Articles

Aussie Revenge Thriller

by Josh Forward | April 08, 2010 14:40 | Edited April 08, 2010 14:41

Filmink intern Josh Forward recently went along to a screening of a locally made revenge flick and had these words to say...

With the recent boom in quantity and quality of Australian film, it's no surprise up and coming filmmakers are trying their hand at success. The Devils 6 Commandments is the debut film from director Dicky Tanuwidjaya, a twisted revenge tragedy centered around the character Nina who, with her cruel brother, takes a hell bent path of vengeance after she is brutally raped. Receiving unexpected help from a crooked cop, the plot thickens and the killings don't stop at revenge.

Following another recent Aussie trend in a post-Underbelly craze of underground crime flicks, the film adds a martial arts spin on familiar territory. The film is filled with action sequences, with actress Gianna Pattison in the role of Nina channeling the likes of Buffy and Lara Croft to kick some ass. Every weapon possible gets the chance to spill some blood in the hands of Nina, from kitanas, shotguns, pistols, elaborate knives and even her own bare hands. The non-stop hectic nature of the film is mirrored with rapid editing and dizzingly shaky camera.

The film is clearly an Australian production and film locations will be familiar for any Sydney sider. Structured in six chapters and set all over the city, the film escalates to a bloody and twisted climax as the characters face the darkest areas of their past, and themselves. It's clear director Dicky Tanuwidjaya has a strong passion for films of this genre and martial arts as a craft.

Despite the films heavy, and somewhat sadistic themes, there are elements of comedy spliced in, introducing characters with a cut away to a mock introduction of the character on a magazine cover with appropriate, and comical headlines. The film doesn't dwell on any genre, or anything for too long before jumping onto the next twist.

The film, made for only $55, 000, mostly from the directors own pocket, is highly ambitious in its scope and attempts to cover a lot of ground with so little money behind it, but everyone on board attempts to make up for this with ample enthusiasm. Regardless of the films success or failure, one thing is certain, that Dicky will continue to make films because of his clear passion for the genre and the craft.

Dark and Twisted

by Cara Nash | March 05, 2010 17:20 | Edited March 05, 2010 17:21

A new revenge flick shot in Sydney has called it a wrap!

Currently in the final stages of post-production is a new action film shot in Sydney, The Devil's 6 Commandments, which revolves around six revenge stories that intertwine with one another.

At the centre of the film is the character of Nina who after being brutally raped by thugs is persuaded by her step brother to track the perpetrators down and torture them. During their revenge mission, Nina and her brother encounter a rogue cop who helps their cause, a homophobic multi-millionaire and a priest with a dark past.

Despite its dark and brutal themes, director Dicky Tanuwidjaya says his first feature film is actually a very personal story. "I adapt my life experience into the movie world by exaggerating the characters, changing some of the events, using metaphors through moving images and adding entertainment layers on top."

Lead actress Gianna Pattison who plays the role of Nina says shooting the film was an intense experience. "The director was continually challenged to find new ways to kill people. I remember a particular day in filming, I had to kill about ten people! Over and over again!"

However Pattison found the action scenes to be the most enjoyable part of the process. "I'm pretty adventurous and I've trained in martial arts for 14 years now and also had special training in weapons so that I could be skilled in the film... My friends joke around with me calling me the new Lara Croft," the actress laughs.

Shot on a budget of $55,000, funding for the film largely came from the director's own savings. "I didn't apply for government funding for this one, because I didn't want to spend months filling out application forms and compiling documents. You can only call yourself a filmmaker if you make films, instead of filling out forms and compiling documents," Tanuwidjaya says.

Apart from budgeting constraints, the director encountered myriad other challenges including a camera man pulling out at the last minute, as well as a "fickle actress." Tanuwidjaya recalls, "There's an actress who was supposed to play a supporting role who pulled out ten days before we started filming. Just days before shooting began, she rang me to say that she was bothered by the film's ending because it was against her religious beliefs."

Indeed the film may prove challenging for some viewers with its dark and sadistic themes but Tanuwidjaya says audiences who enjoy entertaining movies won't be disappointed. "There is plenty of action, dark humour and poignant moments in the film to keep audiences entertained. If people see it as pure entertainment, I'm happy. If they try to dig deeper and if the film makes them think, then it's a bonus."

