Let's Get Skase

Rather like the guy who jumped from his hotel window into a cactus patch, making this flick must have seemed like a good idea at the time. Granted, Matthew George had no way of knowing Skase would cark it just a month before the film's release, there is now, limited humor to be derived from watching the antics of failed restaurateur and wannabe conman Peter Allessandro (played by co-writer Hulme) as in company with his inept henchman, he bungles attempts to kidnap the renowned fugitive businessman. Three of Australia's better actors, Alex Dimitriades, old stager, Bill Kerr and one-time Frank 'n furter, Craig McLachlan, playing a security fruit-loop heading up a rival team of Skasenappers, all try their best with a script from K-Mart. Skase himself (played by Wayne Hassell) doesn't even appear until two thirds of the film has passed into forgetfulness. There is something vaguely grotesque about watching these guys put the boot literally into admittedly an icon of greed and cowardice, when the family in Spain has barely settled up with the undertaker there. For a film aspiring to be an action-comedy it can barely lay claim to either.

I was astounded that a film like this was even made. The premise for this film would have been mildly amusing for a four-minute laugh on 'FULL FRONTAL' or something like that... but a full-length theatrical release?

For those of you who don't know who Christopher Skase is, he was a notorious corporate criminal who embezzled a great deal of money from a company in Australia named Qintex that filed for bankruptcy, and then fled to the island of Majorca in Spain. His crimes were overshadowed by the fact that the Australian government and his pursuing creditors couldn't get their hands on him due to the fact that Australia does not share an extradition treaty with Spain, and every time Australia came 'so close' to getting him back, Christopher Skase would have some sort of a 'medical emergency' at the last minute which would deem it unsafe to his health to have him removed from Majorca. He is probably known as one of Australia's most infamous criminals who didn't actually kill or endanger anyone, and his case was dogged by the Australian media for nearly 10 years, right up to his death earlier this year that came as a result of his battle with terminal Cancer.

Even after his death, his name is still ridiculed and most Australians find some sort of humor in it, some skeptics even believing that his death was an elaborate hoax.

'LET'S GET SKASE' was apparently in production and on the drawing boards long before Christopher Skase died, and it is apparent that his death has not affected the release of this film in any way whatsoever -which is really inappropriate because the premise of the film is based on a 'search and retrieve' mission to bring him back to Australia, the subject of the film having passed away this year.

It's almost like making a movie on someone like Elvis Presley... a cherished musician who has been long deceased - it just doesn't make any sense.

'LET'S GET SKASE' wants to be a satirical film that looks at Skase as someone who is like Dr. Evil from the AUSTIN POWERS films. He entertains lavishly, surrounded by bodyguards while pretending to be wheelchair-bound and in need of an oxygen tank. It certainly sounds funny. Back in Australia, a fast-talking con man sees the opportunity to reap gold from the situation. Financially backed by the creditors, he hires a group of misfits to head to Spain and kidnap Skase. Alex Dimitriades plays Danny D'amato Jr, the son of the creditor chairman in charge of the operation. He hires a sleazy television host, Eric Carney, played by Craig McLachlan, who is secretly hatching a plot of his own to kidnap Skase.

When D'amato Jr. finds out what Carney is up to, it becomes a race to see who can kidnap Skase first. D'amato Jr. forms his own 'team' of bumbling goof balls portrayed by Adam Haddrick, Torquil Neilson, Bill Kerr and Nick Shepard. Of course, there is a bigger sub-plot to all of this garbage so far... Christopher Skase has been scheming all along to resurrect his business empire... across Europe! I thought I could picture him with his baby finger in his mouth, holding the U.S. President and the world at ransom for one million dollars.

I am certainly not a Christopher Skase sympathizer in any respect. For a fact, I laughed at him in the 10 years or so that he was still alive. He was often the brunt of many jokes between myself and friends, and my ears always perked up whenever I heard his name on the news. Countless skits and gags were acted out on comedy shows like 'FAST FORWARD' and 'FULL FRONTAL' and yes, I found them to be riotous.

I just didn't find anything amusing about this movie. If he were still alive, I might have found something funny about this film, but due to the fact that in real life he has passed away, this movie can't possibly try to be serious... it can only be deemed as a comedy. And in that regard alone, I did not find anything particularly funny about the movie in itself. The acting wasn't awful... it was kind of like being in the wrong place at the wrong time. I just felt that the actors involved should have been displaying their talents in something much more worthy than this trash.

