Deadly (film)

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Deadly
Directed byEsben Storm
Written byEsben Storm
Raland Allen
Produced byRichard Moir
StarringJerome Ehlers
Tony Barry
CinematographyGeoffrey Simpson
Edited byRalph Strasser
Music byGraeme Revell
Production
companies
Beyond Films
Moirstorm Productions
Deadly Productions
Australian Film Finance Corporation
Distributed byHoyts-Fox-Columbia TriStar Films
Release dates
  • June 1991 (1991-06) (MystFest)
  • 13 August 1992 (1992-08-13) (Australia)
Running time
99 minutes
CountryAustralia
LanguageEnglish
BudgetA$4 million[1]
Box officeA$25,421 (Australia)[2]

Deadly is a 1991 Australian film directed by Esben Storm.

Production[edit]

Storm first wrote the script in 1987. He wanted to tell the story of Aboriginal deaths in custody and chose a thriller format to make the movie as accessible as possible.[3]

The movie was shot on location in Wilcannia over seven weeks. It was the first of five features funded by the Film Finance Corporation's Film Trust Fund.[4]

Plot[edit]

From the UK VHS slick for the movie:

Streetwise cop Tony Bourke is sent to a small town to complete a routine report on the death of Jimmie Bryant found hanging whilst in police custody.

His orders are clear - keep the affair away from the media and close the case within 24 hours. The local police claim that Bryant committed suicide but the investigation exposes a number of inconsistencies in their story.

In the face of growing suspicion and hostility Bourke befriends the victim’s brother - his cellmate on the night of the killing. Together they are determined to see justice prevail … at any cost.[5]

Release[edit]

Ozmovies says of the film:

The film was given a brief outing in a few Hoyts cinemas, beginning in Sydney on 13th August 1992 and the same day in Hoyts Melbourne... The film received mixed to negative reviews in its limited domestic theatrical release.[5]

References[edit]

  1. ^ "Production Survey", Cinema Papers, August 1990 p68
  2. ^ "Australian Films at the Australian Box Office" at Film Victoria accessed 12 November 2012
  3. ^ "Interview with Esben Storm", Signis, 22 August 1995 Archived 3 November 2013 at the Wayback Machine accessed 21 November 2012
  4. ^ Andrew Urban, "Deadly", Cinema Papers, December 1990 p14-17
  5. ^ a b 'Deadly' at Ozmovies, accessed 14 October 2017.

External links[edit]