| Director: | Jasmine Yuen-Carrucan |
| Starring: | Travis McMahon, David Lyons, Bryan Brown, Shane Jacobson |
Starring: Travis McMahon, David Lyons, Bryan Brown, Shane Jacobson
John (McMahon) agrees to kidnap Eli (Lyons) and deliver him into the outback for a fee. The only way to get there is to drive. He’s planned for every contingency he can think of. What John didn’t expect is a cop (Brown) with his own brand of rough justice, an observant truckie (Jacobson) and human cargo with attitude. What should have been a simple delivery job soon turns into a road trip into hell.
Cactus starts out promisingly. It launches straight into the action with the kidnapping. It’s no holds barred, gritty and tense. The film is brilliantly set up by the opening scenes. The lack of dialogue makes John appear remorseless and capable of anything, creating a delicious tension. When John removes Eli’s gag the fun starts. The conflict between the two men is instant. They are so different they can’t help but clash. Eli is an amoral, opportunistic conman. John is a compassionate family man. It’s going to be a rough ride for them both.
However by the half way mark, when things should be escalating, the tension dissipates. The ending is still a shock, which is a credit to the writing, but the emotional pay off could have been better. For the ending to really work John and Eli had to be more than friendly, they had to have bonded. Unfortunately that bond was not as convincing as it could have been.
McMahon and Lyons are perfectly cast. McMahon (Kokoda) gives a gritty and convincing performance as the conflicted John. Lyons (TV’s Sea Patrol) is a breath of fresh air as the bad guy with a heart. Cameos from Brown and Jacobson add colour and interest. Their roles are small, but pivotal. There are also some nice nods to Aussie culture, like the Ford vs Holden competitiveness. The setting of rural Australia is well utilised. The feeling of isolation from the vastness of the outback is especially effective in the final scenes.
But I wanted more. I kept waiting for the film to slam into fifth gear and it hit fourth and just cruised along. The road trip genre is so tried and true that Cactus needed to push the envelope to make its mark. Cactus is by no means on a road to nowhere. It’s a great drama, which makes it perfect for television. But it’s not edgy enough to be truly cinematic.
WHEN: In cinemas 1 May
MORE: hoytsdistribution.com.au
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