REVIEW
In 2005, Wolf Creek was a booming box office success as word spread that this new Australian outback thriller was scaring away tourists. The film made headline news, certain cinemas placed health warning signs up in the foyer, and a public outcry attempted to ban the film altogether. People were literally storming out of the cinema in disgust while one of our longest serving nice guy actors, John Jarratt, couldn’t walk down the street without people becoming nervous. Even shock tactic directing maestro Quentin Tarantino claimed Wolf Creek as brilliant. That endorsement went global and propelled Wolf Creek into instant notoriety.
Nine years later, Mick Taylor, the twisted sadistic larrikin cowboy who uses backpackers as hunting game is back. This time around the opening credits have hardly begun when the nastiness begins and the body count starts.
Mick’s latest prey begins with a pair of young lovers from Germany minding their own business camping out under the stars. It doesn’t take long for the horrendous situation to escalate after a simple meeting with Mick, who says some outrageous quotes on top of reacting however he wants to any sudden movements. Usually violently.
This sequel is more of a road movie, with Mick not only cruising around in his beat up Ute, jingling with dangling chains and tools, he also drives a semi-trailer, gets on horseback, and uses a new weapon of choice, a cracking bull-whip.
Mick also has a nemesis this time, unsuspecting at first but his prisoner turns the tables and fights back with furious anger. A British tourist, Paul (Ryan Corr of Australian television’s Packed to the Rafters fame and the Spike Jonze film Where the Wild Things Are) is a passerby who is thrust into Mick’s psychotic world, eventually being captured and set up for torture. This is not pretty but a hilarious scene for all the wrong reasons. Cricket references and even a sing-a-long of sorts become part of the madness. It’s a house of horrors style elongated scene that pushes the limit of what can be displayed in an MA rated film.
Cinematography of the South Australian outback is simply beautiful on the big screen. The Flinders rangers during the truck chase scenes, reminiscent of Steven Spielberg’s film Duel, are a particular standout. Beware of wayward kangaroos is all I will say during that unpredictable moment. See this at your own peril; a third film is already in the works.
INTERVIEW
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Wolf Creek was released on an unsuspecting audience in 2005, introducing outback larrikin and cowboy madman Mick Taylor. Mass hysteria grew with a jolting advertising campaign propelling curiosity and anger. Word spread quickly so box office boomed. However, due to graphic content, Wolf Creek made headline news. I spoke to John Jarratt and his co-star nemesis Ryan Corr (Where the Wild Things Are) on what we can expect this time around.
How hot did it get out there filming the South Australian outback, did it affect your performances or patience?
Ryan – it was more a hassle for the make-up department. It got hot so I had real sweat, I acclimatized a little bit, and it was fine.
John – I am very lucky as the heat never bothers me, even wearing a flanny (flannelette shirt) the whole time.
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The locations were amazing, practically a character of the film with changing landscapes and colours.
Ryan – The framing was spectacular, I agree.
John – We had two brilliant DOP (Director of Photography) gurus who knew their stuff. Australia is home of the finest Oscar winning cinematographers in the world. The outlook of this film is a big screen joy.
You both looked extremely fit in the film, how much of the stunt work did you do yourselves?
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John – As much as we could but it’s certainly not like the old days when an actor could participate in everything, political correctness has taken over. During Wolf Creek 1, I did most of the driving myself, you can’t do anything too risky now.
Ryan – I was very lucky; I did most of that chase scene with the truck myself, as long as I could keep 15 meters from the camera crane in front of me; I was told to stick to 80 km/ph. They basically blocked off a freeway for us to continuously film on. I felt blessed to be allowed to do my own stunt work.
John – In the first one, I was doing 190 km up the highway in the truck; you can’t do that anymore.
How many Jeeps did you go through?
Ryan – Two. They had to chuck one of them off a cliff (laughs) without me in it.
There was a surfboard on the roof too, it was never mentioned if the character surfed? And the board never got wrecked.
Ryan – (laughs) There was a cut scene where I spoke to my girlfriend and mentioned I had been up the coast surfing, but that was it.
Did Director Greg Mclean shoot Part 2 chronologically as he did the first one scene for scene?
John – No, that was impossible this time. The first one lends itself to it, but the second we had too many variations in locations. The truck scenes were in the flinders’ rangers, then we had to head south for other scenes. All points of the compass around Adelaide.
Those particular truck scenes reminded me of the Steven Spielberg film, Duel, until the kangaroos showed up that is.
