Savages Crossing

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.

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/ :)

Australian cinema has always been highly hit and miss with me but I have to say recent efforts including Wyrmwood (2014) have shown that there is a lot of potential there.

Written by and starring John Jarratt, the man you'll all know better as Mick the psycho from the Wolf Creek franchise this is an attempt at a thriller but lacks imagination and an ending.

It tells the story of a group of people seeking refuge in a roadhouse during a storm. But one of them causes chaos and puts everyones lives at risk.

Another review refers to this as a "Micro-Budget" movie which suggests to me that person has no idea what micro-budget actually involves. Sure it's no AAA blockbuster but it has enough money behind it to look and sound the part and also has Craig McLachlan who folks will know from both Neighbours & Home and Away.

The film certainly has it's moments despite it's glaring flaws but sadly as mentioned lacks an ending. The credits just suddenly roll without everything being wrapped up and that is unforgivable.

At present time I believe the IMDB rating to be too low for a film of this caliber, but not by much.

Great for fans of Australian cinema, not so much for everyone else.

The Good:

Competently made

John Jarratt

The Bad:

Too few likeable characters

Rather predictible

No ending

Things I Learnt From This Movie:

The "No ending" thing better not catch on!

If you want to convince people you're a police officer it's best to show off your standard issue sawn off shotgun

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.

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.