Let's be realistic.

Expected more

In truth, there is barely enough story here to make a film.

Your blood may run cold, but you now find yourself pinioned to the story.

There's much to admire in writer/director Heath Davis' fallen hero trope 'Broke'. Some gritty realism, robust performances and a compelling 'anti' hero's journey on offer. But there are elements of contrivance with at times clunky dialogue which risks neutralizing the positives. Steve Le Marquand is perfectly cast as 'BK' the former rugby great; now a shell of a man who resorts to petty crime and worse to survive. The towering and at times imposing protagonist is matched by the determined but gentle goodness of the great Max Cullen's 'Cec' who for a myriad of reasons decides to give 'BK' a helping hand. Aided by his lovely daughter (BK's biggest fan) played by Claire Van der Boom, 'Cec' makes it his mission to help the one time great find his reason for being again, and hopefully make him a better man. To enjoy and believe 'Broke' the viewer must accept this conceit and find credulity where occasionally it simply isn't there.As great an actress as Van Der Boom is, her 'Terri' is just too glamorous and implausibly attracted to the indigent 'BK' even if he once was a 'big spunk' and a national hero. There is a forced colloquial layer to the performances and dialogue that removed this viewer from being connected to the characters and the story, and the shrill performances of the usually brilliant Brendan Cowell and Justin Rozniak are too broad and noisy to add much to the narrative.Max Cullen really is a national treasure and it is great so see him back on the screen in such a substantial role. There is an interesting story to be told here; about role models and the incessant pedestal placing of sports stars and the turning a blind eye to their abhorrent and excessive behaviour. There is an unnecessary proliferation of homophobic comments that seem jarring, but at other times the realism of the anger and the violence that swirls around these characters is refreshing, so I am in a bit of a bind as to how best and fairly to recommend this movie. It is great that this film was financed by crowd funding and sporting groups and that it has been doing a tour of smaller centres around Australia. I just wished that the performances had been reined in a little, as the believability factor is the difference between a film being OK, and great. However, back to the positives; deconstructing the mythic and iconic nature of our male sport stars is certainly a good reason to make a film like 'Broke'. And redemption tales are always worth checking out.

This film dealt with two very heavy topics: that of gambling addiction and the portrayal of sports stars as local heroes and role models. In spite of this, the director and writers brought a sensitivity and lightness of hand to the screen when dealing with these issues. These themes were explored honestly and with little judgment, but were still done justice to – they weren't brushed aside. Despite the story being one of redemption and about the power of having people believe in you, the ending wasn't a happy one and not what we expect given the direction of the film. Even so, the ending made sense and the "twist" (for lack of a better word) isn't obscure. The audience isn't left feeling dissatisfied, even if we were hoping for that happy ending. The only thing I didn't like about it was that the dialogue was very rough and course. While it's typical of the way Australians talk, it felt overbearing. The dialogue could have been slightly more eloquent but have taken nothing from the feel of the movie and the characterisation.In terms of production value, there were a few sections of the film where the sound recording quality wasn't as good as it should have been. It's hard to look past, which is unfortunate because the rest of the movie is done very well.

What an inspirational and Powerful film about ordinary people with the ability to have extraordinary lives. It is one of the only Australian films I have seen with a hopeful ending and everyone came out so impressed by the high standard set by the writers, producers, cast and crew. So many amazing performances and the script is so real and poignant. We found ourselves laughing and crying and sharing moments of Australian culture. It should do well overseas too as people have the opportunity to explore the wonderful story of a washed up footy player surrounded by people who want to support him to find his path to happiness. A fabulous film !!