Last Cab to Darwin

There are certain Australian films that are totally immersed in our cultural relevance; The Castle, The Dish and Kenny among others. However it's rare to find a film from our homegrown industry which balances social issues, local folklore, comedy and raw emotion quite as well as Last Cab to Darwin, Jeremy Sims' and Reg Cribb's long-running project, starring Darryl Kerrigan himself, Michael Caton.

Rex (Michael Caton) is cab driver in Broken Hill, New South Wales, a local town where he's good friends with everybody. When he's not having a beer with his mates, he's at home with his dog - affectionately named Dog - or snuggling up on the porch with his neighbor and mistress, Polly (Ningali Lawford), although he's not very open about the fact that he's secretly dating an Aborigine. Despite all the people who know and love him, Rex feels alone, and to make matters worse his cancer has progressed to the stage that he only has approximately three months left to live. After hearing Dr. Nicole Farmer (Jacki Weaver) discussing the recently passed euthanasia laws in the Northern Territory, Rex decides that he'll do what he does best and drive all the way to Darwin, in the hope that he'll get a chance to die with dignity. 

About 12 years after he was telling lawyers to "go and get stuffed" and arguing over the price of jousting sticks, Michael Caton signed on to the lead role in Last Cab to Darwin, and after years of script re-writes and funding debacles, the film is getting an unusually widespread release around Australia. An international theatrical run is unlikely at this stage but I certainly hope something will come of it, because as we burgeon on potentially our best year in two decades as an industry, this film certainly sets the bar high for local productions. It's also sure to be a high-point in Michael Caton's career, because as much as I love Darryl Kerrigan, there's no doubt that this is Caton's best performance to date. The dry wit and down-to-earth attitude of a lonely, dying taxi driver is perfectly encapsulated in his portrayal, to the point that it's almost impossible not to love and sympathize with Rex.

Jacki Weaver is good as the soft-spoken, yet determined Dr. Nicole Farmer - although her role could have been more fleshed out - and Mark Coles Smith exudes charisma as the somewhat confused, but always entertaining Tilly. Some elements of the plot feel slightly too contrived, particularly when Rex and Tilly just happen to connect with a backpacker who's also a well-trained nurse, but overall this is a well-written, character driven film.

With a story that could have so easily rolled into road-trip cliche hell, Sims adroitly swerves around the obvious to tell a provocative story about Rex, and surprisingly does justice to almost all the supporting characters. There's an eloquence to the ease with which Last Cab to Darwin approaches a range of different issues - both personal and social - without blatantly commenting on the fragility of the human condition.  There's a definite mateship between Rex and his friends, even when they selfishly avoid his personal issues and choose to just natter over a beer, and on some level the film recognises the apartheid nature of the outback which we don't necessarily hear about in the coastal regions of Australia.

In a Q&A after the screening, Sims described Rex as Darryl Kerrigan's alter ego, an introvert that firmly believes that nobody would miss him if he were to be euthenised, allowing him to initially undertake the journey without too much personal struggle. "I'm a Cab driver Doc. So I'm gonna drive my cab until I can't drive it any more". In this respect, it's as much a film about learning to better understand just what we all mean to each other, as it is a spark toward the almost-dormant euthanasia debate.

Whilst central to the story, euthanasia and all the opinions around it are handled with a suitably light touch. The film convinces its audience that its a worthwhile debate but also manages to represent all the perspectives. We understand the position of Dr. Farmer, who comes off as slightly selfish in her push to support euthanasia. We see the effects of Rex's decision on those that love him, and most importantly, we're entirely sympathetic to Rex himself, no matter what decision he finally decides to make.

Last Cab to Darwin is a fantastic road film, taking a sensitive issue that will relate to a global audience and treating it with all the respect it deserves, perfectly situated in a unique setting with a character that will no doubt go down as a memorable element of Australian cinema. The message of the film isn't necessarily that everybody should have the right to die with dignity when they choose, but rather that everybody should have the right to live a gratifying life.

Ed's Thoughts - Mad Max: Fury Road

Jack made some compelling arguments against the latest Mad Max film in his full review. As I enjoyed it a fair bit more, I thought I'd give some of my opinions.

A harsh desert landscape, a worn-out interceptor and a familiar man with a different face. The fourth instalment in the Mad Max series, Fury Road, has taken thirty years to get here, and it doesn't mess about. This barren and hostile world is unfettered, ferocious; fuelled by blood and a metric butt-tonne of petrol. The plot is simple, just like the first two, and every single frame is utterly beautiful. I've struggled through many modern action flicks, and I despise the Michael Bay 'splosion-fest model of filmmaking so everything here should be wrong. But it's oh so right.

