DIRTY DEEDS

Australia, 2002, 104 minutes, Colour.
Bryan Brown, Toni Collette, John Goodman, Sam Neill, Sam Worthington, Felix Williamson, Andrew S. Gilbert, Paul Chubb.
Directed by David Caesar.

Although there are American gangsters in this film, it is particularly Australian. In fact, it is particularly a Sydney film. Overseas critics thought it exaggerated with a touch of farce. However, older Sydneysiders can tell you of the 60s and the days when there were violent disputes about poker machine sales' rights (and wrongs), about warfare and vendettas and how the New South Wales state premier of the time, Sir Robin Askin, has been unmasked as a corrupt politician.

This is not to say that Dirty Deeds is history. Rather it has touches of Aussie (Ocker) humour with its drama. It was written and directed by David Caesar who began his career in documentaries, made some feature films (especially Idiot Box about unemployed young men in Sydney and television culture and violence) and a number of television movies and series episodes. He has a good ear for the accents and speech patterns of his characters and it all has the ring of authenticity, no matter how exaggerated it may seem.

Most of this is to the credit of Bryan Brown who sounds 'fair dinkum' (Australian for 'authentic') in his rather inarticulate eloquence. He can be both sinister and charming - which is precisely what his gangster character is like. Toni Collette plays his gum-chewing, brook no rivals, tough wife. Sam Neill is a corrupt Sydney police officer who keeps a lid on everything. Sam Worthington is a young Vietnam vet who has to make choices for his life: thuggery or being a chef.

John Goodman and Felix Williamson are two Americans who are sent to Australia to seal the deal on local buying of poker machines. Goodman is older and a touch wiser and is content to ride with the situation, eventually seeing that with the money deals and murders, it is worth nothing. Williamson, on the other hand, is a trigger happy petty crook who does not understand Australia and who is more at home with double deals. When you stir all this together, you get a fairly true picture of those dirty deeds days - the time when Pizza is being introduced to Australia and the country is being transformed by international culture.

1. An interesting and entertaining film? Australian gangsters, the late 60s, Sydney? Australian society , the impact of the Vietnam War, the transition in cultures, in food, Americanisation?

2. The title, moral judgment? The song? The photographic style, flash and flair, angles, pace, editing?

3. The locations for Vietnam and the war, for Chicago? Suggestions? Sydney, the period, central Sydney, King's Cross, the suburbs? The outback and the Broken Hill locations? Musical score?

4. The set-up, Barry and his toughness, Ray and his turning a blind eye, corrupt policeman, Tony and Sal and their situation in the United States, having to bring the poker machine to Australia to do the deal, Sharon and her relationship with Barry, their son? Darcy and his arrival back from Vietnam, Margaret and her work in the bar, being set up in the flat?

5. Barry and Bryan Brown, screen presence, type, ocker, nice with his family, Aussie attitudes, yet harsh? His relationship with Sharon, his son, yet his relationship with Margaret? The ethos of the police and collaboration with Barry? His Australian traditions, puzzled by the new, especially pizza? His henchmen, the scene of them smashing the machines? The confrontation with Freddie, the shooting, his assistant? Warned by Ray? His being the boss, at home, with Margaret?

6. The Australian style of the film, language, slang, tone, information, non-American, the changes in manner, eating, the laid-back style?

7. The United States, Tony and Sal, failed Mafia, Sal and his being trigger-happy? Tony and his learning from experience? The travel to Australia, Sal and his ignorance? The poker machine and the connections? The flashbacks to their experiences, their failures? Their mission, going to Australia, in the gazebo, Sal and his phoning the US every day? Hollywood and his betrayal of Barry? The link with Freddie, killing Norm? Their all present at the funeral? The set-up for a confrontation?

8. Darcy and his experience of the war, the Vietnam scenes - especially with the helicopter and the pizza arriving? Darcy and his ambitions to run a restaurant? Barry being his uncle, looking after him, taking him in? His not wanting to be subservient to anyone? His military friend and their conversations? Barry giving him a job, delivering messages? Collecting the guns from his military friend? Inviting Tony and Sal to the party? At the party, his learning about the job and Barry? His new flat, next to Margaret? Their clash, their meetings, her comfortable being in and out of his room? The growing relationship? Barry seeing Margaret hiding outside the building? Darcy going to the centre with Barry and the group, Barry getting him to come back to Sydney, his inability to kill Freddie? Darcy and his wanting to cook, his experiments with pizza, Tony teaching him, Tony's advice? In the outback, his declaration that he wanted to stay, his relationship with Margaret, her staying? Their future?

9. The role of the police, Ray as a character, at socials, meeting the criminals, cover-up, arrival at murder scenes, intimidating the young police, talking about murder-suicide, his deals?

10. Sharon, her relationship with Barry, at home, the dinner, her relationship with her son, going to the functions? Her telling off Margaret and saying she was like that ten years ago? Her ultimatum to Barry?

11. The social for the American visitors, the senator, the connections? The social at home, Tony amazed at Barry's talking to his son in a blunt way? In the centre, Barry setting up Tony and Sal, Sal and his shooting the senator's pigs? The police, the exercise of power? The framing of Tony and Sal?

12. Tony, his decision to stay, Sal and his going back? The set-up of Barry pretending to shoot Darcy, Margaret and Tony? Their staying in the centre, finding the money from the poker machine hidden by the American Mafia? Their future?

13. Tony, learning from experience, genial? Sal, the contrast, trigger-happy, in league with Freddie? The petty criminals of Sydney and the poker machines?

14. The theme of Aussies beating the Yanks? The amoral/moral tone of the proceedings?