Category Archives: Crime

Crime, Mystery, Thriller

Force of Nature: The Dry 2

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Reading Time: 3 minutes

Date watched: March 10, 2024
Date Reviewed: March 11, 2024

Review

Yesterday evening I went to see the next instalment of Jane Harper’s adaptation of Federal Agent Aaron Falk in The Dry 2: Force of Nature.

It isn’t a sequel to the first instalment which was released in 2021 but I can perhaps see why after the success of The Dry, why the film has attached itself in this way. The only overlap is the character of Aaron Falk and you don’t need to have seen the first film in order to understand anything about this one. I had re-watched the first instalment during the day for a refresher and just in case there was any carry over link – I can confirm, there is not.

While I did enjoy Force of Nature, it unfortunately does fall short compared to the first. The sub-plot storyline didn’t feel to add to the main story line and felt a lot like filler. I can see parallels to the first film and the use of the two storylines against each other flashing between past and present, it just didn’t really pay off in this instalment. I am not sure if we were to ever believe there could have been a link and it doesn’t feel to have the same resolution for the character as in the first one.

The main storyline however was quite compelling, and I did not guess how it was going to end up. I think it would be quite impossible to work that out! I do like these kinds of stories as nothing is black and white. There is depth to the characters – no one is truly innocent nor evil.

In addition to the storyline being different between the two films, so is the setting. While still set in the state of Victoria, Australia, Force of Nature is set in the fictional Giralang Ranges where one of the filming locations used was the Dandenong Ranges, which I have spent a bit of time around this year as part of training for the Oxfam Trailwalker event last week. It was nice to have memories of those hikes as well as understanding the confusion that can happen while you are out hiking in bushland if you do not know where you are going. One wrong turn could have you lost and even if the characters had their phones, service would have been unlikely. As in many Australian films, the scenery becomes another character within the film and as the title implies, the same is true in this film.

The cast is a strong one lead once again by Eric Bana and filled with many familiar Australian faces including Jeremy Lindsay Taylor (who returns as Aaron’s father in the flashback scenes), Jacqueline McKenzie, Anna Torv, Richard Roxburgh, and Deborra-Lee Furness.

Force of Nature may not live up to the expectations of The Dry but that doesn’t mean it isn’t worth seeing. That might also be an unfair thing to say given this this story isn’t a true sequel. That said, it is probably one to leave until it appears on streaming services.

Rating:  Good

Crime, Mystery, Thriller

The Dry

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Reading Time: 2 minutes

Date watched: March 10, 2024
Date Reviewed: March 11, 2024

Review

In preparation for seeing The Dry 2: Force of Nature, I decided to give The Dry a re-watch. I had initially seen it at the cinemas when released in 2021 and it is currently streaming on Stan.

The Dry is based on the novel of the same name (which I have not read) by Jane Harper and is about Federal Agent ‘Aaron Falk’ (played by Eric Bana) who returns to his hometown to attend the funeral of his childhood friend, Luke who has killed his family and then himself in a murder-suicide. Aaron is called into action to go back home for lying about something that happened 20 years ago which ended up driving him out of town. Luke is also called out for lying about the same thing – the death of Ellie, a friend of the boys at the time.

Set in regional Victoria, the story flashes between the cases from the past and present as there may be a connection. Will Aaron need to face his past and tell the truth in order to help work out if Luke really did commit the crime which he has been blamed for?

The Dry will keep you guessing who did it and why, with several twists and turns along the way. Reflecting back on my initial feelings after the first viewing, this one really kept me on my toes right up until the end. On second viewing, although knowing the outcome, I was still highly invested in the story and perhaps picked up on some additional clues.

The performances of the cast are fantastic, as is the look and feel of the film. Particularly the contrast between the past and present from a rich and fertile land to a dry one. A striking visual metaphor are the bushfires raging in the distance approaching closer as the investigation develops.

If you haven’t seen this film, put this one to the top of the list for your next movie night.

Rating:  Great

Comedy, Crime, Drama

Amsterdam

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Reading Time: 3 minutes

Date watched: October 9, 2022
Date Reviewed: October 10, 2022

Review

There seems to be an increasing trend of filmmaking these days which blur the lines between truth and fiction. While some might say this has always been the case, I think many of us accepted that a fundamental part of the narrative was true with some embellishments added to enhance the drama. After all, it has often been said to never let the truth get in the way of a good story!

However, I have noticed that more and more it is a granule of truth to which a narrative is based that is surrounded by fiction, yet I don’t think our previous acceptances have caught up. Given that it has been found that viewers will believe fiction when it is presented as fact, is it up to the film makers to point out the fact from fiction? Should it be made clearer that what the audience is about to consume is a work of fiction or should we just know that going in?

Amsterdam uses a true event which is known as the “Business Plot” to base a comedy murder mystery around it. The film opens with the line “A lot of this actually happened” and while it does give light to a remarkable political conspiracy alleged to have occurred to a wider audience who would largely be unaware of it, the film itself has little to do with the truth of those events.