Fury Road has everything that I look for in contemporary action: isolated settings, eccentric characters and a unique style of filmmaking that only comes around once in a blue moon. Miller harks back to a sorely missed era of filmmaking by utilising primarily practical effects, composited together with minimal CGI to create some visually incredible stunts. Take a look at this glorious B-Roll footage to see what I mean. Yes some of the explosions and crashes are ridiculous, and that definitely changes the level of realism that may be expected from the previous films, but at the same time this is still very much a Mad Max film. Other old-school effects like speed ramping to create the illusion of extreme motion, really do make this feel like a good old 80s action flick.

I do find it a bit sad that Max takes a step back in this film, but I actually thought that Imperator Furiosa was a well fleshed-out, very likable character and really didn't mind that she took the centre stage, along with her equally badass War Rig. The minimal plot was easy enough to follow, without too much exposition, and the blend of the rolling story with impeccably choreographed visual sequences make Fury Road almost operatic in design. It's a highly visual story and when done well, that is an undeniably powerful form of movie making.

Mad Max: Fury Road gave me a slap in the face more powerful than the strongest caffeinated drink (or other...substances...) and I was fixated from beginning to end. It's action-meets-arthouse and everything in between, and easily the best film of the year thus far. I want to hug George Miller for giving this series another shot...but I'd probably get arrested.

Mad Max: Fury Road

The Mad Max franchise has been a wholly Australian series of films. Yeah, Tina Turner was in Beyond Thunderdome, but we try to forget that. The movies focus on Australian's love of cars and our harsh, unforgiving outback. But Fury Road doesn't quite live up to the sleek vision created by Dr George Miller all those years ago and instead drowns in unbelievable landscapes and physical violence that seems out of place.

In the harsh post-apocalyptic world that has come, Max (Tom Hardy) has been captured by the followers of the cult leader Immortan Joe (Hugh Keays-Byrne). Joe's top lieutenant Imperator Furiosa (Charlize Theron) has been sent out to get oil from the nearby Gastown. It is soon revealed that Furiosa has stolen away Joe's harem and he sends out his armies to get them back. Max is sent along with Nux (Nicholas Hoult), who needs Max's blood to survive, but Max soon joins up with Furiosa to help her on her quest.

Now before I get started with any of my thoughts on the movie, I want you to know that I understand that this is supposed to be a mindless bit of entertainment. But that's the thing. Both Mad Max and Mad Max 2 were fun, but they were also better than this. They had simple story-lines with not too much in depth backgrounds going on. Here you are constantly confused by who characters are and what relationship they have to others (let alone figuring out what some of them are).

Miller attempts to capture the brilliance of the second film and leave all that Thunderdome business behind him. And it works to a certain point. Max has minimal dialogue in this movie, just like in that film, and the plot kind of revolves around oil. It takes a lot of time to figure out what exactly is happening in this movie and when you do figure it out, it seems a little disappointing.

Another big thing that I found in this movie is the violence. No, not that I was expecting it to be a peaceful film, but that it is the wrong kind of violence. These movies rely very heavily on car crashes and bashing into each other at high speeds with the occasional gun being shot (careful, you don't want to waste that ammo), but there is an inordinate amount of physical violence taking place. If I want to see hand-to-hand combat, I will watch literally any other action movie. I don't need to see Max get into fisticuffs with anyone, because the mere threat of him punching you will make anyone back down. And what about those car explosions? These are way too over the top. The appeal of the original films was seeing car accidents that were realistic because they were based on Miller's experiences in the Emergency ward of a hospital. Now it just seems like you throw a whole bunch of kerosene in there and that will appeal to audiences.

The acting in the film is pretty minimal. Tom Hardy does his best Mel Gibson impersonation and only gets an Aussie accent half the time. Charlize Theron does play a tough bitch, which is cool, but there isn't great characterisation on her part. Hugh Keays-Byrne is shouty enough, but fails to either scare or excite. Nicholas Hoult's character is a little weasel that is neither here nor there. Joe's harem gets screen time, but no time to properly act because look out, there's a truck exploding.

This is one that you either watch or you don't. It is littered with references to the original films (but don't worry, assumed knowledge isn't needed), as well as references to other classic Australian films, which you will get if you have seen them. Definitely a movie that you watch to chill out to or be revved up by. Your choice.