Jason KingRed Dog: A Review
August 8th 2011 08:35
:
Sensational Australian Film
Category: Reviews
Easily, hands down the best Australian film of the year. Thank god this one came along as I was thinking of topping myself since seeing Snowtown but this is not only one of the best Australian films of the year, I see a place for it easily fitting into my top 10 of 2011.
This isn't your typical animal film about watching an animal bond with a human or go on travels around the place where he (or she) ends up eating mushrooms in the forrest and then fights a bear. Nope this is told Ozzie style and not only that, it is a homage fable to a real life dog that captured the heart of a small town in the Pilbara, Dampier.
Imagine the bar from Crocodile Dundee, then imagine walking in there to a town slowly walking in to pay their respects to a very sick loved one and them having a living celebration of that person's life with all of them having a yarn to tell of how this friend changed their lives. The film even begins with "a man walks into a bar". It is traditional GOLD in storytelling. Now place that bar in the middle of the red dessert and make that friend a dog and you have the film.
The success of the film is that it is a bunch of tales all told by different characters all with different opinions and characteristics and all with a heart of gold and a unique life story. You find out about these people and fall in love with all of them all through their interactions with this stunning animal. By the end of it I would have gladly packed my bag and headed off to Dampier. It is a semi-fictional (based on reality) community that anyone would love to be a part of (as long as it had aircon),
The film had hundreds of opportunities to go corny and turn into a disaster but not once did it. The director, Kriv Stenders pulls it back time and time again and just gives enough heart, enough emotion, abundant humour, enough love and enough sadness to keep the entire audience enraptured from go to woe. There is even a long speech and a sing-a-long and if I knew the words I would have belted it out in the cinema.
The cinematography by Geoffrey Hall (Chopper) is as golden as the Australian sun setting on the red dessert of Dampier and highlights further the harshness and beauty of the outback. Like all things beautiful - it can be lethal. The casting is brilliant. Every single person is fit for this film. Josh Lucas is superb as always and I think he has possibly the most genuine and comforting smile in Hollywood and it was a score for the casters to get him. Koko the dog kicks ass and is not a show off dog in anyway although holds a spellbinding close up. Those eyes will melt you
. Everything about the dog is just real, he just is. There is no heroics (although the scenes with Red Cat may have you pissing yourself with laughter). Rachael Taylor brings some stunning but believable femininity to a testosterone filled town as eventually does the grown up Whalerider, Keisha Castle-Hughes. But my fave character is John Batchelor as Peeto, a burly, grumpy miner who shares his secret love of knitting with Red Dog and is the party animal of the town. Luke Ford is m'eh and don't miss the cameo from our sadly lost Bill Hunter.
This film is one for everyone. I mean EVERYONE could enjoy this film, take the whole family to this one - it is well worth it. It is out now and worth every point of 9/10. I am actually going to buy it on Blu Ray - it will become a classic of Australian film.
This isn't your typical animal film about watching an animal bond with a human or go on travels around the place where he (or she) ends up eating mushrooms in the forrest and then fights a bear. Nope this is told Ozzie style and not only that, it is a homage fable to a real life dog that captured the heart of a small town in the Pilbara, Dampier.
Imagine the bar from Crocodile Dundee, then imagine walking in there to a town slowly walking in to pay their respects to a very sick loved one and them having a living celebration of that person's life with all of them having a yarn to tell of how this friend changed their lives. The film even begins with "a man walks into a bar". It is traditional GOLD in storytelling. Now place that bar in the middle of the red dessert and make that friend a dog and you have the film.
The success of the film is that it is a bunch of tales all told by different characters all with different opinions and characteristics and all with a heart of gold and a unique life story. You find out about these people and fall in love with all of them all through their interactions with this stunning animal. By the end of it I would have gladly packed my bag and headed off to Dampier. It is a semi-fictional (based on reality) community that anyone would love to be a part of (as long as it had aircon),
The film had hundreds of opportunities to go corny and turn into a disaster but not once did it. The director, Kriv Stenders pulls it back time and time again and just gives enough heart, enough emotion, abundant humour, enough love and enough sadness to keep the entire audience enraptured from go to woe. There is even a long speech and a sing-a-long and if I knew the words I would have belted it out in the cinema.
The cinematography by Geoffrey Hall (Chopper) is as golden as the Australian sun setting on the red dessert of Dampier and highlights further the harshness and beauty of the outback. Like all things beautiful - it can be lethal. The casting is brilliant. Every single person is fit for this film. Josh Lucas is superb as always and I think he has possibly the most genuine and comforting smile in Hollywood and it was a score for the casters to get him. Koko the dog kicks ass and is not a show off dog in anyway although holds a spellbinding close up. Those eyes will melt you
. Everything about the dog is just real, he just is. There is no heroics (although the scenes with Red Cat may have you pissing yourself with laughter). Rachael Taylor brings some stunning but believable femininity to a testosterone filled town as eventually does the grown up Whalerider, Keisha Castle-Hughes. But my fave character is John Batchelor as Peeto, a burly, grumpy miner who shares his secret love of knitting with Red Dog and is the party animal of the town. Luke Ford is m'eh and don't miss the cameo from our sadly lost Bill Hunter.
The Real Stature that does stand in Dampier
This film is one for everyone. I mean EVERYONE could enjoy this film, take the whole family to this one - it is well worth it. It is out now and worth every point of 9/10. I am actually going to buy it on Blu Ray - it will become a classic of Australian film.
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Comment by Mr Nice Guy
Pop Culturist
Pop Rock Factory
Big call on the Aussie classic mantle - but your track record isn't too shabby - so guess it's off to the flicks.
Comment by worldfilmfest
World Film Festivals
I have had a mixed response from people I know who have seen the film, but surprisingly, a lot of people want to go and see it which is fantastic. I will get around to it eventually.
Comment by Jason King
Sydney Table
Salty Popcorn
Total Randomness
In regards to the Aussie mantle I was going to say - it's much better than that crap embarrassment The Castle but thought I would get abused hahahahahahaha.
Oh - I think it's time for a new Top 10 Oz films
Comment by Jason King
Sydney Table
Salty Popcorn
Total Randomness