Reviews (55)

A Poke at Working Class Mentality and the Nuclear Family
The Castle starts off with an introduction by one of the sons in the family who then goes on to narrate the familiy's struggle with a multinational Australian corporation in the fight to keep their home from being subsumed under the airport next door's burgeoning development.

The family all come off as a bit thick, its meant to be a satirical look at working class mentality, but it is done without mean spiritedness, which is what gives the movie its charm. The family members obviously love one another despite chinks in the personal armour. The oldest brother is in jail, the father keeps adding rooms to the house without actually finishing them, and the mother specializes in frozen entrees for the majority of the family meals.

What makes the movie so funny is that at various moments you can see parts of your own family portrayed in the movies characters, and the good humor and sense of fun inherent in the directors intent for this film stays put throughout the movie.

Flat out hilarious
Living where I live, there was zero chance of seeing this film in a theater so I bought the video on the recommendation of a friend from Australia (thanks Natalie). Turns out that it's one of the funniest films I've ever had the pleasure to see. In it you'll find Darryl Kerrigan (Michael Caton) fighting for his 'Castle'. Facing seemingly impossible odds against the compulsory acquisition of his home by a quasi-governmental airport authority, to make way for an airport expansion project, Darryl takes them head on, and with hysterical results. The ensuing battle will leave you cheering for Darryl, his family, and yes, even his hapless lawyer, Dennis. I laughed so hard my sides hurt and I was in tears.

This is a warm, 'make you feel good' film, chock full of great, quirky characters that are nicely developed and wonderfully portrayed.

Folks, this is definitely one of the funniest, most charming comedies you'll ever see (in my humble opinion). Unless your sense of humor has been surgically removed, you'll laugh 'til it hurts, so buy it!! (or borrow it, not my copy of course)

P.S. If you'd like to see a couple more really nice Aussie flicks, look for 'Muriel's Wedding' and 'Soft Fruit' (a very dark and touching comedy). They're both on my list of favorites along with The Castle.

Enjoy!!

Please, please give us the Australian version on DVD!!
This is the most wonderful little movie. Like others reviewers, I first saw the Australian version - at its debut at the Melbourne Film Festival - and fell in love with it. I can recite bits of it word for word. But I don't want the Americanized version, and the VHS we brought with us when we moved back to the US won't play here.

Give us back our rissoles!

a little cracker of a movie mate.
I first heard good things about this "quirky little Aussie flick" a number of years ago but only got around to seeing it myself last night. What probably put me off (to be completely honest) was that it's an Australian film. And you know what they say about Aussies - they're all outlaw heathen scum, so what could they possibly know about making good movies. Right?

Well knock me over with a didgeridoo mate - Rob Sitch has created a wee beauty of a film. Despite its Australian heritage, The Castle has bucket loads of charm and is a thoroughly entertaining movie with plenty of laughs and good feeling.

After watching so many films in recent years about dysfunctional families (think American Beauty, Ice Strom, The Royal Tennebaums etc) it really is a treat to see such a positive depiction of family life. The Kerrigan's really are perfectly content with their lot in life. They might be simple but they do love each other, love their castle, support each other and laugh together. While others may look down their noses at this working class clan the Kerrigan's don't care (in fact, if the truth be known, they're probably too dumb to notice - as Aussies often are) because they have the greatest gift of all - a nurturing home. And strewth mate, who could want more than that!

A couple of minor quibbles: although it is funny, the humor is more of the quirky Aussie variety and at times a bit too - well, Australian really. So while I found myself smiling through most of the movie, I wouldn't call The Castle a screaming comedy. It's more off-beat and quirky.

Also, the final quarter of the film seems a little bit rushed to me. Things were looking tough for the Kerrigan's there at one stage and then all of a sudden (right out of the blue mate) comes a white knight to save the day. You beauty! Yeah, right. A little bit too easy me thinks.

It's not a blockbuster by any stretch of the imagination but at least it knows its limitations. A warm, feel good movie that accomplishes what it sets out to do.

Four stars mate.

Typically Broad Aussie Comedy with a Warm Heart
Rob Sitch has created a small comic gem in this unpretentious movie about an ordinary man's battle to save his family's home from compulsory annexation by the neighboring airport. Rife with the broad irreverent humor that practically defines the Aussies' national character (think of Paul Hogan's TV show or CROCODILE DUNDEE, or Baz Luhrmann's STRICTLY BALLROOM), the story manages to stay just one step ahead of farce. Though we can hardly take the characters seriously, they're good blokes nonetheless and it's easy to identify with their predicament.

Darryl Kerrigan (Michael Caton) is a good-natured family man who lives by simple principles. He values his home & family above all else in life. When the billion dollar corporation that owns the airport tries to oust him from his home, he just knows it isn't right. And he's too ignorant to know what he's up against when he decides to fight. Though chuckles abound throughout the film, real belly laughs are in order when his hapless lawyer (Tiriel Mora) challenges the constitutionality of 'compulsory acquisition' in court. (His legal argument will doubtless soon become a fixture in law schools throughout the English-speaking world.)

