ScreenWize

As much of the best English-language cinema in the world jostles for the gold statues on offer at this year’s Academy Awards, it’s edifying to be reminded what lies at the other end of the quality spectrum. The far end. Probably the worst film I have seen for many years, it’s hard to find any aspect of The Backpacker that warrants it being seen. I have long been a strong supporter of the way that digital filmmaking (and now digital distribution) breaks down barriers to entry in the film industry, but a downside will be that films like this – that should never have proceeded past concept stage – might just find their way to your local multiplex.

Shunning what would have been the helpful conventions of the horror genre, producer/director and co-writer Dion Boland has created a badly constructed, poorly written and hopelessly directed cat-and-mouse story about a young soldier named Ben (Nathan Waring) and his battle to overcome an evil psychopath (Vincent Stone) who’s murdering backpackers on the roads of country New South Wales. To call it a thriller would be a massive fib, with about one-third of the film involving tedious shots of the two men running through the bush. The only thrill I got was when the other guy watching the movie had a long chat on his mobile phone.

Within a few moments after the opening credits come up, its clear that Boland and co-writer/co-producer Tara Simmonds have a half-baked turkey on their hands, the dialogue full of clichés, the acting stilted, and Boland struggling with even the most basic staging. The gap between the filmmakers’ belief in what they have done (the film’s website boasts comparisons to Deliverance and The Deer Hunter) and the experience on the screen is wide enough to lose several backpackers for a decade, and the claim that Waring’s performance has “a Steve McQueen feel” is frankly ludicrous – he is lifeless and clearly out of his depth. Vincent Stone shows some moments of cruel interest but his character (like all the others) lacks any coherent motivation and he ends up stumbling through the plot like an extra from the Rocky Horror Picture Show.

Am I being cruel? Not really. It is this bad. Please don’t buy a ticket, but rather send a donation to the Writer’s Guild to support their script assessment process.

No stars

Rating:

Filed Under: Reviews by Simon