So much average

Film Perfection

A different way of telling a story

An old-fashioned movie made with new-fashioned finesse.

Director and writer Craig Lahiff who also created another classic flick, Heavens Burning 19997 has created another gem in Swerve which is a remake of his other classic Aussie crime flick, Fever 1988.Starring Jason Clarke who has also starred in other classic flicks, Everest 2015, Terminator Genisys 2015, White House Down 2013, Zero Dark Thirty 2012, Death Race 2008, Rabbit-Proof Fence 2002, Better than Sex 2000 and Praise 1998.Also starring Emma Booth who has also starred in another classic flick, Tracks 2013 and a season of the classic Aussie TV series, Underbelly 2008-2013.Also starring David Lyons who has also starred in another classic flick, Storm Warning 2007.Also starring Vince Colosimo who has also starred in other classic Aussie crime flicks, Chopper 2000 and The Hard Word 2002 and other classic flicks, Daybreakers 2009, Body of Lies 2008, Scorched 2008 and other classic TV series, Fat Tony & Co 2014, Spartacus: War of the Damned 2013 and a season of Underbelly 2008-2013.I enjoyed the Australian outback scenery.If you enjoyed this as much as I did, then check out other classic Aussie Crime flicks, Animal Kingdom 2010, The Snowtown Murders 2011, Restraint 2008, Kiss or Kill 1997, The Square 2008, Storage 2009, Idiot Box 1996, Son of a Gun 2014, The Line 2007, Small Town Crime 2017, The Debt Collector 2018, Dragon Flies 1975, Small Crimes 2017 and Cut Snake 2014.

I went to see Swerve on December 6th and 7th. I'm glad I saw it twice, because there were a lot of little things that I picked up the second time around that I'd missed in the first viewing. I love films that have that sort of layering -- what a great surprise for people who go to see them more than once, and an incentive for others to see them again! Wish I could've seen the movie a third time before it left the theater. What a disappointment to find that it was not held out for the following weekend (contrary to what I had been told by someone at the theater when I called on the 8th to find out how long it would be there). Guess I'll just have to buy the DVD/Blu-Ray and watch to my heart's content. :)Anyway, on to what I thought of the movie:The landscape was absolutely stunning. All that broad expanse of desert with the beautiful rocky outcroppings, the quaint little town that housed the police station and hotel, and the clear blue sky that went on for miles and miles..... wow, just beautiful. The cinematographer captured it perfectly. I really liked having an occasional little flutter of things in the right side of the screen while the main action was happening elsewhere. It kept me on my toes and reminded me that I need to pay close attention to everything that's happening (which paid off the second time I watched the movie, when I noticed those other little details that I had missed the first time) because it's all related and important.I loved that there was no dialogue in the first several minutes of the movie; that the story unfolded through action alone. It's a fantastic storytelling technique, and it drew me in right away. I noticed that the film overall was very quiet, as compared to American films that have musical scores pervading every second of every moment, guiding viewers toward whatever emotion we're "supposed to" feel in each scene. With its creative use of silence, Swerve struck me as a "thinking" film, one that doesn't just hand the audience a canned experience but encourages viewers to really immerse ourselves in the story and get lost in it. I have to tell you, I was on the edge of my seat throughout parts of the film fighting the urge to talk to the characters or shout at them or warn them. My ideal movie-going experience!The initial crash, with its tumbling car and the windshield blowing out was absolutely awesome -- I literally jumped the first time that car came careening toward the audience -- and the chase scene culminating in the train sequence was so adrenalin-packed I totally forgot about the popcorn I was holding.The characters were well written and well acted. I could really see the struggles that Colin went through as he kept trying to do the right thing but ended up stumbling along the way (whether through being used by Jina or through his own weakness, given each situation). Jina was so well done that I really found myself disliking and distrusting her, and was glad she got her comeuppance in the end. I felt the anguish and betrayal that the policeman felt at the hands of his wife, and I saw the reasons for his manic actions (not that I condone them, I just understood where he was coming from). I was blindsided by the bartender (kudos to the writers for that!) and I couldn't get myself to like the blonde guy that was following the money -- which was probably the intent, hmm?I loved this movie. Have I said that already? I'm sad that it didn't get the publicity it deserved, which resulted in such miserable box office numbers (in San Diego, anyway -- I hope it fared far better in the other cities in which it premiered). I really think this film needed to be better promoted here in the States before it opened, especially since it was opening in so few theaters. I only stumbled upon it by chance one day, and even when I looked for trailers and news about showings I was hard pressed to find very much. I hope that experience was isolated to San Diego and that the other cities marketed the showings enough and created enough of a buzz that they got the numbers needed to bring Swerve to more theaters here in the US. Quick note: There is a great deal of profanity in this movie. I mention this in case viewers are language-sensitive. There is also one instance of semi-nudity, with the female lead being briefly seen topless through the water of the swimming pool.

If you are going to rip off another movie it's a prerequisite that an effort is made to bring something new to the table . For a while at least Tarantino did it , making plagiarism an art form. When it fails all is left is a lame copycat - a la Swerve. Yes there are elements of U Turn here but mostly this is Nicholas Cage noir thriller Red Rock West revisitedYoung, honest but somewhat naiver ex army jobless drifter ends up in a rural backwater town he cannot escape. -Hooks up with a couple who happen to be a corrupt sheriff and his scheming femme fatale wife-A stash of stolen money-A hit-man in the town in pursuit -The film climax on the freight train carriage Sounds familiar ? Even tracking shots zooming in on the town road sign. Sigh. Sure there are some variations in the set up and script between the movies but the core of this film is a rip off. Add to that the cod Spaghetti western and coffee table muzak score. Not much to recommend Nic Cage at his peak, Dennis Hopper, J.T Walsh and Lara Flynn Boyle versus this lo brow Australian effort. No contest.

I saw Swerve at the Melbourne International Film Festival last year. What a ride! The films' director Craig Lahiff (previous film fame Heavens' Burning (Russell Crowe) and Black and White (Robert Carlyle)) prefaced the screening by saying "have fun" – I sure did! Too often Aussie audiences seem to take Aussie films too seriously, this was just good old' entertainment and the audience really got into it! Swerve is an action packed and sexy neo-noir thriller with twists, turns and all sorts of goodies in-between. It's a confident film and knows how to have some fun. The twisting plot always keeps you on your toes and the hot Aussie stars David Lyons, Emma Booth and Jason Clarke are all well cast for their roles. It was great to see an Australian film with some proper action in it. Roy Billing and Chris Haywood make some colorful cameos. Travis McMahon plays a ripper of a bad guy and it was good to see Vince Colosimo in some rough-house fight sequences. Hopefully Swerve comes out in cinemas soon – everywhere it plays it gets a great response. Australia should make more movies like this!