Outback (Wake in Fright) (Review)

Never has a poster quote been more spot on. Unfortunately.

So Quentin Tarantino right, he’s got good taste you would think? Wouldn’t you?

In the recent doco Ozploitation about underrated or forgotten Australian small budget “classics” Tarantino raved about a film made in the 70s called Wake in Fright, calling it one of the better films of the era.

Guess what I saw in the VHS section of the video shop last week?

You betcha.

Anyway Mr Tarantino, you either see a lot of things that I don’t see when you watch this film, or you drink heavily before being interviewed. In any case one of us is very wrong, because last night I watched one of the crappier films I’ve seen in decades.

Curiously called Outback in the main title but Wake in Fright on the VHS cover, is a film about a young, slightly aloof school teacher posted in a remote town in inland Australia (hence the Outback), and his largely futile efforts spent trying to reach Sydney to be with his girlfriend over the school holidays.

A brief stopover in a slightly larger town awaiting the next day’s flight goes horribly wrong when our “hero” John Grant falls foul of the temptations of gambling, largely caused by the poor judgment that heavy drinking can bring.

Let’s just say that there are approximately 847 beers consumed onscreen in 90 odd minutes, morning, noon, night, and again and again at night.

As it is almost billed as a horror film on the cover I made the mistake of predicting things, once it is evident that Grant is the most likely “victim” every new character that enters the frame becomes a suspect, leading me to think “Oh he’s the bad guy”, or “They’re going to turn around and hunt him for sport next”.

So what happens? Fuck all really. Over the excruciating 90 minute span John meets various characters who all call him Mate and buy him beers, many get him very drunk which leads him to do other stupid things, none of them scary or even interesting. He spends a good two thirds of the film drunk or at least drinking, but nothing happens.

At least nothing of interest.

The only thing worthy of mentioning is the 2 scenes involving kangaroo shooting that I thought would have enraged the RSPCA today, only during the credits there were big disclaimers saying that it was filmed during a real cull and that no animals were harmed just for the film.

So if you like watching dusty blokes drinking heavily and calling each other mate for 90 minutes accept this as a recommendation. Me, I’d rather drink heavily for 90 minutes and call people Mate myself.

Final Rating – 4 / 10. Mr Tarantino, I don’t know if you saw a director’s cut but the version I watched simply sucked.