Wolf Creek (TV Mini-Series, 2016)
Howard Gorman
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Starring John Jarratt, Lucy Fry, Dustin Clare
Directed by Tony Tilse, Greg McLean
Despite John Jarratt’s initial reticence when offered to reprise his role as Mick Taylor for a “Wolf Creek” TV show, Peter Gawler, Felicity Packard and Greg McLean’s script had him eating his words and signing on in the swing of his Bowie knife, and I don’t bloody blame him either.
Clearly a labor of love rather than just milking the Mick Taylor cow for all it’s worth, this new six-part series turns the Wolf Creek franchise on its head, not only by turning the tables on Mick, but by injecting a wealth of meticulously devised, gritty and relatable characters and an urgent and unwonted tale of revenge.
An American family on holiday in Northern Australia soon find themselves the unsuspecting prey of Mick Taylor, but much to Mick’s chagrin, the daughter, Eve Thorogood (Lucy Fry), a young and athletic college student, survives the vicious attack. Once discharged from hospital, with nothing left to lose, she sets about bringing her assailant to justice regardless of the fact she’s in his backyard and at an insanely unfair disadvantage.
Whilst the first two features weren’t all that big on character development, Eve’s coming of age/revenge story is what keeps this longer story arc burning bright, with a script that keenly upends every rape revenge convention in the book. Just like John Jarratt quite rightly put it in a recent interview, this version of Wolf Creek is “like a female version of Unforgiven,” and despite a couple of strained sequences, Fry really convincingly emotes her fears, pain, contumacy and doggedness as she evolves from a depressed, analgesic-addicted Olympic aspirant into a seasoned tracker in the Australian Outback. Dustin Clare’s role as Detective Sergeant Sullivan Hill helps strengthen the audience’s empathy and affinity with Eve, too, as his personal problems and abating faith in the justice system compel him to first turn a blind eye to Eve’s crusade before eventually putting all his chips on the table when his personal problems leave him with virtually as little to lose as Eve.
My main concern prior to watching the show was that Mick would end up going down the same cheesy wisecracking route as Freddy Krueger or Chucky, but he’s used sparingly enough to make sure he never outstays his welcome, popping up at just the right intervals to keep franchise devotees smiling. And the same can be said when it comes to the violence, which is never recklessly doled out. Things certainly get grisly in the first episode when Mick has his way with Eve’s family, but then Episodes 2 through 5 are much more concerned about character beats and the cat and mouse thriller premise before everything does eventually come full circle as it powers towards an off the charts visceral culmination.
The supporting characters also do exactly what their job description suggests – whether it be Deborah Mailman providing some priceless amusing touches as Bernadette the bartender or some seemingly miniscule characters who chuck enormous spanners in the works when you least expect it, making Lucy’s journey all the more impulsive and addictive.
Another of Jarratt’s concerns was the fact that McLean would only be helming the final episode whilst the first five would be left in the hands of Tony Tilse (“Underbelly, “Ash vs. Evil Dead”). Thankfully, Tilse remains utterly faithful to the Wolf Creek universe we know and love, and the jaw-dropping Australian Outback scenery is majestically captured by cinematographer Geoff Hall (Chopper, Red Dog).
McLean’s final episode ties all loose ends together neatly; yet, his “segment” also sits on its own, particularly when it offers an interesting, albeit somewhat redundant, Mick back-story, unearthing the roots of his sociopathic tendencies. I say redundant as it’s not quite clear exactly what purpose this context serves. These flashbacks come across as a kind of operose exploration of precursors to violent behavior and had me strangely sympathizing with Mick – an odd volte-face considering how he had been portrayed up until then.
Despite those few odd, inconsistent plotting devices, “Wolf Creek” is one of many “ripper” horror series out there right now thanks to its shrewd pacing, stunning cinematography and resourceful use of Mick and the violence he brings with him, all of which is buoyed by sterling performances across the board.
“Wolf Creek” premieres on Pop TODAY (Friday, October 14) at 10:00 PM ET/PT, and you’d be a bloody fool to miss it.
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Film
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