In fact, the story offers a solid critique of common law just as incisive and nearly as funny as Jonathan Swift's scathingly satirical critique in Gulliver's Travels. And it's expressed so plainly and clearly that anyone should be able to understand it--even poor benighted Darryl Kerrigan, whose command of legal jargon may be slight, yet who knows in his heart when he's right. 3 1/2 stars for this feel-good little comedy with its heart in the right place. ... Read more

Description

Bryan Brown (FX, Breaker Morant) stars in this powerful and provocative thriller as a lawman caught in the middle of a racially charged murder mystery.Interactive Menus, Production Credits, Scene Access, Trailer, Filmographies ... Read more

Reviews (4)

Touches the living heart
Bryan Brown heads an excellent cast in this tightly-scripted story about a clash between Australian and Aboriginal law. Brown is a "whitefella" torn between his duty as a policeman, and his connection to the land and community. His counterpart (Ernie Dingo) is a "blackfella" with the opposite problem--his aesthetics lie with the mainstream culture, but his heart forces him to stand by aboriginal customs. Behind these two men are a host of other characters, each adding a rich note to the theme of ambivalence connected to life in an outback settlement.
Dingo's final plea for tolerance strikes right to the heart. A wonderful film.

One comment: DVD is not captioned and the complex story can be a bit hard to follow--there were places I had to back up and watch twice to understand the Aboriginal side of the story. It was worth it!

PROVOCATIVE DEPICTION OF THE CLASH OF TWO CULTURES
Made in the Australian outback, this movie depicts the clash of cultures between the Aborigine people and the 'white man.'

Wonderful acting by Bryan Brown as the police officer (Ray)trying to maintain peace and Ernie Dingo as an aborigine preacher who is sometimes caught between the aboriginal 'ways' and the 'white man's ways.'

A murder investigation brings about bitter tension between the two peoples as Ray tries desperately to bring about justice that is fair to both cultures which doesn't always work.

Very good movie. Each time you see it you see something that you didn't the time before.

Powerful depiction of the collision of cultures
A few years ago, when visiting the Australian outback, I met an elderly Aboriginal man who asked me, through an intereter, "Did your parents or grandparents tell you where you come from?" By this, he went on to explain that he meant was I descended from the kangaroo, lizard, emu etc? This is not a question that a European American would easily be able to answer. When I saw this excellent Australian film, it reminded me so much of that encouter, because it depicts the divergence of the Aboriginal and European cultures in Australia. The acting and cinematography are uniformally good.

In a way, "Dead Heart" is a sort of "Mississippi Burning", set in Australia, as it depicts racial intollerance. But in another way, this film is a far more profound examination of the complexity of culture collisions. It would be interesting to view this film together with other films that explore this fascinating theme in Australia...notably Nicolas Roeg's "Walkabout" and Werner Herzog's "Where the Green Ants Dream". Too bad that, to my knowledge, there are no Aboriginal directors creating films that depict their views of all this. Perhaps they are too busy living life than viewing it at a cinema.

INTENSE DRAMA - Very Australian
This movie involves the struggles of two cultures - Aboriginal and white man's - trying to live side by side in a very demanding and unredeeming environment.

It pits the Aboriginal laws against the white man's laws and shows how the officer (Brown) assigned to the post, struggles to integrate the two and keep peace between them, although not always succeeding. Bryan Brown is, as usual, very good.

If you are interested in things Australian and the outback in particular, this is a must see movie. Interesting and informative for everyone else. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

pretty darn good movie
austrailian movie based on a virtual reality video game gone bad.
very cool characters and FX make for a really fun movie.
movie is set in a parking garage, each level of the parking garage representing each level of the game. must see movie in my opinion. very cool sci-fi flick, check it out.

An OK action film
Subterano from teh way teh cover box is designed looks like a cheesy horror film. However once one pops in the DVD they soon realize that they are instead watching an action sci-fi thriller.

Subterano is an Australian made sci fi movie. The plot revolves around a group of people thrust into a situation they can't control when they are trapped inside a car park at the main HQ of this toy corporation. These people consist of four kids, an old man, a security guard, and two ex-lovers/revolutionaries. What happens inside the building is some psycho who created this program to imitate the game Subterano, a game notoriouse for never been beaten. THe characters must travel through seven levels and survive the traps set all in an attempte to escape. One bye one the cahracters get picked off as egos collide, paranoia kicks in, and hatred grows deeper.

Overall this is one of those direct to video titles most will pass up as garbage. However in it's degense it does have it's share of wit and thrills and for the most part I would probably rent again (or maybe buy someday). Subterano is a good mid afternoon thrill ride for a rainy day or a sleepover. Just remember that you may have some trouble finding this title. ... Read more