The Keeper of Lost Causes ★★★½ THE Danes must be a really fun bunch to be around. Considering the amount of crime thrillers they keep churning out, the main discussion at dinner parties in Copenhagen is probably how to get away with murdering someone. The quality is usually pretty good […]

Department Q of Danish thrillers

A Working Man ★★ CALL me naïve, but I didn’t think David Ayer and Jason Statham could make a more average film than 2024’s The Beekeeper. Was I wrong. A Working Man is about as average as actioners get, based on a novel but seemingly just trotting out the same old […]

Lazy effort from A Working Man

William Tell ★★★ THE makers of period action film William Tell do a pretty good job of making audiences think their subject actually did exist. In reality, there is apparently no evidence that Tell was anything more than a fictional hero of Swiss folklore who became a larger-than-life representation of the […]

Tale of Tell has you wondering

Who Dares Wins ★★★ WHY the British action thriller Who Dares Wins didn’t stick to its historical context is a bit of a mystery. Released in 1982, the film is ‘loosely’ based on the actions of the British Army’s Special Air Service that ended the 1980 Iranian Embassy siege in central […]

SAS thriller a mixed bag

The Count of Monte Cristo ★★★½ Hot on the heels of the latest adaptations of The Three Musketeers comes another French retelling of a classic adventure story. The Count of Monte Cristo was the most expensive French production of 2024 and every euro can be seen on the screen. It’s a […]

French classic remakes keep coming

The Retaliators ★★½ IN THE highly populated world of B-grade revenge thrillers The Retaliators stands out. Released in 2021, this American film is billed as horror but that’s due to the brutal violence rather than any scares. Co-directors Samuel Gonzalez Jnr and Bridget Smith build some good tension and atmospherics into […]

B-grade revenge tale stands out

Hounds of War ★★½ FRANK Grillo is one of those actors who just hasn’t been able to make it big. Even amongst specialist action stars he’s probably outside the top 10. A decade ago, the New York actor may have been thinking ‘here I go’ after appearing in two Captain […]

Grillo still punching

The Red ★★ A GIANT zombie kangaroo terrorises a small town. That’s the premise of the Australian horror film The Red which basically delivers exactly what it says on the can, no more or no less. There is barely a mention of how the ‘zombification’ occurred or why only this […]

Zombie Red ain’t no Skippy

Mickey 17 ★★★ FOLLOWING the success of 2019’s Parasite the anticipation for Bong Joon Ho’s next film has been palpable. The eclectic social drama won the Oscar for Best Film, was a widespread critical hit and introduced more audiences to the South Korean film-maker. Mickey 17 is a little disappointing […]

Mickey 17 is a bit of a parasite

Squad 36 ★★★ OLIVIER Marchal is part of a tranche of French film directors who specialise in crime thrillers, usually involving police who walk a fine line between upholding and breaking the law. The characters are always tough, uncompromising and willing to do whatever it takes to put criminals in […]

French crime formula still working

Suspiria ★★★½ ITALIAN director Dario Argento is an extremely important figure in the history of horror cinema. Along with Alfred Hitchcock, Argento transformed the genre from the Hammer style to inspire a new generation of modern film-makers. It’s no exaggeration to suggest without these men we wouldn’t have got the […]

Italian master’s garish horror

Spit ★★½ IN 2003 a small independent Australian crime comedy was released called Gettin’ Square. In addition to introducing many people to Sam Worthington, it is best known for a great supporting performance by David Wenham as inept small-time drug dealer Johnny Spitieri. I still recall the hilarious sequence during […]

Spit not up to Gettin’ Square