Excellent, Without a doubt!!

A Masterpiece!

Tells a fascinating and unsettling true story, and does so well, without pretending to have all the answers.

A terrific literary drama and character piece that shows how the process of creating art can be seen differently by those doing it and those looking at it from the outside.

At first sight, it seems to be a Disney Channel stuff, a movie destined to kids and families for matinees shows. But, believe me, it is not. The first part is rather lousy, flat and uninteresting but the following is worth watching. You have different paces in this TV film. This is definitely a survival and the natural settings are beautiful. But I am not sure that this was so close to the actual events it was inspired from. This was much fiction, more spectacular than the reality, for obvious reasons. The final sequence is mind blowing, unforgettable. So, before showing it to your kids, beware. Yes, the most unusual here is the difference of paces, some parts for children, and other destined to adults, and not sissies. Curious but highly interesting. Great Aussies piece of work. Some elements are difficult to be believed in. SPOILERS SPOILERS SPOILERS SPOILERS SPOILERSAfter the kids, stabbed to last gangster to death in the most brutal way, bloody feast, the return to their school duties, as if nothing happened. I am not sure that this really happened this way. And the last image of this terrific little movie is also unforgettable.

Young school teacher Sally Jones (a fine and credible performance by the lovely Rachel Ward) and her nine students are taken hostage by four masked gunmen. The teacher and her students soon realize that in order to survive this grueling ordeal they will have to take action on their own and fight back. Tightly directed by Arch Anderson, with a substantial amount of nerve-wracking suspense, a tough, gritty, take-no-prisoners tone (the climax with the teacher and her students brutally attacking the last remaining gunman with makeshift spears is positively shattering), and startling outbursts of sudden ferocious violence, this very tense and effective little gut-kicker packs a really strong and mean wallop. Everett De Roche's gripping and hard-hitting script delivers a disturbing and provocative central message on how anyone can degenerate into savagery if given the proper stimulus. Ward's protective teacher impresses with her bravery, spunkiness, and resourcefulness. The child thespians do solid and believable work. The masked gunmen are genuinely fierce and frightening, with Peter Hehir in particular a scary stand-out as vicious ring leader Father Christmas. The remote rural Aussie outback locations convey a profoundly unsettling feeling of isolation and vulnerability. David Connell's sharp and lively cinematography offers several striking images. Danny Beckmann's rattling score does the heart-racing trick. A real powerhouse.

At 12 years old, this movie rocks! At 35, it's illogical. LOL. When I saw this movie as a kid, I was fully immersed. Probably due to the fact that children identify with children. So I remember the movie was more thrilling and tense. As an adult, the movie annoyed me. LOL. I wanted to hear more about this RANSOM plot. What were the masked men thinking? How was this a good plan at all? Why did they leave them unattended at the cave? Then they left them unattended again with just one guard at the barn. Then finally, the left then unattended again in the last cave scene. Instead of getting the kids, which I thought was the objective, the masked men stood outside the cave making taunting noises. I thought they wanted to kidnap them? What is going on here? Of course it's give and take. Though the movie is illogical in terms of the action sequences, as an adult, I can understand the subtle themes. I saw hints of LORD OF THE FLIES, which is pretty deep for a TV movie. What happens when you're left alone with nature, but with no law and authority? Just like LORD OF THE FLIES, the children almost became savages in the end. Also, one of the girls was not quite a girl anymore and was growing up. These are subtleties that you don't get when you're 12 years old viewing this movie.So though it's not quite as enjoyable as when I was young, at least now, I have a full comprehension, and it's still a great nostalgic flick.

Mesmerizing. I loved this movie because once started I could not take my eyes off the screen in case I missed something. Excellent casting of characters - you feel you are there - part of the action taking place. AND what action! All School Teachers should be like this one. The thrill factor of this movie comes with the fight between Good & Evil. We all want Good to conquer but sometimes this does not happen. I would like anyone who has not seen this movie to watch it because it is one of the best movies I have ever seen. I would love to tell the end but I won't. You have to see it for yourself. The last few lines I have filled in because I could not leave my comment without leaving 10 lines of comment.