The Boys

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You don't often see acting like this in movies. It puts the academy awards into perspective. So said Roger Ebert in his review in Once Were Warriors. And the same applies here. David Wenham is simply jaw droppingly good in his portrayal of an unhinged, resentful and cold hearted man who sets out on a mission, intentional or not, to drive away anyone even remotely close to him. He has nothing but calculated cruelty in his words and his actions, only wanting to drop everyone to a lower level than him and give him power. Power that masks his deep insecurity and self loathing. It is simply the best acting performance I have seen in an Australian movie. Every supporting character is equally as engaging, especially John Polson as his clueless brother. Funny how a small movie mainly set in one house and based on a stage play stays with you far longer than a big budget Hollywood pic. Sometimes all you need is interesting characters and a strong script to make its mark. You will be glued to the screen from start to finish.

The Western suburbs of Sydney and Brett is released from prison to be welcomed back into his own prison, Home. The family are at odds with life and Brett makes matters worse. By evenings end the brothers dwell into a deep dark void and go on a primitive hunt. A disturbing film capturing the struggle of the male species placed at the bottom of the social ladder. Brett, repressed by the laws of society and the repressor of the weak, portrays the primitive role of man as he and his brothers roam within the confines of their cave where they rule supreme. In the outside world they are powerless. They even fail in controlling their women that their forefathers were able to do with a heavy hand. So society has changed but not the testerone levels these men carry. Have we gone against nature and created these oppressed monsters who break and rise to seek their fury on the weak? A wonderful discussion to have over a beer and BBQ. The director Woods opts for the neo-realist approach that works in the confine spaces of the house. Strong filmmaking for a small film carrying important issues.

This movie is not entertainment and should be approached with caution. That said, it is a powerful insight into how a certain strata of society lives. You see the boredom and hopelessness and the effect it has on the individual and the family. The strength of the movie lies in the control and stillness of the main character. This is not a man you want to meet, let alone upset.

The reason I was riveted by this film is because it was so real. And so Australian. I know lots of blokes like Brett Sprague. In the scene where Brett accuses Nola of calling the cops, Nola turns away from him and Brett says "Hey....hey, look at me." In the nonchalant way he says is more terrifying than if he was yelling at the top of his lungs. You can tell there's something evil festering away inside Brett. David Wenham puts in one of best performances in Australian cinema. His domineering portrayal of Brett was one of the most chilling I've seen in recent years. I'd rank it alongside the animal presence in "In The Winter Dark" for pure scare value. This movie is what Australian film is all about. Not cross-dressers going cross country in a bus, or a bunch of idiots having a zany family christmas, or even a full Australian cast falling over themselves because the main star is American. 1998 was a fantasic year for Aussie films, & The Boys was one of the best. **** out of four.

The filmmakers of "The Boys" get so deep inside the blamings and self pity of humanity's monsters, you could almost miss the culpability of the ineffectual women who enable them to grow up into walking catastrophes. The events of this film, set off by the first day of parole for angry young headcase Brett Sprague, lead to a decision so horribly wrong-headed and repellent, that a suspended moment of nothing but a black screen is one of the most excruciating pregnant pauses in the history of films. Up to this point, there's a kitchen sink drama like almost no other (Gary Oldman's "Nil By Mouth" a close cousin, but not nearly as upsetting) and lacerating performances by the cast and crew - The sound designer gets a deserved opening credit. It appears that this movie was well appreciated in Australia, but had an abortion of a release here in the US. Now that it's on video, it's one of the best lost gems you're likely to score this year.

This movie is the most powerful piece of cinema to come out of Australia and the performances by all actors, and in particular David Wenham and Toni Colletter where incredible. It is in the same league as Romper Stomper, and, Chopper, but with better acting. This film was never intended to be a documentary or to be an insight into the criminal mind and those who have reviewed it as such have totally missed the point. This is a movie about smalltime criminals that pulls no punches and tells it as it is and doesn't try to glorify these characters unlike the sort of movies you see coming out of Hollywood that are from the same genre. If you are looking for a "moral" to the story, or to learn some "facts" about the criminal world you may be disappointed with this film. But if you like intensely realistic plot lines and powerful acting performances then you will find "The Boys" to be one of those movies that you must add to your DVD library.

Whilst a worthy idea, The Boys fails to deliver mainly due to poor casting. Wenham tries hard as the lead'thug'and has some moments where he appears deeply troubled but doesn't really pull it off - a very one dimensional character that the writers failed to develop. I suspect Wenham's performance suffers mainly due to the poor ensemble casting of Hayes and Polson, who lack credibility of any type as bad guys - they simply are not scary and their performances are boring - I have seen tougher guys at the local car wash / fruit shop / express lane at Coles etc than in this movie, how they were cast in this is a mystery. Curran does a good job as the mother but she can't compete against the 'unbelievable' sons she has to work with. Toni Collette does her best in a bland role but doesn't really add much to the movie. Anna Lise Phillips does a nice job as Nola. This movie offers some interest but mostly forgettable. Watch it fast forward.

A dim-witted Aussie leaves jail and goes back home, where he reunites with his two even more dim-witted brothers and all their heavily masochistic girlfriends, new and old. Eventually the jail-bird brother puts so much instability in the house that all three of their girlfriends leave them within a day. In the meantime, we are treated to sequences from the near and not-so near future, in which the three morons obviously did something very stupid and are in jail awaiting trial. The movie builds on this premise: keep the viewer interested by making him anxiously wait for the explanation of what the brothers did to land in jail. It's at first a chaotic story-telling method, but gradually settles in. The problem is the actual crime, and the way the movie ends: they attack, rape(?), and kill(?) a random woman from the street. That simple. I was sort of betting on them robbing a place for money, or the crime being a bit more complex in plot, but all it turns out to be is assault on a woman. It's supposed be to their revenge on the female sex for their girlfriends leaving them and what-not. But it somehow doesn't quite ring true; only one of the brothers actually cared about his relationshit. The other two pretty much ignored their girlfriends, and didn't seem to be that much interested even in having sex with them, so what's this stuff with assaulting that woman at the end of the movie? A mediocre drama, with plenty of shaky, hand-held camera scenes, and unsympathetic characters.

Rowan Wood's film The Boys is a cracking little drama from Australia, driven by some excellent performances and notable for an early appearance from David Wenham & Toni Collette on screen together before they hit it big over in the states. This film is intense, taken as a slow burning drama it works incredibly well as a portrait of a working class Australian family tearing itself apart over the course of a single day. It culminates in an ending that leaves the viewer cold, featuring intertwined cut-scenes strewn throughout the film which show later consequences only serving to intensify the lack of resolution and bleakness present as the credits start to roll. As a director Rowan Woods adds some nice touches though the main focus of the film is on developing the characters present. The opening sequences feature an almost surrealistic focus on an everyday Australian household setting and the objects within it, something quite unknown to me in the realms of film which sets a spooky tone to the minimalist soundtrack composed by The Necks. Grainy shots of the city at night between sequences further this, capturing perfectly the maudlin vibes I know so well. The Boys is a very well made film, one of the most accomplished dramas to have come out of Australia. Being born on these shores personally and having known people who live like this it becomes all the more relevant. It is bleak but despite this there is an uneasy humor throughout, the plight of the ultimately pathetic characters striking an ambiguity where you don't know whether to laugh or feel disturbed. This is life... is it not?