Savages Crossing (2011)

the audience applauded

Simply A Masterpiece

Good concept, poorly executed.

Although it has its amusing moments, in eneral the plot does not convince.

I have to say that I love John Jarratt. His appearance as the bad guy in the WOLF CREEK films has given him a cult following, and this infamy led him to make SAVAGES CROSSING, a low budget thriller written by Jarratt and his wife, starring Jarratt and his real-life son, Charlie. It's a bit of a family affair, but sadly one that turns out to be distinctly average and rather a let down compared to the intensity of the WOLF CREEK movies.The light plotting sees a group of characters assembled and stranded at a remote diner during a stormy night where the torrential rain has made the only road going in or out impassable. The characters are largely uninteresting here, but Jarratt holds the attention as an ex-con who has unfinished business with his estranged wife and kid. What follows, though, despite best efforts, is strictly routine, and there's little of the suspense you'd expect from the premise; no edge of the seat stuff. It's also surprisingly tame.It goes without saying that Jarratt is hugely entertaining, as is ever the case, and he's well matched by NEIGHBOURS star Craig McLachlan who is a welcome presence as the square-jawed heroic type. But the story seems to go on forever, repetitively going back and forth while depending on the characters making dumb decisions to spin things out a bit further. It tests the patience instead of testing the viewer's nerves.

A motley group of strangers are all forced to seek refuge at a remote outback roadhouse due to severe flooding caused by a fierce torrential downpour. However, one of these people proves to be every bit as dangerous as the savage storm that's raging outside. Director Kevin James Dobson, working from a compact script by John and Cody Jarratt, keeps the absorbing story moving along at a brisk pace, creates and sustains a substantial amount of claustrophobic suspense, maintains a hard gritty tone throughout, and makes good use of the isolated outback setting. Moreover, Dobson's taut and economical style doesn't waste a single minute and thus ensures that there's never a dull moment. The sound acting by the capable cast keeps the movie humming: John Jarratt as high-strung ex-con Phil, Craig McLachlan as the rugged Mory (McLachlan also composed the effectively shuddery score and contributed a few songs to the soundtrack), Jessica Napier as perky barmaid Kate, Rebecca Smart as the sassy Mickey, Chris Haywood as brutish cop Chris, Sacha Horler as the brash Shae, Angela Punch-McGregor as the nervous Sue, and Charlie Jarratt as Sue's loyal and protective son Damien. Geoff Cox's agile cinematography takes neat advantage of a constantly mobile prowling camera. A tidy little thriller.

A flash flood in Australia cuts off a small handful of people in a remote roadside diner . A man called Phil enters and threatens his estranged wife Sue and the stranded drivers realise they're in a desperate struggle for their lives This is a low budget Aussie thriller with a very small cast and a limited number of sets . This isn't enough to condemn the film as a failure of course but if you're making something along the lines of THE OLD DARK HOUSE then you'll need to make sure you're bringing something new and appetizing to the table and this is where SAVAGES CROSSING fails to a very large extent . What happens for most of the time Phil played by John Jarrat swaggers around over acting to high heaven telling people if they don't tell him where his wife is he's going to have to kill them Another minor annoyance is Craig McLachan as the hero of sorts Mory . McLachan was once a household name in Britain and Australia twenty years ago due to his starring roles in NEIGHBOURS and HOME AWAY while like so many Aussie soap opera stars had a side line as a pop singer and he does the incidental music here on a soundtrack that is rather intrusive . He doesn't make much of a hunky hero either in a film that feels something of a wash out which is appropriate since it revolves around a flood

I liked this film and no I don't have any connection whatsoever to it OK? I've lived in the tropics and been through cyclones and tropical storms and this movie really captured the feel of that. It really felt like an isolated roadhouse which people in the city cannot fathom but they do exist in the Territory and up on Cape York.It had a good soundtrack and score and a great performance from the cast in general.As far as John Jarratts character goes you have to remember that he was drunk virtually the whole time and was a nut case so some of the things he said and did were ridiculous of course.All in all nowhere near as bad as people say it is!