Mad Bastards

Review by Anthony Morris

TJ (Dean Daley-Jones) is fresh out of jail in Western Australia and at a bit of a loose end.

He is a violent type trying to move forward in his life, and eventually he starts looking to head north to Broome to re-connect with a son he hardly knows.

Despite the watchful eye of his uncle, local cop Texas (Greg Tait), Bullet (Lucas Yeeda) has fallen into the habit of burning houses down, and in a last ditch attempt to set him straight is sent on a weeks-long trek through the bush with a local elder (John Watson).

As he works his way north TJ runs into a variety of offbeat characters and gradually starts to get into the tempo of a world that doesn't have all that much in common with the life he’s hoping to leave behind.

But will his former family take him back, especially when his first encounter with Texas doesn’t exactly make a good impression?

Director Brendan Fletcher worked with non-actors, getting their personal stories and shaping them into a script.

It gives the film a rough but authentic feel, and coupled with the Pigram Brothers music (Fletcher’s been working with them off and on for over a decade) the end result is a convincing snapshot of life in a distant corner of Australia.

That doesn’t make it compelling viewing – this is more of a film that you let wash over you, a gentle road trip rather than a heady drama.

That said, Mad Bastards does make it well worth checking out if you’re a fan of the bush and the music it makes.

3.5 out of 5

Mad Bastards
Australian release: 5th May, 2011 (Limited Release)
Official Site: Mad Bastards
Cast: Dean Daley-Jones, Greg Tait, Lucas Yeeda, Ngaire Pigram, Douglas Macale.
Director: Brendan Fletcher