Rent Wake in Fright (1971)

A Nasty Piece Of Work - Wake in Fright review by NK

Not a nice film and very much 'of its time' (translation - nobody would make a film like this now). The unlikable protagonist is an arrogant, pompous, yet weak-willed school teacher with a plummy actor-ish accent that grates on your nerves and a face you just want to slap. Traveling home from his remote teaching post in the Outback for the holidays he stops off in the town of Bandanyabba, where he gets drawn into a gambling game and very quickly loses all his money. Penniless and destitute in a strange town, the locals take him under their wing and offer hospitality in the form of an extended macho beer-drinking bender, culminating in a kangaroo "hunt". This hunt is an absolute massacre with real footage of wild kangaroos actually being shot, often at close range, interspersed with shots of red-faced blokes laughing and cheering. If this is your kind of thing you're in for a treat - otherwise avoid.

Tough, Controversial Aussie Drama - Wake in Fright review by GI

Lost for many years and now rediscovered, restored and available on DVD and BluRay this has been hailed as a modern masterpiece. It's a very powerful study of toxic masculinity, pushes boundaries even today and has some scenes that remain quite controversial. Set in the vast emptiness of the Australian outback where school teacher, John (Gary Bond) heads off home to Sydney from the tiny desert school he hates for the Christmas holidays. On his way his train stops at a township where he has to stay for one night before catching the next to complete his journey but getting drunk he gambles all his money away and finds himself stuck there in the company of a bunch of loutish, violent men. He gradually becomes more desperate to escape the town. The film has a hunt as a major set piece as the group of men drunkenly shoot kangaroos for fun. This is most definitely not for the squeamish and the extended scene is a very difficult one although highly relevant to the narrative. There's a sense of utter helplessness as John becomes more embroiled in depravity and starts acting like the others who have revolted him. I can see that the central theme here was likely an influence on Oliver Stone's U Turn (1997) and there are some grotesque characters not least Donald Pleasance' doctor who appears to have been trapped like John but has accepted his fate. This is not an enjoyable film, and the depiction of squalor and edgy violence does gets to you after awhile making this a very impactive film. It is well made and sits in those 70s films that looked closely at male violence such as Straw Dogs (1971) but its not a film that makes you want to watch more than once.

Watchable, but little else… - Wake in Fright review by JM

Having spent my weekend watching the legendary “lost” Aussie movie WAKE IN FRIGHT, my take on it is this: it certainly wasn’t uninteresting and it kept me watching all the way through, but it wasn’t exactly flawless viewing. Although he had effective moments, I thought Gary Bond was a touch blah as the main protagonist Grant and I wanted for someone with a bit more vitality and presence. That said, he got better as it went on.

Other problems? I suppose another was that, having heard of fellow filmgoers talk about this “lost film” in awed, hushed tones like it were discovering the Dead Sea Scrolls or the cure for Cancer, I’m willing to concede my main problem with it might be myself. Having been hyped to Hell and back, I must say I was disappointed with the end product; ‘roo shootings aside, I’m supposed to get excited about a foppish skoolteacher and his miscreant outback buddies tearing up the place everywhere they went? Really? For anyone trying to convince me otherwise, I say try a Glasgow night out! An epic Glasgow booze cruise is an edifyingly existential experience that’ll run you the emotional gamut, to say nothing of teaching you how to live in the moment forevermore (I should know, I’ve had enough such happenings to last me several lifetimes, saying no more than that). Next to that, the protagonists of WAKE IN FRIGHT are - apologies, cat friends of mine - a bunch of pussies in comparison! Incidentally, that Bundanyabba is awfy big for an outback town…

Still, it was terrific to see Donald Pleasance onscreen again (it’s been far too long…) and the bluray is awesome, with terrific special features, plus it does more than ample justice to the stunning cinematography by the very excellent Brian West, with the heat and aridity of outback Australia almost threatening to burst through the TV! Pity it all couldn’t have been in support of a better film… So that’s my thoughts on WAKE IN FRIGHT, a watchable but flawed film that didn’t measure up for me in the end. Back to my life I go…

Bladdy raff mate - Wake in Fright review by AER

An interesting Australian film about male behaviour and macho lunacy. Donald Pleasance is in a supporting lead and has an interesting line that addresses the main character's initial resistance to the lack of culture. 'What do expect from them, opera?" It's a thrilling, lively, and sometimes shocking film (the kangaroos). One of Ted Kotcheff's very best films and I'm glad it's been restored and made available for us all to watch. Tough going at times, but from my time in Australia, still realistic and relevant as far as behaviour and male toxicity is concerned. Great movie for fans of 70s Australian cinema.