Review: Ground Zero
Colin Friels
plays a cameraman on crappy TV commercials (Do we even have Chili Dogs
here in Australia? Sounds a little Yankee Doodle Dandy, to me), whose father
might have died seeing too much of the goings on during the nuclear tests in
Australia during the 50s (which were on Aboriginal land, angering the Human
Rights activists), though not enough proof has arisen to hold the Australian
Federal Government accountable for any wrongdoing. Friels starts to nose around
looking for the truth perhaps to his own peril, and finds an ally in crusty old
Donald Pleasence, a hermit-like survivor of the tests. Jack Thompson plays an
imposing spook, very interested in Friels’ activities. Natalie Bate is Friels’
on-and-off again wife (they have a kid together), a journo.
Directed by Bruce
Myles and Michael Pattinson, this 1987 Aussie political conspiracy thriller
(based to some degree, on factual information) has some fine moments and
performances, but never quite hits the bullseye. Friels makes for a likeably
roguish hero, Thompson is always great (and it’s always a pleasure to see
Indigenous actor Bob Maza as a sort of Charlie Perkins-type of
politician/activist), but the real scene-stealer is a ringer- Donald Pleasence
in a wonderfully showy part, voice-box and all. Great cameos by lots of
familiar faces from Aussie TV too; Soapie veteran Roger Oakley can be seen,
comedic actors Mark Mitchell and Kym Gyngell (who frequently acted together in
Col’n Carpenter comedy sketches on TV’s “Comedy
Company”) playing detectives, and that’s “Neighbours” and “Prisoner”
star Andrewartha as a suspicious neighbour at the end.
Overall, the
subject matter probably deserved a bit better treatment (especially if you’re
familiar with the whole Maralinga deal), but it’s not bad. The screenplay is by
Jan Sardi and Mac Gudgeon (the latter co-wrote the America’s Cup flick “Wind”, co-starring Thompson).
Rating: C+
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