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This is a pretty standard and straightforward cop thriller but it's a well told and handled one!
There are some good things about this movie and some bad things but luckily in the end the good things prevail over the bad things, though the movie is obviously not without its flaws or weaknesses.
Thing you need to take into account though is that this is a very low budget production and in that regard, this movie is quite an accomplishment and definitely a good to watch one as well! The lack of budget doesn't get in the way of its film-making and storytelling. In other words, it's a visually good looking movie, with a real pleasant flow to it.
That's the main thing about this movie; it handles its story well. Of course it's quite formulaic all for most part but it's told well and even has a few surprises to offer toward its end. It definitely feels like the story and its characters are constantly progressing and the movie doesn't really have any slow moments in it. It's a good typical police story, involving a serial killer, in which its main character gets himself a bit too much involved with the case. Definitely more than he bargained for!
It's combining a whole bunch of different genre elements throughout and even crosses sub genres. It has some hints of a film-noir in it for instance, with a femme fatale type of character involved but also more modern 'whodunit' genre elements. I have the feelings this movie ultimately was going for a giallo type of feel and approach, (I mean it after all has the right sort of story for it) which however isn't always working out though. First of all, you don't ever see the killer at 'work'. Just a bunch of random bodies show up every now and then but we don't get to see how they ended up that way, which is normally customary for a giallo type of movie. The killer always plays a big role in the movie, even while his/her identity normally isn't revealed until the very end. Something like this could have potentially provided this movie with some more tension and mystery, plus I'm just always happy to see people getting killed in the most creative and gruesome ways, in giallo type of movies. But perhaps it was just wishful thinking from my part that this movie would ever at one point turn into a giallo and this actually never was the film-makers their intention at all.
The movie still does a pretty good job with its whodunit elements. There are many different characters in the movie, which also means that there are many different potential suspects. But despite the presence of all these many different characters, the movie never feels too crowded or confusing. It maintains a good main focus all throughout and there really aren't any needless distractions in the movie at all.
On a less positive note again; the action, big and little, isn't all that impressive to look at. Luckily this is the type of movie that really puts its emphasis on the story and its characters and doesn't rely on shoot outs or extensive chase sequences, every 15 minutes.
All things considering, this is a pretty good, well told, independent Australian police thriller, that never bores and despite its generic themes and elements still features one or two good surprises in it as well.
6/10
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