November 05, 2006
Savage Sinema From Down Under (Box Set)
Independent Australian filmmaker with a true renegade spirit
Starring: aul Moder, Susanne Hausschmid
Rating: 7/10
Directed By: Mark Savage
Runtime: 260 minutes
Starring: aul Moder, Susanne Hausschmid
Rating: 7/10
Directed By: Mark Savage
Runtime: 260 minutes
Allow me to expound upon the wondrous benefits of DVD for a while. As a format it has delivered a clarity of picture unknown to anyone outside of the Laserdisc community at a fraction of the cost to both wallet and shelf space. As a medium, though, it has proven much more valuable to film connoisseurs. The miniscule cost to produce these discs have allowed hundreds of small companies to pop up virtually overnight and begin producing discs that would not have seen the light of day in the much more expensive VHS days. Some prove worthy, some not so much, but either way, they tend to be fascinating. Subversive Cinema is quickly becoming one of the better genre houses along with Synapse Films and Anchor Bay (the undisputed king). Over the past few months Subversive has distributed a small assortment of David Lynch's earlier works as well as a beautifully compile Dust Devil box set and now they have released this 3 movie set of Australian filmmaker Mark Savage's oeuvre. The films are an exciting glimpse at a rebellious filmmaker who embraces his independent roots but whose films lack the vision and intelligent dialogue often associated with classic indecent cinema.
Savage's first movie was 1986's Marauders which focuses on the crime spree perpetrated by two sets of criminals. It's a nihilistic piece of cinema that proves more entertaining for its odd 80's wardrobe and hairstyles than for its simplistic structure and sub par acting. Savage is able to pull off a handful of impressive stunts on his tiny budget but the overacting and poor dialogue ultimately sinks a film that is barely afloat to begin with. As expected, Savage's first feature proves to be his most amateurish.
After dabbling in television for a while, Savage returned to film with 2000's Sensitive New Age Killer (nicknamed SNAK by its small cult following) and it's a vast improvement over his debut 14 years earlier. Paul Moder plays a low level hit man named Paul Morris who wants to rise to the level of his idol, The Snake, but fails to do so when confronted with stress both at home and at work. When Morris is given the opportunity for one big hit to push him into the upper echelon of hit men he find numerous hurdles in the form of an ambitious partner, a horny police officer and even The Snake. The film plays as a black comedy peppered with John Woo style shootouts and, for the most part, works rather well. The biggest problem is that the film is unsuccessful in masking it influences so that every time you watch a slow motion shootout you can't help but hunger for the real thing, pigeons and all. The film succeeds, though, with a handful of crazy little quirks and is certainly an entertaining way to spend an hour and a half.
Savage's most recent film, as well as his most accomplished, is 2004's Defenceless. It is a completely silent revenge flick that plays like an Ingmar Bergman helmed version of I Spit On Your Grave. The film begins with a woman (Susanne Hausschmid) refusing to sign a contract that leads to the slaughter of her family by a group of paid thugs. In addition, the woman suffers a vicious rape and what would appear to be her untimely death before being tossed into the sea. A few months later, the same woman emerges from the sea ready to avenge the murder of her family. The movie combines graphic acts of violence (knife rape and castration), supernatural elements (it's never fully explained if the woman is a ghost, the walking dead, or just a woman with an affinity for the ocean), and a dialogue free soundtrack into one of the more fascinating independent experiences of the past few years. Defenceless makes this set worth the price of admission alone.
At a highly affordable price ($25 nets you three full length movies, an large assortment of early shorts, and a full length feature that Savage produced for Australian television), it's easy to recommend a purchase on this flawed but entertaining collection of films. Even if you don't have the extra money lying around the place to purchase the set, it's certainly worth tracking down a copy of SNAK and Defenceless to rent.
Each movie:
Marauders: 4/10
Sensitive New Age Killer: 6/10
Defenceless: 7/10
Savage's first movie was 1986's Marauders which focuses on the crime spree perpetrated by two sets of criminals. It's a nihilistic piece of cinema that proves more entertaining for its odd 80's wardrobe and hairstyles than for its simplistic structure and sub par acting. Savage is able to pull off a handful of impressive stunts on his tiny budget but the overacting and poor dialogue ultimately sinks a film that is barely afloat to begin with. As expected, Savage's first feature proves to be his most amateurish.
After dabbling in television for a while, Savage returned to film with 2000's Sensitive New Age Killer (nicknamed SNAK by its small cult following) and it's a vast improvement over his debut 14 years earlier. Paul Moder plays a low level hit man named Paul Morris who wants to rise to the level of his idol, The Snake, but fails to do so when confronted with stress both at home and at work. When Morris is given the opportunity for one big hit to push him into the upper echelon of hit men he find numerous hurdles in the form of an ambitious partner, a horny police officer and even The Snake. The film plays as a black comedy peppered with John Woo style shootouts and, for the most part, works rather well. The biggest problem is that the film is unsuccessful in masking it influences so that every time you watch a slow motion shootout you can't help but hunger for the real thing, pigeons and all. The film succeeds, though, with a handful of crazy little quirks and is certainly an entertaining way to spend an hour and a half.
Savage's most recent film, as well as his most accomplished, is 2004's Defenceless. It is a completely silent revenge flick that plays like an Ingmar Bergman helmed version of I Spit On Your Grave. The film begins with a woman (Susanne Hausschmid) refusing to sign a contract that leads to the slaughter of her family by a group of paid thugs. In addition, the woman suffers a vicious rape and what would appear to be her untimely death before being tossed into the sea. A few months later, the same woman emerges from the sea ready to avenge the murder of her family. The movie combines graphic acts of violence (knife rape and castration), supernatural elements (it's never fully explained if the woman is a ghost, the walking dead, or just a woman with an affinity for the ocean), and a dialogue free soundtrack into one of the more fascinating independent experiences of the past few years. Defenceless makes this set worth the price of admission alone.
At a highly affordable price ($25 nets you three full length movies, an large assortment of early shorts, and a full length feature that Savage produced for Australian television), it's easy to recommend a purchase on this flawed but entertaining collection of films. Even if you don't have the extra money lying around the place to purchase the set, it's certainly worth tracking down a copy of SNAK and Defenceless to rent.
Each movie:
Marauders: 4/10
Sensitive New Age Killer: 6/10
Defenceless: 7/10