THE MAGICIAN
Australia, 2005, 85 minutes, Colour.
Scott Ryan, Ben Walker, Massimiliano Andrigetto.
Directed by Scott Ryan.
The Magician is a surprisingly successful Australian film. Developed by its writer-director and star, Scott Ryan, it began as a short but producers were interested and he developed it into feature length. The film was shot over about a year but with ten days of shooting on a budget raised by the director himself, allegedly three thousand Australian dollars.
The film was shot in digital video. It is a mock-documentary about a Melbourne hit-man called Ray Shoestring. The film focuses on his personality, his background in Melbourne, his hits.
The film focuses on friends, friends who betray – and a journey to Queensland to escape the powers-that-be in Melbourne. The film is partly a road journey with the friends, people that pick up Ray on the way to Queensland – and then eventually his finding his family and fate catching up with him.
Much of the film is quite amusing in a black comedy kind of way. Ryan is good as Ray Shoestring and brings the character and the film to life.
1.A small-budget film? The work of the writer-director-star? His skill in writing, directing? His performance? A scene-stealing performance?
2.The Melbourne settings? The Australian countryside? The contrast between the inner city, the streets, the flats? The suburbs? The open countryside, the roads, the paddocks? The musical score? The songs?
3.The title? The reference to Ray Shoesmith? As a magician, as an assassin? The film-maker as a magician, weaving a spell and playing tricks on the audience?
4.The structure of the film: the focus on Ray, his voice-over? His explaining himself to the audience? The interviews? The intercutting of past and present? The effect of seeing Ray in a variety of situations and confrontations? The build-up the climax? His murderous activity? His talking to the camera – and commenting on the fact that he might be dead if this were being seen? And the information that he had been killed?
5.The role of Max, Ray’s neighbour, his amateur filming, film studies? His following Ray around? The documentary style? Ray talking to Max off-screen? Max and his interventions? Provoking Ray? Especially about Ray’s sexuality, homophobia, the night in the hotel? Max making jokes at Ray’s expense?
6.Ray and his initial killing? His staking out the street and pursuing the man that he was going to kill? The ears of the man, being let go? Max and his objective looking and filming of these scenes?
7.Ray’s story, his background, marriage, separation from his wife? The possibilities for the future? His meetings with Benny, their discussions, urging Benny to get out of Melbourne and go to Sydney? Later meeting him again, taking him for the ride, shooting him in the bush – and explaining how this was a more merciful way of killing him? The abduction of Tony, the reasons for this, taking Tony in the car, the discussions throughout the trip, listening to Tony’s life? The threats, the nights in the motel? His arriving home, the promise of the drugs, finding them? Letting Tony go – and his running away? Edna, the clash, the lies, getting him out of town? Ray and his car, at the garage? A rounded portrait of Ray? How likable? His small talk, the discussions about The Dirty Dozen and Clint Eastwood – and even getting Tony out of the boot to verify or not? His humanity – or not? Magnetic personality even though audiences would despise what he did?
8.Max, as a character, his interactions with Ray, following him around, asking him his motivations, especially about the shooting of Benny? The discussions about Tony? Staying the night, the provocation about homophobia? Max and his editing the documentary?
9.Ben, drugs, wandering the streets, friendship with Ray, going out of Melbourne, returning, the encounter with Ray, the travelling, his death? Tony, his background, his family, his pleading for his life, persuading Ray, the drugs, escaping?
10.Crass aspects of the screenplay? About sexuality, about excrement, eating…?
11.The overall effect of the film? A first film of a man with talent in performance and in direction?