To find out more about The Devil's 6 Commandments, visit the film's website.

Posted on Urban Cinefile Nov 2010

DEVIL'S 6 COMMANDMENTS, THE

SYNOPSIS:
On the verge of committing suicide after being brutally raped by thugs, martial arts student Nina (Gianna Pattison) is persuaded by her step brother, Ares (Felino Dolloso), to track down the thugs and torture them. During their revenge mission, Nina and Ares encounter Trevor Moretti (Manino de Aruanda), a rogue cop who helps their cause; Albert Pike (Robert Luxford), a homophobic multi millionaire; and Freddie Ramone (Robin Queree), a priest with dark past.

Review by Andrew L. Urban:
Made with a certain panache and wit, this revenge thriller is a great calling card for the intriguingly named Dicky Tanuwidjaya. Stylish opening credits alert us to a genre sensibility that could go far.

Driven by a charismatic performance by Felino Dolloso as the half brother whose killer instincts are buoyed by wry wit, the film takes a standard story line about a raped woman seeking revenge and turns it into a feisty rampage. In part this is its weakness, since the revenge killings lead seamlessly to other killings and we are left wondering where the storyline is. Or isn't; fun as it is, it doesn't quite compute as a story.

But it's half rescued by its bravura. "God takes too long to make things right," Nina (Gianna Pattison, excellent) tells Father Ramone (an eerie performance by Robin Queree); and touches like the 3rd Commandment, which is, Thous shalt not kill the wrong victim.

Singlet and braces makes for a wardrobe statement and character stamp for Trevor Moretti (Manino de Aruanda) and stylised jump cut editing and picture inserts make a cinematic statement for Tanuwidjaya.

Rico Banderas is memorable as Morgan the Morgue, the sleepy eyed restaurateur with a specials menu that sometimes includes human flesh, Nathan Bowen is marvellously dislikeable as the rapist, Lucinda Booth is striking as the forensic investigator working with Captain Jerry Thorn, played with bristling threat by Rob Sheens. Robert Luxford is another standout as millionaire shyster Albert Pike.

Cinematic and engaging, though its garbled storyline lets it down a bit; all the same, a worthy and interesting debut that works on several levels.

Is there an actor in the house?
doctors

University of Sydney medical student Natasha Thomson examines actor Robert Luxford at Westmead Hospital. Picture: Sam Mooy Source: The Australian

STUDENT doctors are diagnosing actors playing sick patients at the University of Sydney, while their counterpart nurses at Charles Darwin University are using a virtual hospital to learn to treat patients, all in the name of making the experience more real.

Wendy Hu, medical education officer at Sydney, said real patients were still used in exams for medical students in the later years of training and specialist exams.

"However, many patients are now quite ill when they are in hospital and cannot tolerate being examined by many students," Dr Hu said.

"As well, individual patients can be quite different, and normally there are quite a few patients required for each exam, so it wasn't fair on some students to be examined on patients who might have more complicated conditions compared (with) other students.

"So the idea of the standardised patient began."

Dr Hu said professional actors were already trained to give reliable and reproducible performances, as well as read scripts, and adopt roles.

The actors also helped to train students and doctors - including those at Westmead Hospital in Sydney - how to break bad news; that the patient has cancer, for example, or that a relative has died.

CDU's head of chronic and complex health care, Isabelle Ellis, told the HES that, like doctors, trainee student nurses also were assessed on a clinical teaching block in a simulated environment.

While nurses did not diagnose like doctors, unless training to be masters level nurse practitioners, they had to show they could carry out procedures and make clinical decisions.

"We have found that students come out of university with lots of facts and knowledge in their heads, but they find that really hard to pull together for a patient," Dr Ellis said.

Dr Ellis said the virtual setting - vHospital - allowed nurses to care for patients from triage through to treatment and discharge. "Student nurses practise making these decisions on virtual patients whose cases reflect real people, and where the decisions the student makes can have either good or poor outcomes for the patient including recovery or death," she said.

The vHospital initiative was an example of innovative university practice aimed at reducing the hospital-based learning that trainee students undertook, and where there had been a long-established risk that unsupervised students found themselves making important treatment decisions about patients, she said.