Caffeinated Clint
Hurricane Katrina is uncontrollable, relentless, menacing, manipulative and unpredictable – and so was the wild storm that ravaged New Orleans a couple of months back.
Emily Barclay, Michael Dorman, Anthony Hayes, Genevieve Lemon, Steve Bastoni
Hurricane Katrina is uncontrollable, relentless, menacing, manipulative and unpredictable – and so was the wild storm that ravaged New Orleans a couple of months back.
Remember The Paxtons, the terminally unemployed slackers that A Current Affair profiled years ago? Now imagine them without the microscopic amount of scruples they had left, give them some newfound confidence, and hand them a key to the gun cupboard. That, for all intents and purposes, may have served as the pitch for Paul Goldman’s fast-paced feral romp, “Suburban Mayhem”.
New Zealand actress Emily Barclay wears the slutty skirts and hooker boots to play teenage basket case, Katrina. Having slept with every guy in town, it’s no surprise that she’s already with kid, and an acidic reputation. When her beloved brother is arrested for murder and thrown in jail, and the cops start hassling her about her callous activities, Katrina starts to plot her revenge against the ‘big men’ – roping in her male comrades to help see the plan through.
“Suburban Mayhem”, though significantly embroidered, is actually a pretty close representation of another segment of our country’s popular: the scumbag feral. You know the type; there is one in every street. They’re loud, they’re rough, they smoke crack from the bonnet of their commodores, and most of them have about ten kids before they’re 21. Goldman’s film takes every element we represent with that subdivision, turns it up to 11 and watches us cringe.
For the most part, “Suburban Mayhem” – despite the accolades its been nominated for, and the rave reviews its garnering – is a pretty average film. Its only gaining attention because it is so different to the other films – especially Australian – films out there. Yes, the performances are good – Barclay is especially impressive, and does deserve an award or two for her brave performance – but the film struggles to stay afloat at the best of times. It’s one thing to have an interesting treatment, another to be able to flesh it out to heavy screenplay size – and unfortunately, Goldman seems unsure what to do with his characters once the first hour ticks by.
There’s “Mayhem” here all right, but it’s nothing you can’t wait for DVD to witness.
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Reviewer : Clint Morris
