LeonLouisRicci Another Neo-Noir, this One from Austrailia, in the Tradition of John Dahl's Red Rock West (1993) and Oliver Stone's U-Turn (1997). Throw in a Little Coen Brothers and a Dash of Everything Else Ever in this Type of Thing and You have a Watered Down Version of Some Very Good and Entertaining Films in the Neo-Noir Genre.Unfortunately this is Nothing New and so Irritatingly Nothing New and that Keeps it from Becoming Remarkable. It isn't Bad its just a Bit Wearisome and Not that Well Crafted. There are Some Glaring Edits and Transitions that are Head Scratchers and Confusing. The Gist is that They just don't Make Any Logical Sense.The Appearance of a Formerly Beat Up Car, looking Raring and Ready to Go and the Jarring Scene where Our "Victim" of the Femme Fatale is Shown One Minute in a Watery Well and the Next is in Some Subterranean Situation of Tunnels and a Surprise.It is Worth a Watch for Some Striking Cinematography and a Quirky Score and the Thing Moves Along at a Pounding Pace. There is Fun to be had here if the Thinking Cap is Removed and the Popcorn is Buttery, but there isn't Much Style and the Inclusion of the Marching Bands as Something Edgy is More Corny than Cool.

Bene Cumb Apparently, Australian director and screenwriter Craig Lahiff wanted to create a "cool" thriller in the British style, but the result leaves to be desired. Even with duration less than 1 hour 20 minutes, there are long shots with riding cars and without text, the cast is not catchy, logic of twists and turns is difficult to follow, fighting/chasing scenes are arid, some supporting characters (e.g. Vince Colosimo's) are ungrounded, providing no additional value. Thus, the events do not run smoothly, and the outcome is just-another-felony-film probably suitable for killing time with popcorn rather than memorable film experience. Thanks to shortness, however, Swerve does not become boring, leading to a versatile, yet ambivalent ending.But as for films coming from the Commonwealth of Nations, however, Australian ones are still much better than Canadian or Indian ones...

movies_my_way I saw Swerve at the Melbourne International Film Festival last year. What a ride! The films' director Craig Lahiff (previous film fame Heavens' Burning (Russell Crowe) and Black and White (Robert Carlyle)) prefaced the screening by saying "have fun" – I sure did! Too often Aussie audiences seem to take Aussie films too seriously, this was just good old' entertainment and the audience really got into it! Swerve is an action packed and sexy neo-noir thriller with twists, turns and all sorts of goodies in-between. It's a confident film and knows how to have some fun. The twisting plot always keeps you on your toes and the hot Aussie stars David Lyons, Emma Booth and Jason Clarke are all well cast for their roles. It was great to see an Australian film with some proper action in it. Roy Billing and Chris Haywood make some colorful cameos. Travis McMahon plays a ripper of a bad guy and it was good to see Vince Colosimo in some rough-house fight sequences. Hopefully Swerve comes out in cinemas soon – everywhere it plays it gets a great response. Australia should make more movies like this!

Tony Rome This film just had its North American premiere this evening at The Hamptons International Film Festival. The crowd loved this picture. It is big on action and suspense, and it has a strange twist, which I will not disclose. The story is set in a small village in Australia, in which an innocent by standard is inadvertently drawn into a web of sex, drugs, money, and murder. These are all elements that make a good action film. The acting is very well done, the photography and direction are excellent, and Emma Boothe is really sexy. The film received a standing ovation in East Hampton NY, it should hopefully get a wide release *****