Excellent characters with emotional depth. My wife, daughter and granddaughter all enjoyed it...and me, too! Very good movie! You won't be disappointed.

It is interesting even when nothing much happens, which is for most of its 3-hour running time. Read full review

This is a coming of age storyline that you've seen in one form or another for decades. It takes a truly unique voice to make yet another one worth watching.

There's no way I can possibly love it entirely but I just think its ridiculously bad, but enjoyable at the same time.

This is the extraordinary allegory of an Australian Aboriginal tracker, in forced servitude to English soldiers in 1922. It is the first staring role for iconic Aborigine actor David Gulpilil, featured in many films including Nicholas Roeg's "Walkabout" (Gulpilil's first film), Peter Weir's "The Last Wave", as well as a small role in "Crocodile Dundee." An exceptional actor and an amazing person, I feel a brotherly kinship with Gulpilil although we are polar opposites. The only connection I have with Gulpilil is our age (we were both born around 1948) and a spiritual brotherhood. A search party of four: the Fanatic who leads the search party; the Follower, a young recruit trying to prove his fitness; the Veteran, an old soldier pressed into service; and the Tracker seek the Fugitive, an Aborigine accused of raping and killing an English woman. The Tracker, while enslaved by the English, retains his dignity, free spirit and kinship with his homeland and his people. His remarkable knowledge of the land is displayed by his tracking skills throughout the story.The search proceeds through the incredible Australian outback, to a wonderful soundtrack performed by the Aborigine singer Archie Roach. Aboriginal cave paintings along the route document incidents that occur during the search party's trek. The Fanatic heartlessly slaughters innocent Aborigines encountered during the mission. "They'll give me a medal for it," the Fanatic boasts. The apparently docile Tracker has his own agenda. While the soldiers seek English justice, the Tracker pursues a more universal justice. He follows higher ideals, nurtured by his Aboriginal roots. He endures mistreatment but remains undefeated.This is one of the most beautiful, passionate, engrossing and atmospheric films I have ever seen, and I have seen thousands of films. No one should miss the opportunity to enjoy the aesthetic ecstasy of watching "The Tracker." This movie is a game-changer!

If you've ever wondered why Aboriginal people in Australia want an official apology from the head of government, see this film. They haven't gotten one yet. Maybe later--time moves slowly for the oppressed. Economically savvy, rich conservatives will not want to hear an official State apology rendered. Why? Because, they believe that the "sorry" campaign is a ploy to hit the Austalian Federal Government with a plethora of expensive lawsuits. Rank and file social conservatives, who make up about 10% of the population, just think that Aboriginals should be happy that they've gotten citizenship in "the Lucky Country" and keep their mouths shut.Each character in "The Tracker" is a metaphor for prevailing historically based and continuing attitudes between the indigenous people of Australia and European settlers. Not only that, but within the dialogues and actions in "The Tracker", one can see the still existing fundamental conflict between European legal traditions and those of peoples who settled Australia some 60,000 years ago. By the end of the film, one can discern the outlines of a lasting reconciliation in Australia based on mutual respect between human beings.If your'e not already familiar, "The Tracker" will show you what most of the Australian interior looks like. It's hot, red, dry and largely empty. Yet, if you slow down and focus your eyes, there is much more to the land than you might have thought. A good tracker could show you how large a human footprint on this natural setting of the Earth can be. A good tracker can also show you the wisdom inherent in patience and respect.David Gulpilil plays this tracker and he steals the movie. Rolf de Heer's writing and direction in this film is to be applauded. In fact, I have yet to see a bad film come out of Rolf de Heer's directing. His "Ten Canoes" should have won greater recognition in 2006. Gary Sweet as the racist fanatic was convincing. Overflowing with hypocritical Christian piety, Sweet made me feel sick to be identified as "white". You could almost hear him saying, "We had to kill the blacks in order to save them." Damon Gameau, as the follower, played his role with wooden innocence. Grant Page as the apolitical, amoral veteran was at his best after he took a spear. But, automatons are like that.

It gets off to a slow start. On horseback in the Australian desert, three white men representing officialdom follow close behind an aboriginal man on foot, "tracking" another aborigine wanted for killing a white woman. There's no character development, no explanations, no music ... just four men plodding along in silence.But the plot gradually picks up as the four men encounter frustrations and problems along the way. This film is unusual in that, from start to finish, it takes place entirely outdoors. The stunning cinematography not only captures the stark beauty of a rugged and unforgiving land, but also creates some memorable cinematic art, most notably the profile of a man, whose corpse dangles in the wind against the background of a bright yellow sun.For a film about "tracking", the script has little to say about real life tracking skills. At one point the tracker stoops down to notice one small rock that has apparently been moved. The tracker then uses this stone to conclude that the stalked man has recently been here. But how does the tracker know the rock's disturbance was the result of the wanted man, rather than some passing wild animal, or a local aborigine? The tracker doesn't explain, and his three white boss men don't ask.But the film is not really about "tracking". It's about politics and philosophy. The lead white man is repulsive in his violence and racism. He whips and chains the tracker, and verbally abuses him. Yet, to accomplish his mission, the boss man needs the tracker. The film's theme thus centers on how imperialistic, militant whites overpower natives of a country to get what the whites want, with the help of guns, of course. It's a frequent theme throughout human history, and in its application to American history it is known as "manifest destiny".Reinforcing this theme is the film's haunting soundtrack. I especially liked the visceral "All Men Choose The Path They Walk". The music adds emotional and philosophic depth to the story, as do aboriginal drawings, or sketches, that figuratively show what is happening, when the film's plot turns violent. The film's casting and acting are fine. David Gulpilil is himself an aborigine, and does a good job as the tracker.This is an unusual film in that there is not one single scene that takes place indoors. It has a political theme that runs deep, enhanced by haunting music. Although "The Tracker" gets off to a slow start, it build tension en route to a powerful ending. It's a film that would appeal to viewers looking for something a little different, as well as those interested in cultural history or outdoor adventure.

The Australian landscape and brilliant use of the light made this a stunning movie to look at. I thought the use of art work to depict the violent scenes worked very well but the soundtrack was a bit too much sometimes. One Night The Moon which came out about the same time does the musical thing much better. It is also hard not to compare this movie to Walkabout, I found that Walkabout was much more atmospheric and made a lasting impression on me, only time will tell if The Tracker does the same (De Heers's Bad Boy Bubby certainly made a lasting impression on me).As for the plot, it was good but, the ending was too simplistic for my liking, it gave it a bit of a 'spaghetti western' feel. I didn't think Gary Sweet was right for this role or it might have been that the dialog wasn't quite right for the period portrayed. Gary Sweet was much better in De Heer's movie 'Alexandra's Project'.Overall, a very good movie with a few flaws but still a 'must see'.