Highly Overrated But Still Good

Excellent but underrated film

Absolutely the worst movie.

While it doesn't offer any answers, it both thrills and makes you think.

Some critics say that this is the Australian version of High Noon, which is just ridiculous in the sense that the film is not even one tenth of High Noon in terms of quality. The pace is slow, and the plot lacks credibility. The film makes you sleepy all the time. It is just one of the worst films of the year.

The film takes place at the turn of the century in the Outback. Sam Kelly ( Hamilton Morris) is an Aboriginal who works for a devout Christian (Sam Neill) who treats him as an equal. Harry March (Ewen Leslie) moves in nearby and becomes the immediate protagonist. The film examines the relationship between the whites who stole the land and the nearly enslaved indigenous. All hell breaks loose when Harry is shot. This is a very good western drama.Good acting. Decent pace. Quick character build-up. Guide: F-word. Rape in a dark scene. No nudity.

I really disliked the plot. Too shallow and not enough attention was paid to it during development. I did like the beautiful cinematography of the land, acting, and the subject at hand. Wouldn't watch if the plot is essential to you.

When Australian cinema is good ,its usually really good and this one can hold its head high in any cinema in the world. Director Warwick Thornton who also made Samson and Delilah has excelled again with this Aussie period Western set in 1929 in the Northern Territory. It has the feel and ingredients of a Western , the Lawman, the fugitive, the posse, even the Saloon gal and the town vigilantes but Its much more than an action Western and even reminded me at times of Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird set in the Australian outback. The stars are Hamilton Morris as Sam the hunted fugitive Aboriginal stockman and Bryan Brown as Sergeant Fletcher the hunter . Sam Neill as the minister, is also terrific in his role , showing the only compassion and acceptance to the indigenous population in the entire movie and Matt Day as the judge is also impressive. The cinematography is superb and at times resembles an Albert Namatjira landscape, which is understandable but it takes great skill to capture the light and timelessness of the outback landscape, it should wow overseas audiences . After the dismal film we saw yesterday this was a joy to watch and what good cinema is all about.