Review: Bad Blood

Set during WWII in New Zealand, Jack Thompson is a surly dairy farmer who along with his wife (a hard-bitten Carol Burns, from TV’s “Prisoner”) and two kids are gun-happy types socially outcast by the rest of their small town. Struggling economically, they are fearfully paranoid  of ‘foreigners’, embittered and constantly complain about their livestock being tampered with by immigrant neighbours (But aren’t Thompson and Burns Aussies?). However, within themselves they seem a loyal, close and loving family, even if they’re inefficient at presenting that side of themselves to others. But things really take a turn for the worse when a government order comes in for everyone to surrender their firearms for the war effort. Thompson (in a masterful performance as the rather ‘mixed-up’ patriarch) initially refuses the polite request by extremely patient copper Denis Lill, saying that his .303 has been stolen. He eventually gives in to the order, though...and then his wife goes and buys another gun anyway. And that’s when things turn ugly and violent, as the cops turn up to investigate complaints of the family’s routine late-night shooting practice. Pat Evison (another “Prisoner” alum) and Kiwi character actor Marshall Napier play a couple of the locals.

 

Although it’s directed by pommy Mike Newell (“Four Weddings and a Funeral”, “Donnie Brasco”, “Mona Lisa Smile”) and stars two Aussies in the lead roles (Jack Thompson and Carol ‘Franky Doyle’ Burns), this 1981 true crime flick is based on a true story from New Zealand where in some quarters, the central couple are believed to have been local heroes of a sort. That’s only hinted at here, and doesn’t quite mesh with the rest of the film where they are seen as outcasts. Scripted by Andrew Brown (mostly a producer for TV) from a book by Howard Willis, it’s nonetheless a pretty disturbing, believable film with slow-building atmosphere and excellent cinematography by Gary Hansen (“Inn of the Damned”, “We of the Never Never”) which is dark, without being ugly at all. The fact that the film was shot on the actual locations where the violent events occurred definitely adds to the whole.

 

The two central characters are portrayed very convincingly, we’ve all heard about people like this before. Somewhat loners, perhaps partly due to being shunned by ‘normal’ society as being ‘off’, having a possibly unhealthy relationship with firearms, and a bitter ‘us vs. them’ mentality. But thanks to Thompson and Burns, they don’t come off like caricatured, Milat-esque feral inbred hicks. Deeply flawed and in the wrong, they are nonetheless human beings.

 

Frankly I think the film is better in its incredibly tense set-up than in its rather meandering final manhunt (and Burns’ character gets treated way too lightly here if you ask me), but Burns and especially the versatile Thompson (whom I’ve never seen this intense) are excellent and the film is well worth seeking out. Hell, take out the war stuff and this story could sadly take place today. Useless trivia: Future “Once Were Warriors” director Lee Tamahori worked on this film as a boom operator!

 

Rating: B-