Reasonably entertaining tale of delinquent cousins verging on manhood whose lives take vastly different directions after they both meet and become enamoured by the same girl. Nathan Phillips survived his "Wolf Creek" experience but is out of his depth here when he attempts to shun the carefree and illicit lifestyle in favour of 'going straight', earning a wage at a fast food joint and dreaming of a better life for him and Cheryl (Alexy). His cousin (Chittendon) doesn't do him any favours by beating a stand-over thug to death, then knocking up Cheryl behind his back.
Good to see the consequences of these actions all come home to roost in a satisfying conclusion - except that is, if you're sympathetic to Phillip's character. Some pleasing location work (which every local viewer enjoys just in case somewhere familiar appears in shot) and generally realistic performances aren't quite matched by the pace which I found sometimes (not always) laborious. Some divergent plot troughs that ultimately failed to materialise (e.g. the nurse on the train scene) didn't appear to make much narrative sense, although you could argue these scenes established Chittendon's somewhat psychotic persona.
It's a rather bleak and unattractive look at Sydney's fringes and while most of the characters are depicted as thugs and deadbeats, they're also all shown to possess some innate quality and most have the opportunity at a character defining moment. Not pretentious like some other recent Australian films of a similar ilk, it's middle of the road fare that probably exceeds its budget and own expectations.
Good to see the consequences of these actions all come home to roost in a satisfying conclusion - except that is, if you're sympathetic to Phillip's character. Some pleasing location work (which every local viewer enjoys just in case somewhere familiar appears in shot) and generally realistic performances aren't quite matched by the pace which I found sometimes (not always) laborious. Some divergent plot troughs that ultimately failed to materialise (e.g. the nurse on the train scene) didn't appear to make much narrative sense, although you could argue these scenes established Chittendon's somewhat psychotic persona.
It's a rather bleak and unattractive look at Sydney's fringes and while most of the characters are depicted as thugs and deadbeats, they're also all shown to possess some innate quality and most have the opportunity at a character defining moment. Not pretentious like some other recent Australian films of a similar ilk, it's middle of the road fare that probably exceeds its budget and own expectations.