The Last of the Knucklemen

This is a fantastic film, I'm surprised as an Australian that I'd never heard of it until I stumbled across it on the net. A nice combination of comedy and pathos. The plot is nothing groundbreaking, but it's the characters that make this one. They're lovable and believable and they've got some solid dialogue to work with here. This is a tale of tough men in a tough environment, what unites them, what divides them, and what matters to them.

Don't really have much else to say other than check this out. I felt obliged to write a review for this because it's only got three, and this deserves more attention.

Yeah, I thought it was great. I have worked in a number of isolated places where there is not much to do but drink and I thought it was a pretty accurate depiction of the personalities that make up groups like this. I was in East Timor in 2000 which seemed to lure odd characters from outback Australia and other places... Interesting times. I recall Tarz and Pansy promoting the film in Melbourne. They were standing in the middle of the mall with huge polystyrene fists which made the news. I don't think it did very well. Many Australians seem to have the idea that Australian movies are second rate and it's not until the movies or actors do well overseas that are accepted. Nicol Kidman and Hugh Jackman weren't stars in Australia until they made it in Hollywood.

This is one of those classic Aussie movies which stands the test of time. Although possessing a somewhat flimsy story line the film's strength lies in its variety of characters, wonderfully portrayed by some of Australia's best acting talent. Gerard Kennedy is, as always, simply great in the role of Tarzan. This bloke is really a class actor and he is well supported here by the broodingly secretive Peter Hehir. Typically strong performances from Steve Bisley, Dennis Miller and Mike Preston are also a feature. And who can forget Denise Drysdale's performance as the whore with a heart of gold? The Aussie trait of supporting the underdog is demonstrated in the film's ending. This is one of my all-time Aussie favourites.

Whilst it is not a classic, it holds its own as a genuinely Australian film in the same vein as "Sunday too Far Away". It was obviously made on a shoestring budget but that somehow lent the film an authentic feel. It has just the right amount of rough edges. But it is the actors who make the film worth watching. The cast is a roster of Aussie talent who were mostly seen on T.V. Consequently, there are no "stars" and therefore a real sense of ensemble and camaraderie - possibly aided by the fact that they were feeling alienated by shooting in the genuine outback mining town of Andamooka.

Every character has their own moment of revelation but Michael Duffield as Methuselah is the most authentic. The character recalls Old Garth in "Sunday Too Far Away" and perhaps Candy in "Of Mice and Men" as he is the constant reminder to the younger members of the crew of the loneliness and humiliation that is in store for them should they remain wildcat miners. Duffield's "soft ride home" speech is one of moments that lift the film into another realm. The dream of living the last part of his life at ease and with a sense of autonomy is made all the more enticing after we see the life Methuselah has lived as a miner. However, he has to choose his moment to leave and be sure that the "time is right" because once he goes out the door there is no coming back.

The soundtrack to the film is one thing that makes it truly unique. The theme music by the New Harlem Jazz Band uses a strange garbled vocal that sounds like someone with a hangover trying to sing a lyric that he can't quite remember. He gorillas the lyric out of the way with the guttural sounds as if he can't be bothered making the effort to remember.

At the conclusion, as Pansy and Tarzan fight endlessly on in the endless desert of central Australia to the theme music that has no beginning or end, there is sense that we have visited a place that will never and could never be any different. If you visit the mining towns of Andamooka or Coober Pedy even today you will find that "The Last of the Knucklemen" is not far from the truth - then or now.

Tensions simmer between a group of miners working in the Australian outback in this downbeat but engaging human drama. In writing and directing the material, Tim Burstall never quite manages to disguise the material's stage play roots with minimal locations and very few outdoor shots, however, the sense of claustrophobia that results from this often works to the film's advantage. The characters genuinely seem suffocated by their lack of recreational options and the film features perhaps the most intense card game ever committed to screen outside of 'The Cincinnati Kid' as the oldest miner finds himself in a poker showdown with a young upstart. Michael Duffield is superb as the elderly miner in question, waxing poetic about money and gambling, and there is a lot to like in how the others support him, not so much because they respect him but rather because they see him as what they themselves might end up like in years to come. Another strong performance comes from Gerard Kennedy as the lead miner who tries to keep everyone under control, but - as is suggested - the job that they are doing is "not General Motors", and having to live, sleep and eat together, it seems inevitable that something will occur with limited opportunities for release. For such a grim and gritty tale, the film ends on an oddly upbeat note, but the drama that has played out on screen for 90 or so minutes is still hard to shake as the film depicts the less glorious aspects of working in the mines in country like Australia where mine sites tend to be extremely isolated.