A moody and atmospheric independently backed Australian offering, Burns Point is a well-established and picturesquely shot local production that thriller fans would do well to check out.
Shot in and around Ballina in the Australian state of New South Wales, young director Tim Blackburn alongside his brother and writing partner Chris have seemingly taken inspiration from renowned filmmakers like the Coen Brothers and made Burns Point (a name taken from a key location in the film) a film filled with flawed characters and intriguing locations, while mixing in a rather generic storyline into something that morphs into unexpected places and scenarios, as our in-over his head protagonist Jeremy Wilman finds himself on the run from dangerous detective Ken Stafford.
Starting out with barely a moment allowed to take a breath (the film it must be said, wastes little time in moving from situation to situation), Burns Point thrusts us into the world of grieving brother Jeremy whose sister Lindy was murdered by her fiancée Bill Stafford, who just so happens to be the son of notorious Detective Ken Stafford.
After the justice system fails Jeremy and his family, he takes matters into his own hands and has Billy killed by a thug for hire but as is the usual with this type of set-up, nothing is ever as clear-cut as it initially seems to be as Jeremy finds his plan quickly going pear-shaped.
Blackburn does well with bringing this crime journey to the big screen, the film hooks you in quickly and it's only lessened in impact from some slightly mediocre acting from lead performer Andrew Lowe, whose role as Jeremy was clearly never meant to be a one of a man in control but Lowe never fully connects us to his Jeremy, who comes across as an unfortunately dry and uninteresting presence in a film that is anything but and with Lowe delivering some lines of dialogue without conviction and failing to make Jeremy feel like someone we can root for, his turn brings down Burns Point's chances of truly making the most of its potential.
Final Say –
Wonderfully shot, scored and set-up, Burns Point is a highly promising feature debut from director Blackburn, whose ample potential shown here shows off a worthy case to be given a bigger budget to play with next time he steps behind the camera.
Let down by some at times below-par acting and some slightly amiss editing choices, Burns Point is still a well-made local thriller that Australian cinema fans should make an effort to track down.
3 chives allergies out of 5
