Worth: $17.00
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Cast:
Nathan Clark Sapsford, Svetislav “Bule” Goncic, Slobodan Beštic, Marija Bergam
Intro:
...a tough, cogent work never afraid to take a bold step into pure darkness.
The thriller has long been a genre into which world issues can be tightly, ingeniously sewn. While strongly compelled by the high stakes action unfurling on the screen, the audience can also be drawn into often difficult thematic territory, and given an opportunity to further examine the events happening in the background. From All The President’s Men and The Constant Gardener to Hotel Rwanda and Balibo, it’s proven fertile ground indeed. The new Australian thriller Here Be Dragons treads a similar path, and treads it expertly. Like several recent Australian films, however, you’d never know that Here Be Dragons is local product. Shot in Serbia with post-production done in Australia, this is a truly international film, and should hopefully travel well overseas. The debut feature from writer/director Alastair Newton Brown, it’s a tough, cogent work never afraid to take a bold step into pure darkness.
The film begins with the conclusion of The International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY), where the downbeat David Locke (Nathan Clark Sapsford in a strong slow-burn turn created with only limited dialogue), a former British soldier turned UN war crimes investigator, is on the precipice of total burnout. Locke’s course changes, however, when he is approached by Emir Ibrahimovic (Svetislav “Bule” Goncic), a victim of the Yugoslav wars with whom he shares a dark, horrific bond. Emir believes he’s located the notorious paramilitary commander Ivan Novak (Slobodan Beštic) in Belgrade, Serbia, and bankrolls Locke to bring him to justice. Though the mission appears straightforward, Locke is soon hopelessly adrift in murky moral waters.
Beautifully shot, well characterised (again, through minimal dialogue), and strong on mood and atmosphere, Here Be Dragons is a staggeringly assured debut from Alastair Newton Brown. He displays a real gift here for effectively painting in shades of grey; in the dark world he conjures, there are no obvious good guys and bad guys, with everyone complicit, and plenty of innocent victims. Newton Brown also effectively provokes strong emotions while tamping down on on-screen hyperbole. This is a subdued, carefully paced affair, but when the violence comes, it does so forcefully, and with great economy, punctuating the drama brilliantly. Skilfully blending the personal and the political, Here Be Dragons is a strong work from an exciting new Australian filmmaker.