Sorry, this movie sucks

Powerful

A waste of 90 minutes of my life

A lot of fun.

It's been a while since I have been watching such a slow movie... nothing really happens. Pictures are great but it looks so great and hot that I was suffocating by the lack of rythm. I could not go any further than 30 minutes.

'Sweet Country' isn't only great because of its Australian setting and style of cinematography, although long desolate shots of the outback certainly don't do it any harm, shades of classic spaghetti westerns. It actually has a fine story, uplifting and ultimately tragic, and some decent movie action and acting which make it a good film by anybody's standards. So, ignore the negative reviews, if you like films it's time well spent!A couple of 'issues' which to my mind reduce 'Sweet Country's' impact as a dramatic and socially-driven western. I don't think there's enough depth in some of the central characters. The preacher Sam Smith played by Sam Neil could have been brought into the film more, especially with an actor of Neil's quality, and Bryan Brown's portrayal of 'multiple-sided' main sheriff Sergeant Fletcher also felt under-developed if you want to give a more rounded' view of things. On the other hand, Hamilton Morris as the wrongly-accused and hunted aborigine Sam Kelly is outstanding from start to finish. In fact, a lot of the drama among the indigenous actors is powerful and works in favour of the film.The action of 'Sweet Country' unfolds believably for me, but is let down at the end with the trial. You can't really pack a punch in a justice movie unless you show how the verdict is reached effectively ('To Kill A Mockingbird' etc.). So, in this case, tag an extra 20 minutes or so on the film to emphasize the evidence (with say repeat 'flashbacks' of the crime) as well as the eye-witness accounts. I won't spoil this with details, just fair to say I found the film a bit thin at the end.So, 'Sweet Country' does enough to earn its awards and accolades, a credit to those involved in making it. All the other stuff ... a study of racism, accurate or otherwise views of history, powerful socio-political statement ... all open to discussion, as it should be. Enjoyable, a 'must-see' sort of film.

As an Australian, I certainly had high hopes for this movie. Bryan Brown and Sam Neill are very capable actors as their respective resumes will attest and the Aboriginal actors (who I have not seen act before) held their own very well. The Australian outback landscape is the winner in this film though, harsh and unforgiving. If you're ever wanting to see the outback, this movie gives you a good taste of it - with flies to boot. Unfortunately, this film stagnates for far too long. The scenes themselves make sense but they could have edited this experience down, as another reviewer said, to about an hour. I found myself bored after a short time. The other problem that I personally felt with it is it goes along with the PC notion that Black is Right and White is Blight... The white actors in general, are shown to be racist, foulmouthed and treat the Aboriginals like dirt and I find myself tired of this portrayal in the media today. Yes, I understand that Europeans did treat the natives in Australia with disrespect, murder even but our history - though not often spoken about - also includes black on white crime, again, this includes rape and murder. Any culture cannot move forward by continuing to look backwards and this sort of cinematic portrayal perpetuates this and lays on the white guilt, so prevalent these days, rather thickly. I would have been happier to see even a 'Hollywood' version where both sides bridge the gap, so to speak. It would have left me with a feeling of hope for our cultures instead of thinking that this was more fodder for the politically correct bandwagon.

When Australian cinema is good ,its usually really good and this one can hold its head high in any cinema in the world. Director Warwick Thornton who also made Samson and Delilah has excelled again with this Aussie period Western set in 1929 in the Northern Territory. It has the feel and ingredients of a Western , the Lawman, the fugitive, the posse, even the Saloon gal and the town vigilantes but Its much more than an action Western and even reminded me at times of Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird set in the Australian outback. The stars are Hamilton Morris as Sam the hunted fugitive Aboriginal stockman and Bryan Brown as Sergeant Fletcher the hunter . Sam Neill as the minister, is also terrific in his role , showing the only compassion and acceptance to the indigenous population in the entire movie and Matt Day as the judge is also impressive. The cinematography is superb and at times resembles an Albert Namatjira landscape, which is understandable but it takes great skill to capture the light and timelessness of the outback landscape, it should wow overseas audiences . After the dismal film we saw yesterday this was a joy to watch and what good cinema is all about.