Deadly is a 1991 Australian film directed by Esben Storm.
Deadly | |
---|---|
Directed by | Esben Storm |
Written by | Esben Storm Raland Allen |
Produced by | Richard Moir |
Starring | Jerome Ehlers Tony Barry |
Cinematography | Geoffrey Simpson |
Edited by | Ralph Strasser |
Music by | Graeme Revell |
Production companies | |
Distributed by | Hoyts-Fox-Columbia TriStar Films |
Release dates |
|
Running time | 99 minutes |
Country | Australia |
Language | English |
Budget | A$4 million[1] |
Box office | A$25,421 (Australia)[2] |
Cast
edit- Jerome Ehlers as Sergeant Tony Bourke
- Frank Gallacher as Mick Thornton
- Alan David Lee as Constable Barry Blaney
- Caz Lederman as Irene
- Tony Barry as Deputy Commissioner Graham Stewart
- Julie Nihill as Jeny
- Martin Vaughan as Doctor Ward
- Bill Hunter as Vernon Giles
- Steve Dodd as Kummengu
- Richard Moir as Willie the Pathologist
- John Gregg as Minister
Production
editStorm first wrote the script in 1987. He wanted to tell the story of Aboriginal deaths in custody and chose a thriller format to make the movie as accessible as possible.[3]
The movie was shot on location in Wilcannia over seven weeks. It was the first of five features funded by the Film Finance Corporation's Film Trust Fund.[4]
Plot
editFrom the UK VHS slick for the movie:
Streetwise cop Tony Bourke is sent to a small town to complete a routine report on the death of Jimmie Bryant found hanging whilst in police custody.
His orders are clear - keep the affair away from the media and close the case within 24 hours. The local police claim that Bryant committed suicide but the investigation exposes a number of inconsistencies in their story.
In the face of growing suspicion and hostility Bourke befriends the victim’s brother - his cellmate on the night of the killing. Together they are determined to see justice prevail … at any cost.[5]
Release
editOzmovies says of the film:
The film was given a brief outing in a few Hoyts cinemas, beginning in Sydney on 13th August 1992 and the same day in Hoyts Melbourne... The film received mixed to negative reviews in its limited domestic theatrical release.[5]
References
edit- ^ "Production Survey", Cinema Papers, August 1990 p68
- ^ "Australian Films at the Australian Box Office" at Film Victoria accessed 12 November 2012
- ^ "Interview with Esben Storm", Signis, 22 August 1995 Archived 3 November 2013 at the Wayback Machine accessed 21 November 2012
- ^ Andrew Urban, "Deadly", Cinema Papers, December 1990 p14-17
- ^ a b 'Deadly' at Ozmovies, accessed 14 October 2017.
External links
edit- Deadly at IMDb
- Deadly is available for free viewing and download at the Internet Archive