Reviews

High school senior Brent Mitchell (Xavier Samuel) swerves to miss a bloodied figure on a deserted country road and slams his car sideways into a tree, killing his father in the passenger seat. Six months later Brent is in a dark place, troubled by guilt over the death of his father and unable to cope with his mother's fragile emotional state. However things aren't all bad, he has a wonderful girlfriend, Holly (Victoria Thaine) and a good mate Paul (Andrew S. Gilbert), who has just scored a date to the school dance with Mia (Jessica McNamee). Out of the blue, Brent is asked to the dance by quiet girl Lola Stone (Robin McLeavy), he politely declines, unwittingly setting in motion his worst nightmare. Taking a walk with his dog before the dance, Brent is drugged and kidnapped; he wakes dressed in a suit, tied to a chair in a rural kitchen which is crudely decorated for a party. Staring at him around the table is a lobotomised old woman, an odd looking man and Lola… she's dressed for the dance. Brent is the guest of honour and is made aware very early on what Lola and her father (John Brumpton) have in store for him… a syringe, hammer, knife and drill are on the menu. It's difficult to take a well worn idea and breathe new life into it. Sean Byrne has done that and more with 'The Loved Ones'. Byrne has crafted a fantastic script that is full of warmth, violence and dark humour. He gives us believable characters, Brent, his mother and girlfriend anchor the movie with emotional depth; best friend Paul and his hilarious date with Mia provide some wonderfully awkward comic relief, and of course Lola and her father deliver the tension and violence. The actors are all perfectly cast, Xavier Samuel is excellent as Brent, his portrayal of the insular, depressed teenager who realises through the pain that he actually has so much to live for is fantastic. Robin McLeavy and John Brumpton share an incredibly disturbing dynamic as Lola and 'Daddy'; she's terrifyingly real as sadistic, unhinged Lola, he is more restrained, but no less frightening as the doting dad, they play off each other perfectly. The characters are so convincing that when Lola says: "Bring the hammer Daddy" we wince at the possibilities. Without wanting to reveal too much about how the movie unfolds, there are some incredible scenes of violence and gore that will satisfy any horror fans bloodlust. Lola's creative use of a fork is one of the more disturbing scenes. Byrne keeps the action moving along, inter-cutting between the prom, Holly and his mothers attempts to find him and of course Brent's problems. Byrne keeps you engaged and focused on the present throughout so when the movie shifts gears the effect is shocking, brutal and has a last half hour that you're unlikely to forget. The movie is taut, tense and doesn't overstay its welcome at 85 minutes. It's been compared to numerous horror movies, but is an original take on the kidnap/torture genre and is destined for cult status.

Set in a dilapidated New Orleans during the 2008 Presidential campaign; low rent criminal Johnny Amato (Vincent Curatola) hires Frankie (Scoot McNairy) and his junkie friend Russell (Ben Mendelsohn) to rob a back- room card game run by Markie Traftman (Ray Liotta). Markie is known to have staged a robbery on one of his past games, so the assumption is that he'll take the fall. Mob boss, Dillon (Sam Shepard) sends hit-man Jackie Cogan (Brad Pitt) to sort out the mess. Cogan meets with local mob representative Driver (Richard Jenkins) to discuss details and fees for the job. As Cogan is known to Amato, he brings in fellow hit-man Mickey (James Gandolfini) to take him out; Cogan will take out Frankie and Russell. It's a simple premise; however this film is anything but, it's a dark, cynical, violent and blackly humorous tale. Australian director Andrew Dominik focuses on character, giving each of his cast room to breathe, and they reward him with uniformly excellent performances. Pitt featured in Dominik's previous film, the beautiful The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford (2007), one of my favourite films of the last decade. Ray Liotta is better than he's been in years, Richard Jenkins and Ben Mendelsohn good, James Gandolfini is excellent as the wounded, self-pitying hit-man, drowning his pain in alcohol and prostitutes, his profane speeches about his sexual prowess and broken marriage are both heartbreaking and sad. However, Scoot McNairy steals every scene he's in; he's wonderful as the nervous, twitchy Frankie, his miss-placed optimism at odds with his constant agitation at his friends and situation. For all the talk, and there's a lot of fantastic dialogue, this is a very violent film. Ray Liotta is subjected to a brutal beating that is as far removed from glamorised violence as it can get, at odds with the stylised, super slo-mo shooting that follows, almost fetishistic gun porn. The script, written by Dominik, is based on the 1974 novel Cogan's Trade by the late crime author George V. Higgins. I haven't read it, however, in updating the action from the 70's to coincide with the final days of Obama's race for the presidency is not lost on the audience. Obama's speeches of hope and the potential of the United States are at odds with the story unfolding on screen, the economic collapse, the miserable fate of the underclass and the repetitive cycle of behaviour which keeps them there, there is no hope for these characters. Not exactly subtle delivery, Dominik ensures we get the message. The film is shot in grimy, washed out tones, almost monochrome noir in a desolate, rain drenched New Orleans, as bleak and unwelcoming as the nameless city in David Fincher's SE7EN. This is muscular film-making; not for the faint hearted, but well worth a look, especially if you like your crime dramas of the hard-boiled variety.