nicofieu It's been a while since I have been watching such a slow movie... nothing really happens. Pictures are great but it looks so great and hot that I was suffocating by the lack of rythm. I could not go any further than 30 minutes.

Raven-1969 Every person according to their work shall be. A real-life murder in the Australian outback in 1929, sends Sam on the run. It is not guilt so much that causes him to flee, but the color of his skin. He acted in self-defense against a brutal, remorseless and bitter thug, but Sam is an Aboriginal which, at the time and place, does not give him confidence that the arc of justice will bend in his favor. Posse and prey are transformed by the chase. There is a silver lining in the conflict that ensues, hope in the face of despair, and a rainbow with the storm.Sweet Country is mesmerizing, unique and insightful. The cinematography is stunning. I half wished that the camera lingered in the beautiful firelight, red rock, white sand, stars, mountains and colorful sunrises. Warwick Thornton (Samson & Delilah) is masterful and innovative. I was surprised and delighted by the mischievous twists in the film timeline where brief glimpses of future blood and madness, flit across the screen. Despite the details revealed with each such glimpse, I was less sure of the future than before. The scenes left me with a pleasant feeling of being teased.Sam Neill and Bryan Brown are paired with less familiar actors, and each actor performs so well. The tantalizing mixture of sound and silence is another treat; hearing a fight but not seeing it, cool ambient sounds and the Aussie tang in the spoken word. The writing is deep and meaningful, which is a must for me. Tension is not only between races, it concerns generations, men and women, religion, action versus letting things be, and more. Scenes are unique in character and stories in themselves.

ok_english_bt 'Sweet Country' isn't only great because of its Australian setting and style of cinematography, although long desolate shots of the outback certainly don't do it any harm, shades of classic spaghetti westerns. It actually has a fine story, uplifting and ultimately tragic, and some decent movie action and acting which make it a good film by anybody's standards. So, ignore the negative reviews, if you like films it's time well spent!A couple of 'issues' which to my mind reduce 'Sweet Country's' impact as a dramatic and socially-driven western. I don't think there's enough depth in some of the central characters. The preacher Sam Smith played by Sam Neil could have been brought into the film more, especially with an actor of Neil's quality, and Bryan Brown's portrayal of 'multiple-sided' main sheriff Sergeant Fletcher also felt under-developed if you want to give a more rounded' view of things. On the other hand, Hamilton Morris as the wrongly-accused and hunted aborigine Sam Kelly is outstanding from start to finish. In fact, a lot of the drama among the indigenous actors is powerful and works in favour of the film.The action of 'Sweet Country' unfolds believably for me, but is let down at the end with the trial. You can't really pack a punch in a justice movie unless you show how the verdict is reached effectively ('To Kill A Mockingbird' etc.). So, in this case, tag an extra 20 minutes or so on the film to emphasize the evidence (with say repeat 'flashbacks' of the crime) as well as the eye-witness accounts. I won't spoil this with details, just fair to say I found the film a bit thin at the end.So, 'Sweet Country' does enough to earn its awards and accolades, a credit to those involved in making it. All the other stuff ... a study of racism, accurate or otherwise views of history, powerful socio-political statement ... all open to discussion, as it should be. Enjoyable, a 'must-see' sort of film.

trebornotlimah As an Australian, I certainly had high hopes for this movie. Bryan Brown and Sam Neill are very capable actors as their respective resumes will attest and the Aboriginal actors (who I have not seen act before) held their own very well. The Australian outback landscape is the winner in this film though, harsh and unforgiving. If you're ever wanting to see the outback, this movie gives you a good taste of it - with flies to boot. Unfortunately, this film stagnates for far too long. The scenes themselves make sense but they could have edited this experience down, as another reviewer said, to about an hour. I found myself bored after a short time. The other problem that I personally felt with it is it goes along with the PC notion that Black is Right and White is Blight... The white actors in general, are shown to be racist, foulmouthed and treat the Aboriginals like dirt and I find myself tired of this portrayal in the media today. Yes, I understand that Europeans did treat the natives in Australia with disrespect, murder even but our history - though not often spoken about - also includes black on white crime, again, this includes rape and murder. Any culture cannot move forward by continuing to look backwards and this sort of cinematic portrayal perpetuates this and lays on the white guilt, so prevalent these days, rather thickly. I would have been happier to see even a 'Hollywood' version where both sides bridge the gap, so to speak. It would have left me with a feeling of hope for our cultures instead of thinking that this was more fodder for the politically correct bandwagon.