Dangerous Game

See where it all began for Aussie director Stephen Hopkins - "Dangerous Game". Australia's Psycho Cop, but without the wisecracks. You can't help but think the film's craftsmanship caught the eyes of the Nightmare on Elm Street 5: The Dream Child producers for them to hand him the gig. Watching his debut feature, I can see why they did.

This gripping little homegrown suspense-thriller with a few offbeat strokes uses a very familiar set-up (Uni-students in a department store after hours being stalked by a mentally disturbed individual- a police patrolman - with an axe to grind, and no, not literally). Don't go looking for a body count, let alone slasher as its slow rhythm virtually plays out in a long-winded cat and mouse concept. What starts harmless, turns into damage control when the harassment leads to something fatal.

The premise is straightforward, and fairly slight on the exposition with an inkling of dementia from an antagonist with more than a few loose screws, but it's Hopkins' stylised direction and camerawork leaving quite the lasting impression. By the end the plot simply eroded into a canvas of see what sticks. Its use of imagery and a fruitful principal performance (an excellent Steven Gries) is where the excitement mainly lies. Visuals show creative flair in camera positioning (as if it's on a string) alongside hue lighting and slow-motion. Nothing quite like the firepower of a shotgun, and not just one, captured in slow-motion. The colouring on screen at times can be vibrant ( definitely the toy section sequence) and some tension infused set-pieces (anyone for dominoes, or rooftop stroll?) are spectacularly presented for such a minor low-budget production.

I would love to see this film get a restored bluray release in the near future, as I think it would scrub up rather well.

An exceptional performance from Marcus Graham as the crazed Jack... A movie that will keep you on the edge of your seat and always guessing as to what happens next. A must see for lovers of true blue Aussie Films.

A young computer expert and his friends manage to disable a department store's security system so they can break in for the thrill of it.Once inside they find themselves stalked by a killer-a deranged police officer(Steven Grives)that the teens had caused to be suspended from his job earlier that day."Dangerous Game" is fairly exciting Australian slasher/thriller with some lush photography and stylish crane shots.The film is relatively bloodless and our psycho cop kills only one teenager during it.Still there are some suspenseful chase scenes and the location sets provide some suspense.The characters behavior is sometimes pretty silly and illogical,though.7 deranged cops out of 10.Watch this one in pair with "Maniac Cop" or "Psycho Cop".

Although some people might think this was a "Die Hard" rip-off, this movie actually came out BEFORE "Die Hard".

What makes this movie an above average movie is quite simply: the direction and cinematography.

Director Stephen Hopkins (years before he directed "Predator 2", "Blown Away", and executive produced the TV series "24") creates a lot of tension from with his unique style -- which can be seen later in "Predator 2" -- but he failed to stick to this same kind of style with later films he directed -- which is very disappointing. And considering this was his first feature film (he was the 2nd Unit Director on "Highlander")-- he makes this film look like he's been directing for years!

Peter Levy's cinematography is BRILLIANT! He's still, in my opionion, one of the BEST cinematographers in the world! I'll see anything that Peter Levy is the DP on.

So, if you're in the mood for a "Die Hard"ish kind of film -- that looks good and has a lot of tension, this is the movie to see. It's a very underrated thriller that didn't get too much attention in US (it's an Australian film).

A group of teens that have broken into a huge department store, are attacked by a crazed police man. Exciting and suspenseful throughout and refreshingly devoid of extreme violence and gore, but those Aussie hairstyles and accents are a bit much to take. And they can induce headaches. But this is still a good thriller. 7 out of 10.