CACTUS

This debut feature from Writer / Director Jasmine Yuen-Carrucan is a gritty Australian road movie. In need of fast cash, John Kelly (Travis McMahon) has agreed to kidnap professional gambler Eli (David Lyons) and deliver him to his employers in the outback. Everything goes to plan until a chance run-in with a country cop (Bryan Brown), when his luck starts to turn bad. As they head west, the big sky and featureless desert focus the drama on the car, where the tension rises and the lines between good guy and bad start to break down. It’s a fine achievement on a minimal budget, with a great script, terse performances from McMahon and Lyons, and cameos from Brown and Shane Danielson (Kenny). Highly recommended.

(Lachlan Jobbins)