Felony

It's good to see a movie that isn't just cops against crooks for once. Matthew Saville's latest film pitches cop against cop in this fantastic drama that questions what the right thing to do is.

Mal (Joel Edgerton) is a drug cop who becomes a hero after taking a bullet on a raid on a Sydney warehouse. After a big night celebrating, Mal is driving home and clips a young boy riding his bike. He is questioned by two detectives, Carl (Tom Wilkinson) and Jim (Jai Courtney), where he lies about what happens. This lie eventually snowballs and drags in Mal's wife, Julie (Melissa George).

Felony is by no means a fast paced movie. It is slow and brooding and sometimes takes time away from the main plot to watch the characters take part in actual police work. This is a welcome change from movies that get too caught up in their own plot. Edgerton also wrote the script and accurately portrays the minute details of Australian policing. However, there is a subplot where Jim has a slight romance with the victims mother, played by Sarah Roberts, which seemed to go a tad too far.

On the whole, the performances were solid, which is what you'd expect of a cast like this. Wilkinson manages an Australian accent without fault (although it is relatively easy for British actors). Jai Courtney has also become one of my favourite new actors to watch. From playing in big American action movies like Die Hard 5 or Jack Reacher to smaller Aussie dramas like this demonstrates fantastic range. I felt as though Edgerton was slipping at times, but still delivers a great performance.

Verdict: A great slow-paced drama that is full of intrigue and has a gripping plot, although I am a bit confused by calling the film after a level of crime that technically doesn't exist in Australia.