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Australia, UK 2007
Director: Tony Tilse
Cast: Joanne Froggatt, Bryan Brown, John Wood, Tom Long, Asher Keddie, Richard Carter
Rating: Australia (M)
Release Date: 18 March 2007 (Australia)
Running Time: 1 hour 35 minutes
The Movie Review
Teeth-Gritting Joanne Froggatt
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JOANNE LEES:
MURDER In The OUTBACK |
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When I saw this, I was totally oblivious that it's apparently based on a true story. What I had been felt was this uneasy feeling that the early scenes looked so realistic with all the search and rescue footages and everything. Before I tell you the storyline, let it be known spoilers are inevitable, besides, the title already says everything. And I guess when this movie was aired in Australia, the filmmakers had already assumed that Australians had been familiar with the story. Basically, it revolves around two backpackers from UK riding a Kombi, Joanne Lees and her boyfriend, Peter Falconio. They run into deep trouble in the Australian Outback which (according to the movie) sparks heated debate and nationwide attention.
 Joanne... Suspect or Victim?
Joanne Rachael Lees (Joanne Froggatt) and Peter Marco Falconio (Laurence Bruels) are two British tourists who spend their time by travelling across outback with their van (Indonesian: VW Kombi). Starting from Bondi Beach, these two lovebirds are initially having fun enjoying their journey. But as they are driving up the Stuart Highway near Barrow Creek from Alice Springs, a mysterious scruffy-looking man (Richard Carter) stops their vehicle which results in the mysterious disappearance of Peter. Joanne --as the survivor and the only person in the site-- is rescued and assisted by the local truckers who take her to safety. The police is pouring all over and do a large-scale search for Peter but only find a pool of blood being covered with dirt at the crime scene.
Having no relatives in Australia, a kind-hearted local woman shelters her and she finds a friend in the form of local honest journalist, Mark Whilton, who's willing to help him without sensationalize her for his benefit, or so he says. Days after days, instead of getting some progress in the research of her loved one, Joanne is getting cornered for her seemingly far-fetched testimonials. Some might even accuse her for killing her own boyfriend! But Joanne does hide a dark secret of her own. What is actually happening here? And what happens to Peter Falconio?
 Unpleasant hide-and-seek
I was looking for this made-for-TV movie because of my interests in Tony Tilse's unique movies and looking forward for some more. But I had thought that this movie would be a horror-thriller, but eventually I realized Murder in the Outback is a drama. I felt a little bit of bummer, but fortunately, the drama plays well... in fact the story becomes intriguing. The movie plays a lot with emotions that have to be faced by poor Joanne. How she deals with her life after Peter has disappeared, how she has to deal with the press, the mean gossips, and eventually things got really heated up when the movie enters the realm of courtroom drama ala TV Series LA Law.
The overall performance of the entire cast is excellent with John Wood (as Grant Algie the Lawyer of Bradley Murdoch), Bryan Brown (as public prosecutor Rex Wild) and the enigmatically creepy performance of Richard Carter as Bradley John Murdoch. But, of course, the heaviest burden lies on Joanne Froggatt who appears excellently convincing and dramatic, although... she plays her role of being in a distressed condition almost all the time (all the time) that at some points it becomes too saturated and instead of evokes sympathy, her character is simply irritating. It seems as if director Tony Tilse Joanne Froggat's scenes in one single day because her acting has always been the same throughout the movie (except for the beginning).
Sadly, the real Joanne Lees had not been sought insight/advice in the making of the movie (according to IMDb). But she indeed had written a book titled No Turning Back. And it appears that Wolf Creek (2005) might have been inspired by the story of Joanne Lees.
> More of Tony Tilse's movies: Scorched (2008), A Model Daughter: The Killing of Caroline Byrne (2009), and Panic at Rock Island (2011).
© iwan pranowo of Movielogy.com
Twitter: @movielogy
posted: Wednesday, 19 October 2011 11:59 pm
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Home > Drama & Musical Home > Joanne Lees: Murder in the Outback (2007)
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