DVD SPOTLIGHT
SAVAGE CINEMA FROM DOWN UNDER
Written by - The Butcher

Mark Savage is an Australian film and television screenwriter and film director, specializing in independent horror, cult, action and exploitation-themed films. He is influenced by European and Asian genre cinema, and has written critical reviews and articles for the Herald-Sun, Asian Cult Cinema, Filmnet and Fatal Visions. His most recent film, Defenceless, won the Best Film award at the 2005 Melbourne Underground Film Festival. This new DVD collection includes: Defenceless, Sensitive New Age Killer and Marauders.

DEFENCELESS (2004) - Staff Rating 4/5

Plot Summary: A determined woman (Susanne Hausschmid) refuses to bow to the demands of land developers eager to exploit her beachfront paradise. They in turn begin a cruel, violent campaign to destroy her and everything she holds dear. This culminates in a brutal assault intended to put an end to her opposition to their progress. But sometimes, justice can transcend even death, and when the woman returns to avenge her losses, there will be no mercy...

My Comments: DEFENCELESS is - without a doubt - my favorite out of the three films featured in this set. Because there is not one word of spoken dialogue, the film relies completely on music, acting and cinematography, which are all executed exceptionally well. It's a very different kind of experience; a "Blood Opera" if you will. It's beautiful and horrific all at the same time. If you're into artsy horror pictures, then this is a must-see.

SENSITIVE NEWAGE KILLER (2000) - Staff Ratinge 2.5/5

Plot Summary: Struggling hit-man Paul Morris (Paul Moder) is handicapped by his sensitive nature and very complicated life. When he’s is not being shot at, punched, kicked, and stabbed, Paul is being blackmailed into twisted sex acts by horny female cop and amateur dominatrix Matty (Carolyn Bock). Meanwhile, Paul's psychotic partner, George (Kevin Hopkins) is sabotaging his hits, while his poor wife Helen (Helen Hopkins) becomes the focus of George's warped "mother" fixation.

My Comments: On the positive side, I found KILLER to be very stylistic, which is always good. On the negative side, I found the film to be rather slow and uninteresting. I just didn't care much for the characters. The film is also very "quirky" and if you don't fancy the humor then it's tough to get into. I don't feel comfortable recommending this one.

MARAUDERS (1986) - Staff Rating 2.5/5

Plot Summary: The two "marauders," JD Kruger (Zero Montana) and Emilio East (Colin Savage) are dangerous ‘white-trash’ delinquents from the Australian ghetto. After killing his mother, JD heads out to carouse with Emilio, but gets knocked over in a hit-and-run accident on the way. He and Emilio begin hunting down the driver, David Frazer (Paul Harrington) and his girl, ripping off a local pub and raping a publican's daughter along the way. A mob of angry locals gathers and hunts down the marauders vigilante-style in the film's violent climax.

My Comments: From the gratuitous violence to the terrifying hairdos, MARAUDERS is so bad it's good! I mean, just in the opening sequence, our main character kills the mother of his child over a set of car keys. Yep, he's that hard-core! The film is Savage’s initial attempt at a feature film and it shows. You'll experience terrible dialogue, horrendous acting and cheesy special effects. Hence, so bad it's good. If you enjoy lower budget stuff, then MARAUDERS is definitely for you.

DVD Features Include:
Three full-length commentaries, making-of featurettes, deleted scenes, still galleries, trailers and production diary.

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