Mad Bastards
[T]he film centres on TJ (Dean Daley-Jones), a volcanic former prisoner who hitch-hikes from Perth to meet his estranged 13-year-old son, Bullet (Lucas Yeeda).
He is forced to re-evaluate his life when he runs into the town's cop, Texas (Greg Tait), a softly spoken man mountain intent on turning around troubled lives in his town. He is the sort of tough outback cop who greets TJ with ''what the f--- you doin' up here?''.
But Texas is also compassionate enough to start a men's group, serving up sausage sandwiches and inviting shy Aboriginal men – mostly unsuccessfully – to talk about ''marriage problems, alcohol problems, all that sort of thing''.
Young Bullet has his own troubles. After being locked up for setting fire to a building, Texas sends him on a bush camp with other teenagers that involves learning how to catch crocodiles and goannas from an Aboriginal elder (John Watson). The boy is furious when TJ arrives and tries to restart the relationship with his mother, Nella (Ngaire Pigram).
(...) It could have been undermined by relying on non-actors but Mad Bastards works as a
moving and heartfelt story about individuals and community interwoven with vibrant music from the area.
Garry Maddox, The Sydney Morning Herald
Duration: 97 min
Dialogue: English
Age limit: K15
