Back in 1999 in Western Australia, three vacationing friends are
headed for Cairns on the opposite end of the continent during a three week car
trip. The twenty-something trio--two British women named Liz (Cassandra
Magrath) and Kristy (Kestie Morassi), and an Aussie man named Ben (Nathan
Phillips)--plan to do some sightseeing along the way, stopping off
first at Wolf Creek Crater, the site of a meteorite impact eons ago. Kristy
has informed Ben earlier that Liz has something of a crush on him, and
Ben shows that the feeling is mutual once he and Liz are alone by the Crater. Yet
just when things appear to be going so right for these young travelers, once
they get back to the car, they discover that it won’t start.
Stranded in the Outback by themselves, with no means of communication, Ben, Liz
and Kristy have no choice but to settle in for the night inside the car. In the
middle of the night, rescue arrives in the form of Mick Taylor (John Jarratt), a
local bushman. While he’s unable to restart their car, Mick gladly gives them a
tow back to his place, where he says he can better fix the vehicle and have
these kids on their way in no time. After a steady build up of a deep,
foreboding sense of dread in the first half of the film, the full-blown
horror is finally unleashed when Liz abruptly wakes up the following day to find
herself all alone, while tied up and gagged in an empty storage shed.
Written, produced and directed by Greg McLean, Wolf Creek is based on a true
story where an Australian man was killing backpackers in the rural Outback.
McLean effectively creates the sort of stark, chilling terror that comes from
when you know you’re all alone, with nobody else to call on for help. And John
Jarrett’s marvelous performance as Mick also adds to the film’s ominous mood. At
first he’s perfectly disarming as a rugged, salt of the earth type of
guy who gets offended when Ben asks how much he’s going to charge for the
repairs. Mick is the friendly, down-home sort you’d want to sit around with a
beer and chat…until he pulls off the good old boy mask and reveals his true, sadistic
nature. Cassandra Magrath, Kestie Morassi and Nathan Phillips are all very good
as the travelers. The actors manage to make their characters extremely sympathetic to the
point where you genuinely care about what happens to them.
The extras on the DVD include a commentary by director McLean, executive
producer Matt Hearn, and actors Macgrath and Morassi; a short, deleted scene,
and "The Making Of Wolf Creek", a 50 minute documentary that superbly shows the
behind the scenes goings on of this amazingly inexpensive production, which still
managed to pull off a slick Hollywood look. I reviewed the unrated version,
and once Mick’s
demonic side is unleashed, Wolf Creek becomes an intense, stomach-clenching ride
that’s filled with gore and violence. So this is not a film for children, nor for
the squeamish--but if you’re a fan of such intense primal terror as the Texas
Chainsaw Massacre, and High Tension, then Wolf Creek
may be just the ride you’re looking for.
--SF
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