Empire Australasia – August 2019

35 AUGUST 2019

DOGMAN

HHHH

RATEDMA15+/ 29 AUGUST/ 103 MINS

DIRECTORMatteoGarrone

CASTMarcelloFonte,EdoardoPesce,

NunziaSchiano,AlidaBaldariCalabria

There’snowherebleakerthanthe

seasidewhenthefunstopsandit looks

a whilesinceanyoneenjoyedthemselves

intherundownsettingforMatteo

Garrone’sbrutallysadsaga.Castel

Volturnoalsoprovidedthebackdropto

TheEmbalmerandthereareechoesof

thatequallysoberingstoryinthis

unflinchingandsimilarlyfact-based

depictionofa naivenobodypayingthe

pricefortryingtobeoneparticularly

undeservingman’sbestfriend.

Garronewillforeverbeknownfor

Gomorrahandheonceagainconsiders

theextenttowhichcrimeseepsintothe

livesofordinarypeople,asMarcello

Fonteplacesgreatervalueonhis

one-sidedliaisonwithbruisingloser

EdoardoPescethanhedoeshisbond

withtheneighbourswithwhomhedrinks

andplaysfive-a-sideandhisrelationship

withnine-year-olddaughterAlidaBaldari

Calabria,withwhomhegoesscuba

divingandcompetesindogshows.Even

thoughhedealsa littlecoke,it’shardto

thinkofa manlesssuitedtocrime.After

all,heclimbsbackintooneburgled

housetorescuea yappingchihuahua

fromthefreezer.

ButFontehasthattrustingsimplicity

thatpromptedboorishstrongman

AnthonyQuinntotakecrueladvantage

ofGiuliettaMasinainFedericoFellini’s

LaStrada. Consequently,heremains

convincedthathecantamePesceinthe

samewayhecanpacifya snarlingmutt.

But,eventhoughthisrequiresa degree

ofdelusionalmachismo(orthetough

loveofPesce’sno-nonsensemother,

NunziaSchiano),it’stoughtobuyFonte’s

post-prisontransformationwhen,feeling

betrayedforkeepingshtumbyPesce

overtheburglarythatputhimaway,he

resolvestoseekrevenge.Nevertheless,

withFonteandPescemakinga hideously

grotesquedoubleact,thisremains

a savagelycompellingstudyoftrust,

honourandfolly.

AbettedbyNicolajBrüel’sprowlingly

ominouscameraworkandDimitri

Capuani’ssoul-destroyinginteriors,

Garroneprovesonceagainthateventhe

lowest-rungsouthernItaliangangster

can’tafforda shredof human decency.

DAVID PARKINSON

VERDICTDeeplyauthenticandgritty,Danger

Close’s tightfocusonthebattlemeansit

sacrificessomedepthandcomplexity,butit

remainsa compellingaccountofoneofthekey

Australian engagements of the Vietnam War.

DANGERCLOSE:THE

BATTLEOFLONGTAN

DIRECTORKrivStenders

CASTTravisFimmel,RichardRoxburgh,Daniel

Webber,LukeBracey,NicholasHamilton

PLOTVietnam,August1966:Scoutingforenemy

artillerypositions,a smallunitofAustralian

soldiersfindthemselvessurroundedandvastly

outnumberedbytheNorthVietnameseand

forcedtofighta desperate holding action until

help can arrive.

OUT8 AUGUST

HHHH RATEDTBC/118 MINS

[FILM]

IT’SBEENAlongtimebetweendrinkswhenit

comestotheAustralianexperienceofthe

VietnamWarbeingdepictedonscreen.While

theconflicthasprovidedbackgroundcolourfor

a numberoffilmsovertheyears,wehavetogo

back 40 yearsto1979’sTheOddAngryShotfor

a boots-on-the-groundlookattheVietnam.With

DangerClose, directorKrivStendersandwriter

StuartBeattiecorrectthat,deliveringa gripping,

militarythrillerintheprocess.

TakingitscuesfromRidleyScott’sBlack

HawkDown,DangerCloseeschewslengthyset

upandscene-setting,droppingusintotheaction

anddramaasquicklyandefficientlyaspossible.

MajorHarrySmith(TravisFimmel)andhis

menaresentintothefieldtolocateenemy

mortaremplacementsbutfindthemselves

underheavyfireinthetitularrubberplantation.

ReinforcementsaredelayedasBrigadierDavid

Jackson(RichardRoxburgh)fearssendingin

moremenwillleavetheirhomefirebase

vulnerable to attack. Devastating and accurate

artilleryfirekeepstheenemyatbay,butammo

dwindles,andcasualtiessoonbegintostackup.

It’sincrediblynerve-shreddingstuffand

cleavescloselytotheestablishedfactsoftheclash

(theprojectgrewoutofproducerMartinWalsh’s

2006 documentary,TheBattleofLongTan, while

therealHarrySmithservedasa consultant).It’s

impossiblenottotenseupinyourseatasbullets

ripthroughtreesandbiteintoleafmulch,and

gunsrunhotinthefaceofhumanwaveattacks.

Giventheconstrainednatureofthe

narrative,characterisationis understandablykept

toquicksketchesandbriefinteractions,but

Stendershasassembleda gameandcapablecast

todotheheavylifting,withLukeBracey,

StephenPeacocke,MylesPollard,MojeanAria,

NicholasHamilton,LincolnLewis,TravisJeffery

andAaronMcGrathallformingpartofthe

ensemble– a veritablewho’swhoofupand

comingAustralianactingtalent.

Indeed,onethingthatdoesstandoutis how

Australianit allfeels.Aftercountlessfilms

reflectingthespecificallyAmericanexperienceof

theVietnamWar,it’srefreshingtoseeonewhere

thecharactersinvolvedsoundlikeus,actlikeus,

andreflectourculturalvaluesandconcerns,even

tothelimiteddegreethattheactionofthe

narrativeaffords.Aninterludeata concertfor

thediggersfeaturingAussie’60ssingingstars

ColJoyeandLittlePattireinforcesthis–

DangerCloseis notjustPlatoonwiththe

setdressingchangedover.

Well,notgenerally– therearemoments

whenStenderscan’thelphomagesomeofthe

moreprominentVietnamfilms– a little

ApocalypseNownodbeingthemostobvious

• butforthemostpartDangerCloseis itsown
  thing. More importantly, it’s our thing.TJ

Littledidheknow,

the Predatorwas behind him.

AUGUST 2019 35