PALLET ON THE FLOOR (MURDER ON THE ROCKS)

New Zealand, 80 minutes, Colour.
Gillian O’ Brien, Peter Mc Cauley, Bruce Spence, Bruno Lawrence, Tony Barry, John Bach, Marshall Napier.
Directed by Lynton Butler.

Pallet on the Floor: Murder on the Rocks (or rather Life on the Edge ... Murder on the Rocks) is a New Zealand thriller. It has quite a deal of ingredients, though many of the strands are not fully worked out in the short 80 minutes running time.

The New Zealand settings act as an authentic and realistic background: the small town and its small-mindedness, the abattoirs, the freezing factory, the bars, homes. There is also the Maori population outside the town - with echoes of discrimination as well as land exploitation. There are also interpersonal tensions, marriage, sexuality, pregnancy, jealousy. There is also violence and death and cover-up. The film also has an unexpected twist at the end.

The film has a strong cast who do what they can with peculiarly-written roles at times. Gillian O'Brian is attractive as Sue. Peter McCauley? is a down to earth put-upon hero as Sam. Bruce Spence gives an oddball performance as an eccentric English Remittance Man in New Zealand. (Of interest the musical director of the film is celebrated New Zealand actor Bruno Lawrence who co-composed the score and is glimpsed in the ensemble at the wedding scene.)

Satisfactory enough for passing the time - but, with the ingredients, much more might have been done.

1.Entertaining New Zealand thriller? Life in a small town? Violence and murder?

2.The title - over-strong for the film itself? Meaning?

3.The tone of the film - serious, ironic and comic touches? Action thriller, police, cover-up?

4.The New Zealand settings, the beauty of the countryside, the ugly town?

5.Sam and Sue, their relationship, Sue pregnant, the plans for the marriage, the ceremony and people enjoying the reception, Jack and his grim intervention? Jealousies in the town? Miriam and the bet, Sue not giving her the money, Breen and his threats? Sam and his work at the freezing factory? With his friends - and O'Keefe's death? The wake, Miriam poisoning his mind, his violence towards Sue, her leaving, return, the reconciliation? Work in the town, the lack of permanence in jobs, need for money? Going home for the meal with his friends, the encounter with Jack and his violence, the fight and his death? Basil and the cover-up? His not knowing about Joe's death? Looking for a house? Basil arranging for Sue to go back to the Maori village? Their going to the funeral - his going out on the road with a sheep? The deaths? His being freed from the blackmail and the debts?

6.Basil, the eccentric Remittance Man, manner of speaking, his history? Drinking? Friendship, intervention at the dance to save Sam? Friendship with Spud and Shorty? The violence, his decision about the cover-up, the train crashing the car, sticking to his story? The police and the interrogations? Joe looking for him, Joe's drowning and the continued cover-up? His decision to help Sue, to help Sam, Miriam and Breen and the car, his drinking - and crashing the car and killing himself, saving Sam?

7.Shorty and Spud, in the factory, in the bar, at the wedding? The violence to Jack? Agreeing in the cover-up, the interrogations? The precarious nature of work and employment in the town?

8.Jack, coming on strongly at the dance, his being set up by the boss, by Joe? Delivering the wood, the attempted rape, the destruction of the tank and the house? His death? Joe, anger, confronting Basil, knocked into the water, his death?

9.The marshall, thinking he was a cowboy, attitude towards the policeman and the girl in the car? A bit of a joke in the town? Interrogations? The detective coming from the city? The exasperation at the questions and the responses? His chasing Basil, the flat tyre? The young policeman, traffic policeman, continually with the girl? His investigation of Jack's death?

10.Miriam and Breen, Miriam's jealousy and advances on Sam? Breen and his drinking, wanting the land, the blackmail? Their deaths?

11.Melodramatic ingredients and sinister goings-on in a small New Zealand Town?