AIRHAWK - STAR OF THE NORTH

Australia, 1981, 92 minutes, Colour.
Eric Oldfield, Louise Howitt.
Directed by David Baker.

Airhawk - Star of the North is based on cartoon characters by John Dixon. The film attempts the cinema equivalent of the cartoon strip. However, this is very difficult because no matter how two-dimensional the characters and situations are intended to be, they are portrayed by actors. While much of the acting and dialogue is cartoon-strip stilted, nevertheless the film appeals to its audience as a piece of realism.

The film resembles a television pilot. It was filmed in Queensland, on the Gold Coast and in the Outback with the help of the Queensland Film Commission. Eric Oldfield is a brawny hero, a man with an air service. His brother is involved in shady deals and is pursued by thugs (quite openly in the Gold Coast clubs). There are two leading ladies - who are particularly stilted. With sequences on the affluent Gold Coast as well as on an Outback ranch, the film shows some thing of the atmosphere of Queensland. There are fights, chases, attempts at killing with a small plane flying over Surfers Paradise as well as confrontations in the Outback. The plot involves the possibility of drug-smuggling, diamond-smuggling and assassins coming from Hong Kong.