Displaying items by tag: John Clayton

TO MAKE A KILLING

Australia, 1988, 88 minutes, Colour.

Tamblyn Lord, Craig Pearce, Tiffiny Dowe, Kelly Dingwall, Joanna Lockwood, Gerard Maguire, Louise Cullen, John Clayton, Ralph Cotterell.

Directed by Karl Zwicky.

Probably best to say by way of introduction to a review, that this is one of the worst Australian feature films. It was retitled Vicious! For international release. Indeed, the characters and the perspective that the film are particularly vicious.

There may have been some interesting speculations at the core of the plot which, surprisingly in retrospect, has a credit for Original Idea by P.J.Hogan – who directed one of the best of Australian films, Muriel’s Wedding. Hogan wrote the screenplay with the director, Karl Zwicky, who had a long career principally in television.

Strong criticism could be made of the plot and its awkward development – and its factual credibility and its psychological credibility or not. A lot of the dialogue is very stilted as is the staging, photography, editing. It is someone reminiscent of television series of the period. And, perhaps the actors are doing their best with the dialogue, but the performances are often awkward and, one might uncharitably say, terrible.

This is the story of a bored wealthy university student who, for kicks, joins up with a team of absolute hooligans with consequences of robbing houses, gross sexual violence, some crass language which is surprising in retrospect from 1988, and, eventually home invasion, violence and killings.

The film is one of the Ozploitation films produced by David Hannay in the 1980s, somewhat looked down on in their time – but no rehabilitation for them decades later.

It went straight to video even in the 1980s.

(A redeeming thought – Craig Pearce who plays the psychotic lead went on to be the co-writer of five films directed by Baz Luhrmann)