Dark side of the road
Now
here’s a home-grown movie packing a decent punch about a
kidnapping that goes horribly wrong. Many films have dark deeds
happening in lonely stretches of road, for example The Hitcher.
In Cactus, the desolation of western New South Wales
becomes the setting for a series of events that contain more than
an element of suspense. An air of mystery is cleverly built up
in the early part of the film.
John Kelly (Travis McMahon) an ordinary type of
guy who desperately needs money to assist his seriously ill wife.
With some qualms, he takes on a job for the underworld. To kidnap
professional gambler Eli Jones (David Lyons) who’s fallen
out with some heavies, and deliver him to those grim gentleman
in some remote part of the bush.
While the actual kidnapping goes as planned, events
start to wobble as surly outback cop (Bryan Brown) takes an interest
in John’s erratic driving of his decaying red 1972 Ford
Fairmont. Escaping the unpleasant cop, kidnapper and his victim
travel further on towards an undisclosed destination. All really
goes down when they’re intercepted by the driver of a road
transport. Unfortunate truckie Thommo (Shane Jacobson) comes across
the Fairmont with the captive in the back on a lonely stretch
of road. John’s careful plan falters badly and panic ensues.
Both victim and captor from the big city are out of their element
in this bleached lonely land broken only by the strip of bitumen
road. The kilometers roll on and their endurance is pushed to
the limit, with tragic consequences.
The film certainly opens well with some vivid action
shots before the main title. Sparse dialogue for the first reel
works in its favour, giving proceedings an air of intrigue. John
Kelly finds himself confronting rather hostile locals in this
lonely part of the bush, especially the strangely malignant vigilante
cop played effectively by veteran Bryan Brown (Dirty Deeds).
As the lumbering truckie Shane Jacobson (Kenny) is convincing,
showing he’s quite comfortable in dramatic roles as well
as comedy. His appearance gives the film a lift and draws us away
from the tight confrontation of the two protagonists.
Travis
McMahan (Kokoda) provides remarkable insight as a pretty
average bloke driven to desperate measures. He reflects the two
sides of his character bringing it off effectively. David Lyons
(Storm Warning) also excellent as the dodgy gambler,
nervously uncertain of his final destination and fate. He’s
more resourceful than we expect, while his cynical attitude changes
as his situation becomes dire. The oddfellow strained relationship
between McMahan and Lyons becomes the glue for the film. They
hold the screen much of the running time. It succeeds due to sharp
pithy dialogue and their chemistry together.
“Bonnie” the dilapidated Fairmont is
another important element being the catalyst for Holden versus
Ford gags lightening the dark events. Florian Emmerich’s
camerawork alternating big closeups with very wide shots visually
jolt just enough to create tension. Regrettably a few of those
wide shots appeared to lack sharp focus. The overexposed parched
landscapes with burnt out highlights may be deliberate but at
times look a technical error. However production values are quite
acceptable for a modest budget.
P Plate director Jasmine Yuen-Currucan making her
debut feature steers the story along confidently until about the
half way mark where it loses some steam. Fortunately it soon recovers
for a potent ending. With considerable experience as a camera
assistant on a number of films, Yuen-Currucan worked with Tarantino
as editing PA on Kill Bill 2. She also penned the script
for Cactus. Her efforts are rewarding. All in all, an
engrossing road thriller which delivers the goods.
John Bale
