- Film Review
- Reviewed By Alan Jones
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3 out of 5
Claustrophobic heat and brooding terror are effectively evoked in this homage to film noir, Alfred Hitchcock and the Coen brothers. In a rural Australian town, a seedy bar owner (Paul Holmes) hires a Croatian hitman (George Shevtsov) to murder a local garage owner after a business deal goes bad, but the simple plan backfires and an innocent waitress is taken hostage in the confusion. It's a slow-burning exercise in tightly wound tension, crafted with a dark nuance and graceful skill, atmospheric lighting and fluid camerawork. The employment of long periods of silence also ramps up the suspense in this modest thriller as it builds towards a nail-biting climax. While it virtually devolves into a two-hander, director Paul China could not have been better served by leads Shevtsov and Georgina Haig, the latter playing a character called Marilyn Burns in a nod to the heroine of the original Texas Chain Saw Massacre.
Cast and crew
Cast
- Marilyn Burns
- Georgina Haig
- The Stranger
- George Shevtsov
- Slim Walding
- Paul Holmes
- Holly
- Lauren Dillon
- Eileen
- Lynda Stoner
- Travis
- Andy Barclay
- Gus Summers
- William Garvey
- Annie
- Catherine Miller
- Rusty
- Bob Newman
- Sergeant Byrd
- Paul Bryant
Crew
- Director
- Paul China
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