert, it's a jigsaw puzzle made from pieces of our history, our landscape, and our cultural richness.

 

It's about four people whose lives intersect in the Central Australian desert: American soldier Private Jen O'Leary (Aussie actress Louise Crawford); tough bloke safecracker Hurtle Hamilton (Gary Sweet) and his Afghani-Australian partner-in-crime, Tahir (Hazem Shammas), and indigenous postie Nikki (Suzannah Bayes-Morton). Although Sweet is rock solid, his co-stars hit a few bum notes, yet they're interesting characters and their interplay is often tense.

 

Marc Gracie (who helmed the poorly received You And Your Stupid Mate) handles the film's dramatic flashpoints with flair, while Chris Thompson's script moves swiftly. Sweet's opening narration, coupled with the view of the bumpy desert road, hooks you before you're even two minutes into the film.

 

But The Tumbler isn't perfect. It falters towards the end as it only semi-successfully takes in wide ranging themes about humanity, while a surprising twist leads to a cringingly cliched monologue from one character.

 

Perhaps the debate about homegrown cinema and the tales it tells should be about the art of storytelling itself. Whether Australian films convey stories that could only happen here or not doesn't really matter. What matters is that there's a plot that intrigues, characters that breathe, and ideas to think about. The Tumbler - which follows the current local trend of being attractively shot and framed - is one for those who enjoy their food for thought wrapped up in a damn fine yarn.