John – If you have ever driven out in the bush, you have to hit a few roos. That’s how it is.
Ryan – The truck was moving fast but no kangaroos were actually hurt. Greg kept things interesting to watch on set with DVDs on hand as examples so when it came from effects or CGI images, he is a visual director.
Is Mick still having the time of his life eradicating the tourists and dispensing the noxious weeds that he calls backpackers?
John – Yes, he’s not bored yet, still shooting the feral animals and having sex with them. He’s mad and loving life. Mick is who he is, but you see a lot more of him in the sequel. You get him from the get go here, so he had further opportunities for demented play.
There is a moment during a mysterious farmhouse scene that started quite surreal before rapidly changing moods, was that a hard scene?
Ryan – Well, no because when my character woke up he was still dazed at all the confusion and drama that had led him there.
John – I went in and didn’t show remorse; it was one of the best scenes of the film for sudden impact.
Did the cameras keep rolling during those torture scenes? There was some pretty crazy things happening, and I found certain priceless moments between you both excruciating but funny. Was it unscripted banter?
John – Not really, we had most of that on the page. Greg does encourage longer scenes to flow into anything. It is one of the great things about using digital cameras in place of film-stock; you can let the cameras roll. As a director you don’t hear him yell CUT for the sake of it.
Ryan – That particular scene though was almost word on from the script; there were other moments of extra dialogue throughout. It took four long days right near the end of the entire shoot. We were tired by the end.
John – My favourite part of all that was with the knife in hand and going real close (pointing at Ryan) and saying “That gives me the shitssssssssssss.” It was a word I exasperated. The Dennis Lillee and Shane Warne comments were also a crack up.
Mick has a bull whip this time around, he’s on horseback, he’s behind the wheel of a semi trailer, that range must have been fun.
John – I love the whip that was nasty; it does something to your testosterone when cracking a whip. It was my idea for Mick to get on a horse. He’s a cowboy, and I knew how to ride.
How much farther can Mick go, are we looking at a possible trilogy?
John – I haven’t seen the draft for the next one; I know it’s being written. I’m sure there will be a third if this one is successful, and I’m sure it will be. These kinds of films lend themselves to sequels. There has to be a shorter gap this time; if it’s another 9 years, I’ll be 71.
Will he expire, can someone be smart enough or cunning enough to take him out?
John – No one will get close enough.
Ryan – That person will get only one shot, and Mick would enjoy it.
Do you think anyone who may have been too young or viewers who may not have seen the original would still get into the sequel?
John – Good question. I think so; it’s more of a juicy horror film and gets going quicker than the first.
Ryan – If anything, it will stand alone and freak people out faster. Mick is not imitating a kind persona as he did in the beginning of 1.
Did you know what you were signing up for, steadfast for the mayhem?
Ryan – Yes, I did. I knew it was going to be different from anything I had ever done. I was looking forward to working with John at how real he was in the first. Something rustic and real made it terrifying for me so I jumped to be in this one. John helped me along.
There is a real head butt in the film, thanks to John. (laughs)
Where the Wild Things Are, a movie you were in which current Oscar nominee for HER Spike Jonze, any on set memories?
Ryan – I worked with him in such a small capacity on that, but it was a massive movie to be on set. I shot 4 or 5 scenes, and 1 made the final cut. Spike was an exocentric; I really liked him. He made things interesting, instead of getting the kids to act for him, he would make it into a game and film the reactions which made the scenes organic. He was a lovely guy; Catherine Keener (co-star) was cool. The scale was so huge, filmed in Port Melbourne they were shooting snow over the rooftops in our spring turning it winter in America.
Finally, your got two movies happening, your directorial debut Stalk Her and a western comedy in the works, Passing Winds.
John – Well, Stalk Her is a three act film set in a kitchen. Low budget but doesn’t look it. My producing partners, OZPIX, are wonderful, and I think we have made an interesting drama. I didn’t want a halfcocked director, so I decided to do it to save a lot of money.
Craig McLachlan is on board and Steve Bisley will be in Passing Winds, it is Blazing Saddles meets Crocodile Dundee. Everything you have ever seen in a western is being sent up remaining very Australian.
I seem to remember another Aussie comedy outback western Lightening Jack, with Paul Hogan and Cuba Gooding JR was terribly received.
John – That didn’t work because of misplaced cultural exactness. This is going to be tongue in cheek Australian fun.
Wolf Creek 2 is now playing in Australian cinemas.
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