Details

Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 05 October 2022

I have a good friend who played a key role in the hunt for Daniel Morcombe’s killer and, based on his telling of the story, it’s obvious that it serves as the inspiration for this new Australian drama.  The idea evolved several years ago when actor-filmmaker Joel Edgerton (Boy Erased) optioned the 2015 non-fiction book from author Kate Kyriacou that chronicled the elaborate police operation which ultimately led to a confession and conviction.

Writer-director Thomas M. Wright (Acute Misfortune) was then brought in for the difficult challenge of adapting it for the big screen and several key decisions were made in those early stages.  Firstly, Wright went with a fictionalised narrative which is “based” on the true story.  The most obvious difference is the changing of names (it doesn’t mention the Morcombe family in any way) but other alternations were made in terms of the investigation’s specifics.

Another important creative choice was the decision to focus solely on the “sting” and nothing else.  There’s no depiction of the murder, the immediate aftermath, the family’s grief, the inquest, and the attention in the media.  When the film begins, we’re following an undercover police detective (Edgerton) tasked with becoming friends with someone suspected of the murder (Harris) that took place several years ago.

I like the narrow approach as it allows Wright’s film to highlight the immense work ethic of the undercover detective and the emotional toll it took on his own life.  We’re talking about an intelligent, fast-thinking man who had to put his regular life on hold, pretend to be part of a fake crime gang, and befriend a scumbag suspected of murdering a boy.  This went on for several months with no definitive timeframe.  It could have all amounted to nothing if he said the wrong thing, or the suspect kept his mouth shut.

Joel Edgerton does a commendable job fleshing out the character but I wish there were more opportunities for him to open up to fellow officers/detectives and describe his approach and psyche.  English actor Sean Harris (24 Hour Party People) is terrific as the suspected murderer and depicts him as someone lacking intelligence but also emotionally guarded.  The supporting players pull their weight with emphasis on Jada Alberts as a detective working behind the scenes to put the pieces together.

The Stranger premiered out of competition at the Cannes Film Festival back in May and was criticised by the parents of Daniel Morcombe as “making money off a heinous crime.”  They’re entitled to publicly air such concerns but having now seen the film myself, I believe it respectfully covers the scenario and, despite the heavy subject matter, appropriately pays tribute to hard-working police detectives who deal with cases just like this on a regular basis.

Details

Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 21 September 2022

They’ve had a thriving film/TV industry for decades, but it’s not until recently that a much greater percentage of international eyes have opened to the world of South Korea.  Released in mid-2019, Bong Joon-ho’s Parasite grossed more than $263 million USD at the global box-office and became the first non-English language film to win the Academy Award for best picture.  Earlier this year, the TV show Squid Game developed a cult-like following with star Lee Jung-jae winning the Emmy for outstanding lead actor in a drama series – the first Asian man to do so.

Hunt is the latest South Korean flick to earn an international cinematic release and it’s likely to garner support based on the fact it marks the directorial debut of Squid Game star Lee Jung-jae.  The 49-year-old co-wrote the script with Jo Seung-Hee and takes on the film’s lead role (he was a busy man).  It had its world premiere out of competition at the Cannes Film Festival back in May and has become one of the top-grossing films of 2022 within its home country.

Jung-jae’s film is an ambitious thriller loosely based on actual events from the early 1980s.  A North Korean spy, referred to as “Donglim”, has infiltrated the Korean Central Intelligence Agency (KCIA).  They are leaking top-secret information about the South Korean President’s movements that could be used by the north to destabilise their southern counterparts.  High ranking agents within the KCIA have been told to find the spy or else they’ll be sacked.

There’s a lot going on here and I wasn’t sure I had a full appreciation for all the suspects and their varying agendas.  There’s a lot of people looking secretive and exchanging packages/information through secret hook-ups.  There’s a substantial body count too!  That said, even if you’re not fully up-to-speed with Korean history and politics, you can still enjoy this as an interesting thriller where agents use a variety of curious tactics to help weed out the mole.

I also liked the fact there isn’t a simple hero and villain.  There are multiple sides looking for the spy and this creates tension between the Domestic Unit and Foreign Unit within the KCIA.  No one trusts anyone… particularly within the organisation.  A few subplots were undercooked (like a young woman befriending student protestors) but for the most part, this will hold your attention for the full two hours.

Likely to increase your interest in this period of South Korean history, Hunt is worth seeing.

Details

Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 04 October 2022

The opening act of Don’t Worry Darling creates a scenario oozing with promise and possibilities.  Oscar nominee Florence Pugh (Little Women) and musician-turned-actor Harry Styles (Dunkirk) play Alice and Jack – a happily married couple who go about their days with a sense of idyllic simplicity.  It’s the same for everyone in this small, remote community made famous for its comforting “desert air”.  The husbands leave for work at the same time every morning and the wives, after a wave/kiss goodbye from the front lawn, return to the house and fulfil their daily chores (with time for exercise as well).

As the audience, we know something is amiss.  It’s likely to prompt recollections from other films and television shows.  Everything about the curiously named “Victory Town” seems fake and old-fashioned which brought back memories of Pleasantville.  Alice is told she isn’t allowed to go beyond the town’s desert-laden borders which gives off vibes from The Truman Show.  The way in which all women are non-questioning and naively subservient to their working husbands feels inspired by The Stepford Wives.

Alice becomes our investigatory eyes and ears as she finally catches onto the fact that not everything is what it seems in Victory Town.  Some of her questions stem from the physical (unexplained earthquakes, missing people) while others arise from the psychological (weird hallucinations, a song stuck in her head).  The town’s pseudo-mayor (Chris Pine) downplays Alice’s concerns but the genie is out of the bottle and, whether her suspicions are right or not, she’s not going to stop until answers are provided.

