Dogwatcher
20 Mar 2003, 07:50
David Caeser’s Dirty Deeds is a gangster film with a difference…it’s set in 1960s Australia.
Based heavily on actual occurrences, Dirty Deeds is the story of an Australian gangster whose booming Sydney business, buoyed by the influx of U.S. soldiers in town for rest and recreation during their tours in Vietnam, attracts the attention of the American Mafia.
When two Mafioso (John Goodman and Felix Williamson) travel Down Under to get a bit of the action, they find that doing business with the Australian underworld is not as easy as they would have thought.
Iconic and laconic Australian character actor Bryan Brown stars as the suave business owner who is not keen to be press-ganged into the role of the Mafia’s Sydney representative.
Brown is a man determined to keep his independence and aims to do so in typically Australian fashion, while his wife Sharon (Toni Collette) stands by him at all costs.
Working alongside him is his greenhorn Vietnam veteran nephew Darcy (Sam Worthington) and an assorted group of heavies headed by Sam Neill and the stoic William McInnes.
The great thing about Dirty Deeds is that it reminds us that Australia wasn’t always the 52nd state of the culturally imperialistic United States.
Goodman finds himself truly at sea while coping with Australia’s own customs, while also trying to keep a lid on the overly aggressive protégé Sal.
In turn the Australian characters are left bemused by American customs such as tipping and eating pizza.
Director Caeser paid plenty of attention to detail, giving the film a genuine 1960s feel, while his decision to use American actors rather than Australians with Yankee accents was also a good touch.
Dirty Deeds’ vibrant colours and scenery reflect a time when Australians were just locating our own culture and the world was just beginning to locate us on the map.
While it’s not the deepest Australian film of all time, it is entertaining.
Rating 3.5/5
Weekly recommended rental: Goodfellas (1990). Starring Robert De Niro, Joe Pesci, Ray Liotta and Lorraine Bracco. A film that is as tough as they come.
Based heavily on actual occurrences, Dirty Deeds is the story of an Australian gangster whose booming Sydney business, buoyed by the influx of U.S. soldiers in town for rest and recreation during their tours in Vietnam, attracts the attention of the American Mafia.
When two Mafioso (John Goodman and Felix Williamson) travel Down Under to get a bit of the action, they find that doing business with the Australian underworld is not as easy as they would have thought.
Iconic and laconic Australian character actor Bryan Brown stars as the suave business owner who is not keen to be press-ganged into the role of the Mafia’s Sydney representative.
Brown is a man determined to keep his independence and aims to do so in typically Australian fashion, while his wife Sharon (Toni Collette) stands by him at all costs.
Working alongside him is his greenhorn Vietnam veteran nephew Darcy (Sam Worthington) and an assorted group of heavies headed by Sam Neill and the stoic William McInnes.
The great thing about Dirty Deeds is that it reminds us that Australia wasn’t always the 52nd state of the culturally imperialistic United States.
Goodman finds himself truly at sea while coping with Australia’s own customs, while also trying to keep a lid on the overly aggressive protégé Sal.
In turn the Australian characters are left bemused by American customs such as tipping and eating pizza.
Director Caeser paid plenty of attention to detail, giving the film a genuine 1960s feel, while his decision to use American actors rather than Australians with Yankee accents was also a good touch.
Dirty Deeds’ vibrant colours and scenery reflect a time when Australians were just locating our own culture and the world was just beginning to locate us on the map.
While it’s not the deepest Australian film of all time, it is entertaining.
Rating 3.5/5
Weekly recommended rental: Goodfellas (1990). Starring Robert De Niro, Joe Pesci, Ray Liotta and Lorraine Bracco. A film that is as tough as they come.