Film Reviews

The Magician

• Rating:
• Director: Scott Ryan
• Starring: Ben Walker
• Details: Australia, 85mins, 15s.

If anyone has seen the Belgian Art House mockumentary Man Bites Dog, they will find themselves in similar territory with The Magician. Documenting the trials and tribulations of a hitman as he goes about his business, Max Totti (Andrighetto) finds himself dragged into the world of Melbourne based killer-for-hire Ray Shoesmith (Ryan). Totti travels in the same car as Shoesmith as he picks up Tony (Walker) - another undesirable who owes his employer money - and takes him to the outskirts of the city. There, Shoesmith makes Tony dig his own grave but has a change of heart when Tony promises him a lump sum of cash he has hidden in a secret location. The three take to the road to find the cash and Totti shoots every second of it. Scott Ryan mixes humour (an in-depth discussion on who starred in The Dirty Dozen), pathos (Shoesmith laments the time lost with his daughter) and violence (the opening 'job') to good effect while all is shot through Andrighetto's hand-held camera. In between the 'big' scenes, Ryan's commanding screen performance wins out and his long speeches on the morals of such a job are given a good dressing down. And just before anyone can ask 'why would a hitman consent to a documentary and incriminate himself in the process', the answer is given before the poignant ending.

Review by Gavin Burke