Three unsatisfying reveals solve the murder mysteries (one present/one from the past) in this two-tired/character-driven police procedural. And yet the movie itself largely satisfying, because Eric Bana, the ex-hometown boy back from success in the big city as a ‘guest‘ investigator on a murder-suicide (Dad/Mom/Son) lends new-found gravitas to the film. (Very Liam Neesom.) It’s the parents of the dead man (Bana’s old pal from school days) who asked him back, suspicious of the findings. But with Bana unwelcome from a never solved drowning that caused him to leave, everything is difficult, particularly when an old flame resparks. Even the friendly local cop, starts to resent the expert help. All this atmosphere subtly laid out by director Robert Connolly in a style reminiscent of ‘70s/‘80s high-end indies. And like them, drifting occasionally into one-note (supporting) character drama. But the look and feel of the drought-ridden town well caught. And the flashbacks to water holes and rivers now gone dry, the difficult truth lying inside the school-days nostalgia (realizing his BFF was something of a bully boy who just might have pulled a murder-suicide), and confirmation that you really can’t go home again, give powerful spin to a familiar story.
DOUBLE-BILL: DRY popular enough for a quick follow-up, DRY 2: FORCE OF NATURE. (not seen here)
ATTENTION MUST BE PAID: You know you’re in Australia when Bana meets an old flame for dinner and pours a glass of red wine to have with his beer.
No comments:
Post a Comment