 |
 |
| Directed by Rob Sitch; Starring Michael Caton, Anne Tenney, Stephen Curry, Anthony Simcoe, Sophie Lee, Wayne Hope, Tiriel Mora, Eric Bana, Charles ‘Bud’ Tingwell, Robyn Nevin, Costas Kilias, Bryan Dawe, Monty Maizels, and Lynda Gibson |
I guess that I was looking forward to this little film despite the fact that I was told that I would love it if I loved Lock, Stock, & Two Smoking Barrels. The fact of the matter is that I found Lock Stock to be only partially enjoyable. On the other hand I was full of pleasure watching The Castle, a little Australian film that I hope Miramax can push to a nice American gross (judging from the attendance at the theatre when I saw it, I’d say that Miramax has succeeded).
The Castle is a narrative about a working class Australian family. The father Daryl (Caton) is a highly eccentric tow truck driver who takes on many hobbies including gray hound racing and making additions to their house. The house is what really sparks the film off. It is nestled directly beside the airport and now the airport is taking all the land around it to build on (a nice little play on his own manifest destiny). Daryl takes this problem to his lawyer and, along with some neighbors, starts a court battle that leads all the way to the Australian Supreme Court system. All along, the film lets us get to know the man and his family including a great part visiting their Bonnie Dune property.
I really liked this film because it was much more than the slight film making practice that Lock Stock seemed. When I got to know Daryl, I felt kind of at home as I know many people that would have a song about Bonnie Dune. The script is great, though lacking in some scenes visiting the incarcerated son. Of all the cast I actually liked most Tiriel Mora as the bungling lawyer Dennis Denuto. The Castle is, in my opinion, the best thing to come out of Australia since Cate Blanchett.
