Stiff

Wenham is excruciating: the man can't act, he can only inflect his voice affectedly. Steve Bracks gave a better performance; at least he didn't say anything, which was an improvement on Wenham.

The script is excruciating: talk, talk, talk, and all the 'jokes' unfunny.

The mystery is about up to the standard of a sub-par episode of Scooby Doo; why didn't someone call the cops?, who would have solved the crime in less time than this telemovie takes.

Typical of Australian television that we have to have a fake show of multiculturalism from an entirely Anglo project, in which even the Turkish love-interest girl is played by an Anglo actress. (Couldn't have had Wenham falling for a *real* Turkish girl, of course!)

This crock belonged on the ABC (government television). Nuff said.

An amusing and entertaining TV-movie, "Stiff" showcases David Wenham as Murray Whelan, political fixer and amateur investigator.

It made me laugh with its combination of in-jokes, political cameos, and physical humour: in this respect, the translation from the page to the screen allowed the telemovie to become the superior story - however, the detail of the book was obviously missing in the adaption.

Finally, Wenham came across as a cross between his characters Jim Doyle ("The Bank") and Johnny Spitieri ("Gettin' Square"): Knowledgeable but also slightly sloppy and tired. The supporting cast did a great job, as did John Clarke on the story adaption.

All up, Three and a Half out of Five.

This film, while written by a talented funny man, with a good acting line up, did nothing for me. It lacked a beginning, an ending and a plot. Finding a dead man then researching through everything, only to find Mr Whelan dogged by bad guys, and no link was ever established as to why. I expected better work from Aussie film makers. This only serves to send Australian films back 30 years when the merest hint of one sent shudders down my back. It wasn't funny, not even amusing, it totally sucked. An awful lot was said about fictional and notable Turkish names of employees at the meatpacking plant, yet no connection was established with them and that exclusive club, and having politicians playing cameos was just plain silly. Are Australian writers wanting to lose out to big budget companies in America when it comes to quality TV movies? The Australian public deserve better than the trash it currently gets. I'll give it a 1/10 and that's being nice.

Throughout Australian Film there are many examples where the nobler characters tend not to say too much. They tend to be quite laconic, resorting to the occasional outburst which might take the form of a diatribe aimed at life's foibles. Murray Whelan, played cleverly by David Wenham, is depicted as one of those characters. His self deprecatory humour is typical of the genre and a breath of fresh air. For me this film exuded Melbourne. Although maybe just a little harsh on the State parliamentarian. Delightfully idiosyncratic. Some of the scenes around the factory were hilarious. Less convincing may have been the villain , Herb Gardner, played by Alan Hopgood, and Lionel Merricks, played by Sam Neill.

The real star of this entertaining and fast-moving comedy thriller is writer-director's John Clarke's droll and economic screenplay. The film displays all of John Clarke's dry wit and pithy wordplay, well delivered by David Wenham, as the self-effacing and increasingly embattled Whelan, as well as Julian O'Donnell as his son, and Deborah Kennedy as his long-suffering co-worker, as well as by a host of hilarious minor characters.

The film looks at the lives of all the little people that inhabit this ethnically-mixed area of Melbourne, as well as all the political, business and criminal deals that operate just under the surface of society.

Though the plot is a bit too hastily explained at times, the film contains the right mix of comedy and tension. This film sees both John Clarke and David Wenham doing what they do best.

After this Wenham began to be cast in villain roles, but his best work has been as the likeable working class bloke.