Erskineville Kings

I can quite happily quote you chapter and verse when it comes to Erskineville Kings because I love this film with fierce intensity. Even though EK has an unconventional feel to it and we are asked to confront some nasty issues along the way, it touched my soul the very first time I saw it and it still has the capacity to create a heavy swell of tension in my chest with each and every viewing, despite the fact I've seen it more times now than the majority of you have had hot dinners! The fact that Hugh Jackman landed the part of Wace, the oldest of two brothers around whose strained relationship the film is centred, is the reason I became aware of EK in the first place, but Wace is a dark, brooding character who spends the majority of this film being totally unpleasant and whilst we come to learn he has his reasons for behaving this way, I for one do not relate to him easily. No, my well-spring of emotion arises from seeing and responding to the plight of the younger brother Barky (played by the screenwriter and actor Marty Denniss) whose quiet personality and passive nature make him seem like a dog that's been kicked too much but which still wags its tail in a vain attempt to please. Dogs are cute and so is Marty Denniss (he easily makes it to prime position in my top 10) and I just want to hug Barky to death whenever he's on screen and stop his humiliation and end his pain.

I can see why Hugh is particularly proud of this role though because his portrayal of Wace is amazing especially in view of the fact it was his debut feature film. It also never ceases to amaze me how people's reactions to EK vary so widely from those like me who love it with a passion to others I've come across who quite happily admit they have little or no time for it. Is that the mark of a good film or a bad one? I'll leave it to you to decide for yourselves once you've seen it because this review will tell you at a glance exactly which way my vote is cast.

Australian films seem to be going through a surge of neo-realism suburban style. THE BOYS, HEAD ON, PRAISE and now ERSKINEVILLE KINGS. How wonderful it is to see Australian filmmakers looking into their own backyard souls!

The story premise is a simple one. Barky returns to inner-city home from the bush. His journey is made to attend the funeral of his brutal father. Not only does Barky have the past to deal with but his angry brother, Wace. Together they slug it out, bringing up old demons in hope of organising some sort of stability in life. It is the confrontations that bring you on edge with the surprising powerhouse performance from Hugh Jackman as Wace. Marty Denniss brings sincerity to the character of Barky, a man with a painful past and it's the quietness that draws you to him, waiting for those emotions to explode.

The direction heightens the unfolding of the story by simply telling the tale with strong images on inner-suburb Sydney as the main focal point to the show down.

A strong emotional movie made from the hip pockets of the filmmakers.

Erskineville Kings

Avoid this one.

Erskineville is an inner suburb of Sydney near the bottom of the social scale (or at least it was in the 1970s when this movie is apparently set.) Young man returns home on father's death. To greet him are a couple of dissolute mates, a nice ex-girlfriend and a brother eaten up with bitterness after having to look after the old boy in his declining years. Mum shot through many years ago and brother is pretty bitter about that too. Young man was driven out by Dad's drunken violence and doesn't understand why the brother is so hostile. He finds out eventually, but we're past caring.

One or two good performances, especially Aaron Blabley as one of the noxious mates. The whole thing was too thin even for a short (80 minute) feature and the camera spends too much time slowly scanning the crumbling Victorian buildings of Esrkineville. Maybe it would have worked as a 30 minute piece. As it is, a dead bore.

A year later Hugh Jackman would become Wolverine, and that's that. But I only heard about this movie - a low low budget Australian production - after reading a review for Prisoners (2013) which said "not since Erskineville Kings have I seen such a powerful performance by Jackman," or something like that. So, I dug deep. Shocked it only has 500 ratings, being Jackman's third movie and the one before X-Men. Slow? Check. Low budget? Check. Boring? Nope. The acting is solid all around, and Jackman's character isn't even introduced until 30min in, by which point I felt engaged enough by the other actors to feel connected. Also, a young Joel Edgerton offered an entertaining role. So, the drama was tangible but the humor was clverly injected to keep you from sinking in the melancholy. The emotional "climax" was superbly performed by Jackman and star Marty Denniss. Not my usual kind of movie but it had respectable substance nonetheless.

The gripping Erskineville Kings is a great film. One brother returns to Sydney after a long absence in the country. He's there for his abusive father's funeral. Big bro is not happy about his prolonged absence, having been left looking after Dad in his final years. The fact their mother fled her unhappy marriage years ago makes the absence even more painful.

The film is set on a hot summer day, and, like typical Australian males, the boys head off with a few mates to the pub. After all, alcohol is needed to make these guys open up. The beer, the sticky heat and the awkward reunion makes for an explosive mix.

The film is as tense as The Boys, but the characters are more rounded than David Wenham's thoroughly evil Brett Sprague.

This is a film about men and their problems, so the film's sole female lead is a little under-developed.

A great effort. Hugh Jackman is incredible.