Savages Crossing

The nut-job killer (played by John Jarratt) from the rather wonderful 'slasher' 'Wolf Creek', reprises a near exact (twisted) character performance, in a lesser but still totally mad Australian feature. Saying that it's nowhere as good, so for me it goes down a major disappointment. Mr J.Jarratt give you a reason to watch.

A flash flood in Australia cuts off a small handful of people in a remote roadside diner . A man called Phil enters and threatens his estranged wife Sue and the stranded drivers realise they're in a desperate struggle for their lives

This is a low budget Aussie thriller with a very small cast and a limited number of sets . This isn't enough to condemn the film as a failure of course but if you're making something along the lines of THE OLD DARK HOUSE then you'll need to make sure you're bringing something new and appetizing to the table and this is where SAVAGES CROSSING fails to a very large extent . What happens for most of the time Phil played by John Jarrat swaggers around over acting to high heaven telling people if they don't tell him where his wife is he's going to have to kill them

Another minor annoyance is Craig McLachan as the hero of sorts Mory . McLachan was once a household name in Britain and Australia twenty years ago due to his starring roles in NEIGHBOURS and HOME AWAY while like so many Aussie soap opera stars had a side line as a pop singer and he does the incidental music here on a soundtrack that is rather intrusive . He doesn't make much of a hunky hero either in a film that feels something of a wash out which is appropriate since it revolves around a flood

Savages Crossing is a micro-budget horror flick written by John Jarratt and his son and it really is just an exercise in vanity. Jarratt had a fleeting glimpse at resurrected stardom with Wolf Creek and so he's essentially written himself another psychopathic lunatic role in a similar vein. But hey, the movie works. The first 10 minutes are woeful (and unnecessary) as its shot in day light and the lack of budget shows, but once night falls and the rain pours, Savages Crossing has a great atmosphere and performances. Craig McLachlan is actually really good as the 'take- no-sh!t' country farmer and in my opinion he steals the show. Its not great by any means, but certainly worth a look.

Surprised this has such a low IMDB rating as it is not that bad. When a group of people are forced to take refuge in a road house during a storm they are unaware that one among them is John Jarrett who seems to be reprising his role as the Psycho from 'Wolf Creek'. Just released from prison he is seeking his wife and son to claim his share of his wife's money. He then goes on to terrify them and the other people marooned in the roadhouse. The hero standing in his way is Craig McLachlan of 'Neighbours' fame, who just happens to be the person who rescued Jarrett from an overflowing river at the beginning of the film. Running for just 80 minutes this deserves a much better rating than the 3.6 it has as I write.

My expectations weren't very high for this film... and quite rightly so. John Jarratt (from Wolf Creek, Django Unchained... and Play School... you heard me) writes and stars in this little independent Aussie flick about a man who immediately after being released from prison (or rehab... it's never really made clear) heads straight home to visit his wife and son so he can demand either his half of their house or $5,000,000 (yet again it's not really made clear... and the house is probably worth about $500,000 at the most). The wife and son head to the holiday home of a family friend where they believe they'll be safe and can hideout until the coast is clear. Halfway to their destination they find themselves stranded at a roadhouse in the middle of nowhere due to the flooding caused by a storm that has conveniently just begun. Even more conveniently, they left their address book open and the psycho patriarch figures out where they're heading just in time to find himself stranded halfway there at the very same roadhouse. On the surface it would seem that he wants half the house or $5,000,000, otherwise he'll kill his wife and his son AND anyone who gets in his way, including the other poor unfortunates who are also stranded at the roadhouse. There is a mild twist at the end, but you'll still be left thinking, "Really? Is that it?". The acting is of the same calibre you'd expect from an episode of Neighbours or Home and Away on a bad day. Judging by the cover you'd be expecting a brutal horror movie and you'll wind up sitting through a lame thriller with a very low kill count and very little tension. Craig McLachlan plays the hero of the piece... and with all due respect Craig... enough said!

I apologise for the fact that my carefully worded and relatively well thought out review is essentially just one massive paragraph :D

Check out my IMDb List for some better suggestions. "HORROR/THRILLER: Obscure, Overlooked & Underrated" http://www.imdb.com/list/8QFZ78e4Ar8/ :)