Sadly, the early intrigue established by screenwriter Katie Silberman and Olivia Wilde (Booksmart) fizzles away in the later stages.  It gets bogged down with repetitive sequences where a paranoia-filled Alice continually butts heads with those around her.  When the true nature of everything is finally revealed (it’s not until very late), the film goes into hyperdrive and is forced to wrap up its many subplots in a rushed manner.  A quicker second act and a more patient closing act would have served this concept better.

As a positive, the film does remind us of the acting prowess of 26-year-old star Florence Pugh.  She’s front and centre throughout and she creates a character who you want to see find peace and happiness.  This struck me most as the closing credits started to roll (without giving anything away).  It’s a shame the supporting players are developed as fulsomely.  We don’t spend anywhere near enough time with them (with particular emphasis on Gemma Chan’s character) to understand their motivations.

Serving up a climax which is easy to poke holes through, Don’t Worry Darling doesn’t quite live up to its potential.

Details

Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 21 September 2022

I am terrified of heights and so any movie which can capture the distressing “thrill” of being inches from falling to one’s death… yeah, that’ll get my heart pumping.  A case in point is the head-shaking true story of high-wire artist Philippe Petit who walked along a tiny steel cable between the two World Trade Centre towers in 1974.  It was chronicled in the Oscar winning 2008 documentary Man on Wire, and in the impressive 2015 biographical drama The Walk (starring Joseph Gordon-Levitt).  Both films turned me into a sweaty mess!

Fall is a purely fictional thriller that creates a riveting scenario but does so in a heavy-handed manner.  Two experienced rock climbers scale a narrow, no-longer-used television tower in a remote part of the United States.  At roughly 600 metres in height, they note it’s twice as tall as the Eiffel Tower.  Audiences will cheer for their survival but there’s no arguing that their actions are grossly irresponsible.  The ladder is rusty, many bolts are loose, and the structure looks like it could fall over at any moment.

The over-written backstory to these two characters is unnecessarily contrived.  Shiloh (Gardner) is a vlogger who constantly puts herself in dangerous situations and then uploads to YouTube and other social media sites in search of likes, publicity, and attention.  She’s full of “I’ll rest when I’m dead” energy and, despite her negligence, loves a motivational speech – “if you don’t confront your fears, you’ll aways be afraid.”

Becky (Currey) is at a different phase of her life.  She lost her young husband a year ago in a rock-climbing accident and she’s since been stuck in a depressive phase involving alcohol and drugs.  Having not climbed at all since her husband’s death, she’s been convinced by Shiloh to put aside her grief and return to a rich, exciting life.  As an added touch, they come up with the idea to spread the husband’s ashes from the top of the television tower as a tribute to his own adventurous spirit.

It’s a goofy opening (did we really need to see Becky with the pills?) but thankfully, the film doesn’t spend too much time on foreplay.  It only takes about 30 minutes for the pair to ascend to the top of the tower where the rusty ladder breaks and they’re stuck on a tiny platform.  With no mobile phone reception (conveniently unlucky), they must work together to signal for help and/or find a way down.

Directed by British filmmaker Scott Mann (Heist), Fall milks this scenario for all its worth and creates some wonderfully tense scenes.  The work of Spanish cinematographer MacGregor (he just goes by the one name) is superb and he exploits an array of creative camera angles (sometimes looking up, sometimes looking down) to highlight the sheer insanity of their predicament.  Just like a great horror flick, sound technicians add to the suspense through perfectly timed noises – whether it be a strong gust of wind, a creaky ladder, or a shrieking vulture.

The finale should have been better (it’s rushed and features a dumb twist) but the excellent middle act in Fall leaves a strong enough impression to justify a thumbs up recommendation.

Details

Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 27 September 2022

A real murder set in the middle of a fake murder.  That’s the creative premise on offer in See How They Run, the debut feature film of British director Tom George (This Country).  It takes us back to London’s West End in the early 1950s when Agatha Christie’s whodunit The Mousetrap was making its debut in front of packed, adoring crowds.  As this movie begins, the play’s cast and crew are celebrating their 100^th performance – a milestone many didn’t think they’d reach (humorously ironic given the show would become the longest running in the world).

Oscar winner Adrian Brody (The Pianist) steps into the shoes of Leo Köpernick, an American screenwriter who has been contracted to transform the play into a Hollywood movie.  He rubs people up the wrong way and doesn’t seem to care.  From hitting on partnered women with his sleazy one-liners, to wanting to make significant revisions to the screenplay to include more action, Leo is not well liked.

It will therefore come as no surprise to audiences to see him wind up dead in the film’s opening act.  He was backstage in wardrobe department when attacked by a mysterious figure wearing a long cloak and a felt hat.  Everyone has a motive (as you’d expect) and called in to solve the crime is a dispirited Inspector Stoppard (Rockwell) and his overexcited assistant, Constable Stalker (Ronan).

Such an idea could come across as overly corny (the actors in a whodunit are now part of a real whodunit) but screenwriter Mark Chappell (Flaked) makes this work with well crafted dialogue.  The best material is saved for Sam Rockwell (Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri) and Saoirse Ronan (Brooklyn) who are excellent together.  They’re polar opposites, in terms of both personality and approach, but they gravitate towards an amiable middle ground with each passing scene.  Seeing them interact is worth the price of admission alone!

The film also works as a credible, “see if you can pick it” mystery.  There’s a fun blend of truth and fiction as elements from The Mousetrap start to play out in reality (like a scene where the actors all congregate together).  I wish more was made of the character but even Agatha Christie (nicely played by Shirley Henderson) makes an appearance at an opportune moment.

Moving at a fast pace (it’s just 98 minutes) and boosted by its strong performances, See How They Run will entertain the vast majority of those who see it.