Wolf Creek Review

Spending a year or so travelling is becoming something of a rite of passage these days with more and more of us going down under to explore Australia and find ourselves. But you'd better hope you don't run into Mick Taylor in the Outback. Based on real events, "Wolf Creek" follows three friends - English travellers Liz (Cassandra Magrath) and Kristy (Kestie Morassi) and local lad Ben (Nathan Phillips) - as they drive across Oz. But they seem to be in a bit of trouble when their car breaks down in the middle of nowhere, However when rough-and-ready local (John Jarrett) appears out of the blue and offers his help, their troubles seem to be over. In fact they are only just beginning.

A gripping and often unbearably tense little movie, "Wolf Creek" is the sort of film the Australian Tourist Board must hate because it really doesn't paint the place in a great light. If writer / director Greg McLean is to be believed, the vast Outback is full of ignorant rednecks and psycho killers - but lets face it some high profile murder cases certainly don't help it's case. But even McClean concedes that Mick - his brutal and sadistic anti-Crocodile Dundee killer isn't actually inspired by any one man. However his imagination has created a truly terrifying character who torments his victims in ways that will make even the most hardened audiences squirm.

Shot on a limited budget and starring a pretty unknown cast "Wolf Creek" may not be too pretty but it sure is effective.