Jogo Sujo

A nice little mix of genres; gangster movie, period flick, fish out of water story, and even a travelogue!

The cast is excellent, even though I have trouble buying John Goodman (an actor I adore) as a wiseguy. Sam Worthington comes across great as a slightly naive kid with a good heart just rolling with the punches and unsure of himself. Bryan Brown performs admirably, Toni Collette continues to wow me (I had no idea she was actually an Aussie) and the rest of the cast acquits themselves well.

All in all, a really charming movie chock full of 60's era flourishes and cultural differences. Very entertaining.

In an age when the Australian movie scene is dominated by "larrikin" family comedies, gritty urban dramas shot on cheap film stock and whatever epic movie Peter Jackson gestates in the grit under his fingernails, David Caesar has crafted a small celluloid gem. A movie about the enduring Australian goal of killing everything in our path until one day the entire world will hit itself on the thumb and say "Bugger!" instead of "Sh*t!", "Dirty Deeds" is a camp classic, a knowing pastiche of the Australia of the early 1970s with more lashings of violence than most people care to remember. The film's depiction of Australian organized crime is in itself fantastic, the gangsters drink lager, run poker machines and swear a great deal. To see them in action is to wonder if Vincent Vega and Jules Winfield would've stood a chance against these corduroy thugs. Why, it's exactly like the real thing! Dirty Deeds - A Movie For Anyone Who Remembers Australian Criminal Activity. Go see it, you'll never want to visit the Land of the Great Wide Melanoma again.

True story, in the 1960s the American government was trying to control Vietnam and the American Mafia wanted to take over organised crime in Australia.

Both failed, we know about Vietnam, this movie fictionalises what happened in Australia and uses it as a metaphor for what happened in Vietnam (and what is happening in Iraq today).

It is fun, it is very Australian (it has Bryan Brown in it, what more can I say), it downplays Australian criminals abilities but shows them as brutal thugs capable of some quick thinking.

It is not an American bashing movie and has a pro-American message and an Anti-American message that Americans could learn from. Which is basically, America we like you, we like your Pizza, but if you want to go out in the world you got to learn to play nice because the rest of the world is much tougher than you and will scone you if you don't.

It also lovingly shows how backward Australia was in the 1960s (no pizza, no colour TV), so everyone gets a fair suck of the sav (if you understand my meaning).

In 1969 Vietnam, handsome soldier Sam Worthington (as Darcy "Darce" Ryan) receives his release from war service. He goes home to live with the uncle who raised him as a son. Meanwhile, weighty gangster John Goodman (as Tony Testano) and his trigger-happy henchman Fred Williamson (as Sal Cassela) are dispatched from Chicago, USA to Sidney, Australia. Their mission is to take over the slot-machine racket run by crime boss Bryan Brown (as Barry Ryan) by infiltrating his organization. Experienced at killing people and blowing things up, Mr. Worthington's becomes Mr. Brown's young partner...

Worthington could follow in his uncle's footsteps, or open his own pizzeria. A romantic subplot involves amorous Kestie Morassi (as Margaret), who so predictably switches partners you have to wonder what writer/director David Caesar intended. There is no real evidence, but perhaps Brown was trying to save his marriage to older, but still beautiful Toni Collette (as Sharon)...

Not an Australian expert, but there isn't much here that looks like contemporary movies from 1969. Adept cinematographer Geoffrey Hall is employed to make up the difference by making the motion picture look like an aged Polaroid. It only makes you look for the "color restore" button. The original soundtrack is done well, but don't expect AC/DC's original "Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap" or a 1969 parade of hits. Direction and editing (by Mark Perry) do help keep it moving. Most elevated in the cast credits is Sam Neill (as Ray Murphy). There is something extra to see within the end credit roll.

***** Dirty Deeds (7/18/02) David Caesar ~ Bryan Brown, Sam Worthington, John Goodman, Toni Collette

Truly, when will we Australians ever stop wanting to sell this "ocker" cliche thing to the world? I think the world 'gets it already' right? It's like the writer got himself a copy of an "Aussie slang cliche" guide and applied EVERY slang cliche in the book in almost alphabetical order! I mean what's that all about? Even words that haven't been used since the 40's. I am 46 years old and I have lived the sixties and seventies in Australia. People JUST DIDN'T TALK LIKE THAT! Sure we would use the occasional slang phrase or two, but nothing like the amount coming out of Bryan Brown's mouth.

Then the acting...Bryan Brown's character truly couldn't scare a chicken. He was trying to play the 'tough guy' instead he looked and acted more like an fast-talking and obnoxious ol'drunk! His scene in the gym was sad. He couldn't punch his way through a wet paper bag. His expression was'nt tough and menacing, rather one of frustration nad bitterness..

The opening 'Vietnam scene was hilarious! Vietnam? more like Dubbo! Its squeeky clean cinematography made it look like a cheap ad for Pizza Hut. In fact most of the movie was shot like a television commercial with all it's cliche characteristics. The car chase was so badly shot. I'm sorry but cars racing at 15-20 kmph don't exactly put me at the edge of my seat. I've seen better car action on bumper car rinks.

Sam Neil at his worst can't be good for his career. Tough corrupt cop? Right.

John Goodman and offsider just as bad. Cardboard characters with zero dimension.

Newcomer Sam Worthington needs a few years in acting school he DOES have an excuse.

Toni Colette was ridiculous as Brown's wife. I must admit that did surprise me as I have always been impressed with her.

The opening scene featuring Brown and crew with sledgehammers should have been alot more intense. They looked like a bunch of feeble old women as they smashed their way around the club. Half of them couldn't pick up the damn hammers. No impact whatsoever.

Overall besides being one of the silliest movies in Aussie Film history, this film lacked substance, story, dimension and direction.

A most embarrasing and weak attempt at an Autralian 'Gangster movie'.