The Snowtown Murders (Review)
Australia/2011
Netflix Streaming: Yes
Amazon Prime: No
Jamie's
life is unstable and hopeless; he's a poor kid being molested by his
half-brother and his neighbor. That is until John Bunting enters his
life as a father-like figure - he brings the stability and security
Jamie's been longing for in his life. However, John is a manipulative
bigot with horrifying ulterior motives...
The Snowtown Murders is
based on a real story; it's a chilling account of John Bunting's
disturbing killing spree field by the hatred of obesity, pedophiles, and
homosexuality; it's a story of broken people, manipulation, and terror.
The Snowtown Murders focuses on Jamie Vlassakis' struggle as much as it
focuses on John Bunting's motives. There's a haunting, intense scene
where Jamie is forced, by John, to shoot an innocent dog. And, John,
devilishly and emotionlessly, watches and finishes the job afterward.
There's brutally vivid torture, although much is done off screen.
However, many scenes are prolonged which make them lose their
effectiveness a bit. What I mean is: transition and miscellaneous-like
scenes, such as watching a train ride by for a minute, take up too much
time. So, the film overstays its welcome by a significant margin. I understand the purpose of these scenes: to create a dreadfully tense psychological atmosphere; it just didn't work for me. It is
also a bit confusing due to its off-screen action, so you often have to
assume.
The acting was great from the entire cast. Lucas Pittaway
does a great job as a frustrated, hurt, and lost teenager. Daniel
Henshall plays John sinisterly and effectively; the way he speaks and
reacts to certain situations is powerful. The music is also great,
matching the dark tone of the film.
Overall, The Snowtown Murders
is a chilling and disturbing drama. The main problem lies within its
unjustifiably inflated runtime; it often feels uneventful, which may
cause it to lose its audience at times. I won't lie: my mind drifted off
more than once. The slightly confusing storytelling also hurts the
films immersion. If you can handle this bleak, disturbing story, then
it's worth watching.
Score: 7/10
Parental Guide: Strong violence and blood, including torture, and full-nudity (male and female).
No comments:
Post a Comment