PeterMitchell-506-564364
Although this story is cliché'd or not the most original, this indi film, still manages to be an essential exciting watch. Jack Barrett, a now older looking Friels, again turning in a solid performance plays a stand over man/hit-man who by his ragged and wearied looks, has done one too many hits, not just with his latest, but one of past, that comes back to bite him on the ass. The film starts off with Friels disposing of certain body parts in the water, off one of Sydney's beaches. He chucks up, realizing at this moment, he can't keep doing what he's doing, and too, he's just turned 53, so it's time to grow up. He confronts his boss, some English geezer, of course laughing at him, but Friels can't make himself anymore clearer. He grants Friels his freedom providing he does last hit, involving a real live spark of a university student, (Bojana Novakovic) doing a paper on a certain crime figure. Friels of course prolongs this, as forming a friendship with this girl. These mob guys of course, who run the drug and prostitution rackets are getting peeved by this. Just to let him know they mean business, they let off a couple of warning shots at Friels and company, while they stand on those big flat rocks, that overlook Clovelly Beach, while sharing some hot chips. I loved the sucking up kid, Trent, who mob father's played by Tony Barry. The man at the top is Haywood, at first, almost unrecognizable, proving again, how he's just one of Aussie's best actors ever. But the real acting revelation in this though was Novakovic, although she's done earlier films, quite the seasoned pro, who brings so much to her spirited role, where still so young, life is just big party, but she has ulterior motives here. The last thing, tough boy, Friels wants to do is kill her, so he fakes her death, where the twist later is a killer. Friels too shows us what happens if someone mistreats his aging pro friend (Angie Milliken). The other treat is the comic An Rah somebody, where he and his sisters have a standoff with Friels in an open Cabramatta Street, and for good reason. Another scene ensues a couple of ones later. This film, the first, from a newcomer director is impressive debut, a solid thriller with good bits of action, that makes good use of some Sydney locations. If not this, watch this film just the hot Novakovic.
sumwhanino
I just watched SOLO last night. I went into it not expecting much so that once the film was finished i would hopefully be pleasantly surprised... I wasn't. Now I realise that the film was only made for a million dollars and that it all had to be done by the book, but this has proved time and time again to be detrimental to the Aussie industry. We need guerrilla film-making at the lower end simply because we have to make a million dollar film look like it's worth so much more. On the documentary which screened about the film (it was a project greenlight film, the first in Australia) it showed how due to restraints they could not lock down a car wash so they dressed an allyway to look like an Asian Laundry. now the set looked good, but when i went to see the film you couldn't see any of the set design because of the poor choice in coverage and because they decided to use a long lens.Now it's not all the technical stuff which got to me, the writing and performances, the clichéd storyline also hit me hard. Solo comes across as a film noir, which is such a staple of American film-making but fails to translate well on the Australian screen, i'm sure in the future someone here will actually be able to do it but for the time being... they can't.Now the plot: Barrett (Colin Friels) play's the age old clichéd character of the hit-man who wants to get out of the business but can't leave until he does one last job. It's a tired plot device and I for one am sick of it. His last job of course is to kill off Billie (Bojana Novakovic) who is a nosy uni kid digging too deep into the underworld. Now becomes an exercise in fitting in as many clichéd scenes as possible. everything you think will happen does happen. 1) he can't kill her but instead falls for her 2) there are crooked cops how also want him dead 3) he's sleeping with a hooker (cause as we all know hit men can't have a stable relationship) 4) there are other gangs that want to see him dead, yet no one can seem to kill him. 5) an automatic uzi still can't kill a man with a single revolver 6) when the cops corner our hero about to kill him their crooked chief will arrive to say goodbye then of course leave before the 'killing' is done leaving our hero to escape 7) (you'll get this when you watch it) if you're 80+ and can still play piano with just one hand in an earlier scene then why think you life is over when some fingers on one hand are broken.there are other clichés too, like the ending (which i won't spoil) but lets just say that anyone with half a brain can figure it out about 30min into the film and it doesn't come as a surprise or a shock like the director intended... simply because this ending has been recycled from sooo many other films.all the actors (and i do realise that there was No rehearsal time at all) seem to just walk through their performances. the characters and o two dimensional it's hard to care about any of them, especially Barrett who we are supposed to latch onto. Look it's not a bad film but it's most definitely not a good one either. all i can say in it's support is that at least it got made. the sate of the Australian film industry is on a massive decline and more private investors are needed so it's good to see it at least get made within a year instead of the usual 3-10 year waiting period that usually occurs with most Australian films, so for that i applaud it.
ChrisThurston
Despite the excitement I had watching the build up to this movie on FOXTEL after seeing Morgan O'Neill win the project greenlight Australia competition, even my expectations were surpassed. O'Neill has crafted an authentic Australian crime movie that fulfills its promise to entertain.We are introduced to Barrett in the movie, sublimely played by Colin Friels, and I would challenge any viewer to feel a pathos for this heartless dealer in death. However O'Neill achieves what every director aims for: to make us care for the characters he has created. To be perfectly honest I thoroughly enjoyed all the performances and thought the casting was top notch.The camera work also deserves a mention as there are some wonderful lighting effects . The jazz soundtrack is sensual and matches the side of Sydney O'Neill is exhibiting. There is also some Australian hip-hop in a scene set in Sydney's seedy King's Cross whose only criticism I have is that it isn't long enough.As a Sydney-sider this is the first time since watching "Two Hands" that I have felt a movie has captured the texture of one of the world's great cities.Another special mention must go to Vince Colossimo whose performance I thoroughly enjoyed and I felt to be the best of the movie, perhaps this is down to the fact that I like seeing this type of a character in the movie.O'Neill has also mastered the use of Australian humor in his work as the lines feel natural to the characters and reminded me of the Lock, Stock type of delivery. Kudos O'Neill, Kudos