Despite that ambiguous opening line, I took it in my stride. I’m the type of person who will go and read the trivia about the film after watching it and seek out some fact from fiction in my own time. So I very quickly got onto just enjoying the film.

There have been some mixed reviews of Amsterdam (beyond the fact vs fiction element), but I liked it. I found it to be a light, quirky, and funny film and what I really took away from it was a story of friendship built on trust and respect. The film’s title itself refers a period during the first world war where the three leads meet each other and make a friendship pact which is the catalyst to the murder mystery they find themselves involved in.

The biggest draw card Amsterdam has is its star-studded cast and unsurprisingly Christian Bale shines in an excellent performance. He has this ability to transform into the character he is portraying no matter the film. Which also reminded me of how under-utilized he was in Thor: Love and Thunder. I also really bought into the chemistry between Bale, Robbie, and Washington whom the story follows.

Visually it is a good-looking film that includes picturesque sets and some gorgeous costumes. I also really enjoyed the accompanying soundtrack, which was beautifully scored.

While I enjoyed Amsterdam, it didn’t quite seem to hit the heights that it perhaps could have. It’s not a spectacular or complicated plot. The narrative can be a bit clumsy at times which gives the appearance that it is more complex than it is.

That said the film has plenty of moments that have you laughing and gasping in the right spots and may even warm your heart at times.

Rating:  Good

Crime, Mystery

Murder on the Orient Express (1974)

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Reading Time: 4 minutes

Date watched: May 20, 2022
Date Reviewed: May 21, 2022

Review

Note: This review contains SPOILERS. So if you wish to watch this film and don’t know who did it, read no further. Go watch the movie or read the book, then come back and continue!

Friday night family movie night and this month it was my mum’s pick with the 1970s version of Agatha Christie’s Murder on the Orient Express. I must admit that I had a small influence in the choice following an episode of Hard Quiz where one of the contestant’s subject was Agatha Christie.

I haven’t read the novel however I have previously seen the Kenneth Branagh film version from 2017, so I knew what the outcome was going to be. That however did not stop any enjoyment in watching this film.

One of the draw factors here is the casting. There are so many big names which was one of the reasons it felt like a good pick for a family movie night. To name just a few that attracted me: Lauren Bacall, Anthony Perkins, Ingrid Bergman, Sean Connery, and Michael York. In reading some of the film trivia, it was a decision to cast each role with a familiar face to keep the audience guessing due to the number of suspects.

With such a high number of characters and somewhat unusual in a murder mystery that there is only one dead body, it’s a challenge in itself to introduce all the characters while keeping things moving. As no one is expendable we need to learn something about everyone and Murder on the Orient Express does this well. While the train is getting ready to depart we start to meet all the players one by one and instantly get an understanding of some of their characteristics. This is against the backdrop of food being delivered to the train and the hustle and bustle at the station which adds to the chaos building and feels like the story is movie along at good pace.

Another enjoyment factor was the level of humour included, which I wasn’t expecting. Laugh out loud lines too. From Poirot’s friend who runs the Orient Express and the doctor calling out after every interview that “He did it!” to the snarky comments between passengers, it’s a really good use to put the audience at ease before the gut punch revelation at the end.

Albert Finney’s portrayal of the legendary Poirot, which at first I found somewhat odd but by the time the murder occurs and he is in detective gear, really started to gel for me. Finney’s Poirot is full eccentric and his performance is outstanding. The final scene where he brings all the players together to revel the culprit is specular. Accordingly to film trivia the final monologue scene is 8 pages long, with a screen time of 27 minutes and 57 seconds. Each second is fully captivating and runs for the perfect amount of time.

I had such a greater appreciation for the reveal this time around. When I watched the newer version I recall thinking “oh don’t tell me they all did it”. In both versions I felt a bit flat with the outcome but this time less so. The emotiveness in this film really did the story justice which I think come down to the performances of the cast. Firstly the balance between the five lives that were lost causing one man to be killed gives a little more to the “justification” of the murder. Poirot himself is very vocal on this point. Secondly the scene showing each of the players committing the murder builds such an emotional intensity which at times can feel uncomfortable to watch. Especially with how long the scene goes for – watching twelve people stab one person over and over rather than one frantic attack, it’s brutal.

The final scene of the murderers all clinking glasses of champagne rubs me up the wrong way. I’m a fan of films not ending without the traditional “happy ending” yet I’m not sure why I can’t find more satisfaction here. Is it that a bunch of rich people don’t pay the consequences of their actions? Is it because none of them were bad people and don’t feel like they should all go to prison either? Maybe we don’t need to cheer along with them but just understand their grief as Poirot must in order to be ok with not bringing them to justice. Ah, all the feelings!

Murder on the Orient Express is a classic that I would happily recommend to any fan of a murder mystery. I love that I have some conflict on the ending and I am still thinking about it the next day.

Rating:  Good