While this 'Australian gem' is not as evil as other recently released inane pap such as "MULLET" and "WELCOME TO WOOP WOOP", this movie certainly should have gone straight to video or another place that has four letters in it and starts with 'H'.

2/10

Getting Christopher Skase was really a big deal in Australia back in the 1990's. This film brought back quite a few memories of the public's outrage at Skase's escape from the Australians who wanted his blood. The file footage, especially the 'Denton' stuff (what a great show that was) gives "Let's Get Skase" a very solid base to start this box office under performer.

After the file footage "Let's Get Skase" goes about in a fairly predictable manner for those who have seen a few Oz comedies since "The Castle". Lots of oddball "loser" types fighting against a mightier and arrogant power. Thankfully as the film goes on one can't help but enjoy watching the determined Aussies, led by bulls@@t artist Peter Dellasandro (Lachy Hulme) and angry Danny D'Amato (Alex Dimitriades), trying to get their hands around the neck of the Oz holy grail, (that being Christopher Skase).

The acting is pretty hammy at times but suitable for the film. I loved the appearance of the slimy character Beneheim Bencini (George Shevtsov). For my money he is the creepiest looking and sounding actor in Australia (and a good one too, check out "Love Serenade").

The timing of the film's release in relation to Skase's death, as mentioned in other sources, meant that you would be seen as an out and out weirdo to see it at the time. However, at a time when funny Oz films seem to be as rare as a sweet smelling fart, it is a film definitely worth checking out.

I remember seeing the trailer, and thinking this must be a funny film, but when it came to viewing, laughs ran short, but it was still entertaining if involving. Christopher Skase was scr..ing over the government, a con man of notoriety, who fled to Miyorka, his island paradise, a safe haven as you will. Here Skase, still alive, who has got a hell of a lot of Aussie folk, angry, where us folk would rather see him six feet under, is the object of a bumbling kidnap attempt, in return for a lot of moolah, he's stolen. This is headed by writer/director/and actor, Lachy Hulme (wonderful as Kerry Packer in last years, Howzat) who rounds up some eager volunteers who've had enough of Skase's games, the kind who are seeing red. Skase is played by a lookalike actor, who in the opening scene, where you don't see enough of him in this, for all you Skase hating fans, rises from a wheelchair, where we first thought he was chair bound. What an opening joke? Andrew Denton here provided a cherished moment, funny, giving his opinion on Skase, and how the majority of public hate his guts. Craig Maclachlan was funny as a personal trainer/fanatic, he was kind of an asset to this film. Alex Dimitriades was good too as one of the the team, who really has it in for Skase. The angrier he was, the better the performance, another entertaining highpoint. It was funny how this bumbling group go about their plan in snatching this man of controversy, an identity who is the arch enemy to a lot of blood boiling humans. But something came apart here or short circuited in this flick, especially in terms of comic status. Here was a good concept for a film, but I didn't get the succession of laughs I expected, although there were some good performances. I loved not just seeing Skase accidentally crashing into the pool on a wheelchair, (a humorous moment, among not many others) but also the animosity Dimitriades's girlfriend was giving Hulme, thinking of him as somewhat of a sham. Lets Get Skase is still an okay watch, but if you're seeking continual laughs, may I suggest Dags or You Can't Stop The Murders.

Lets Get Skase is a great film, and for those people in the 'minority' you should remember one thing, Lets Get Skase is a work of pure fiction based on fact surrounding the events aftermath of the collapse of Quintex, Christopher Skase's empire and events that nobody has heard anything about lathered with loads of dramatic license for good measure. Lets Get Skase is a good solid Australian film, and in my mind is the best Aussie film for along. Lets Get Skase upholds the great tradition of "taking the p***" and to be honest this is all that the film has set out to achieve and it has done an exceptional job at that. Honestly who cares if Chris Skase was chased to the grave and is now dead and buried does it honestly make any difference to the plot of the movie if he is dead? Give it twenty years and nobody will be able to remember his name or why he was so hated. What makes Lets Get Skase such a great film is that it has struck a nerve with people good or bad.