SOLO
Director: Morgan O'Neill Stars: Colin Friels, Angie Milliken, Bojana Novakovic, Linal haft, Vince Colosimo, Chris haywood, Tony Barry, Bruce Spence
Reviewed by GREG KING
A change from some of the worthy but bland personal dramas and coming-of-age stories that dominate the local scene, Solo is a powerful and violent genre piece that especially recalls Luc Besson’s superb thriller The Professional and the hard hitting tv mini-series Blue Murder.
Jack Bartlett (Colin Friels) is an enforcer for the Sydney mob, whom he refers to as “the gentlemen”, but after 20 years of breaking bones and killing people on order he has had enough and wants out. He would prefer to go quietly without any fuss, but his bosses have other ideas. They will reluctantly let him go if he performs one final job for them. The intended target is Billy Finn (newcomer Bojana Novakovic), a young university student who is researching a thesis on Sydney’s criminal underworld and is asking too many questions of too many people. But Jack decides that he is going to save Billy, and by extension himself. But first he has to deal with some corrupt cops and ruthless gang bosses, and a girl who doesn’t want his help.
The idea of a mob hitman wanting to get out of the deadly business but being forced to do one more job before he is allowed to retire peacefully is not new. It is how first time writer/director Morgan O’Neill approaches the material that gives it a breath of freshness. O’Neill is the winner of the local version of Project Greenlight, the Matt Damon and Ben Affleck-created reality tv series that gives a first time film maker $1,000,000 to make their film.
O’Neill has a nice ear for the hard-boiled dialogue of American gangster films. Sydney’s sleazy King’s Cross area provides a wonderful backdrop to the story, and cinematographer Hugh Miller makes great use of locations to add a touch of realism to the film.
For his debut feature, O’Neill has attracted a top-notch supporting cast to bring the characters to life. Angie Milliken is sympathetic as Barrett’s girl friend, the proverbial tough whore with a soft heart. As a tough crime boss Linal Haft would give the likes of Bob Hoskins (The Long Good Friday, etc) a run for his money, while Vince Colosimo has fun as a cocaine-snorting corrupt cop. There are also effective cameos from veterans of the calibre of Bruce Spence, Chris Haywood, and Tony Barry.
But it is Friels who fittingly dominates the film. He is excellent and delivers a superb performance here. His laid back but gruff and explosive character recalls the menacing physical presence of screen tough guy Lee Marvin, circa Point Blank, etc.
***