Red Dog

Australian cinema is known for presenting stories of legends from our history. This is the story of an Aussie who touched the hearts of many people in North Western Australia.

The story is not terribly unique to Australia. You could imagine it being made in any country in the world. But it is told in a very Australian way. This is a wonderful Aussie story, which is the type of film that we should be making more of. There is something about stories of animals which we just do so well. They have a lot more charm than humans and we can sometimes care a lot more about them. While the film is based on a true story, you get the sense that there is a little bit of myth being woven into the story. Red Dog does a few amazing things but the film makers still make it seem very believable. Despite the episodic nature of the story writer Daniel Tapliz has crafted an excellent story that keeps Red Dog as the focus.

I can be pretty cynical and say that American actor Josh Lucas is only in this film to get some overseas interest. He is very good in the role but I think that it would have been better served as an Aussie character. I know it maybe based on a true event I just think Red Dog's true master has to be Aussie. Rachel Taylor is delightful as the woman who stands up to Red Dog and competes for his mater's affections. Arthur Angel is excellent in a very funny performance as the Italian minor. So is John Batchelor as a quintessential Aussie bloke.

Stop your winging about Australia not making any decent films and go see this one that is sure to become a classic. It is the duty of every Australian to make sure it is successful so film makers will come to realise that this is the type of film audiences want to see.