The Furnace

The ingredients are rich: in the 19th century outback, aboriginals, prospectors, Chinese, cameleers (uniformly referred to as Afghans even though they come from many Middle Eastern cultures), graziers, peddlers, Moslems, Hindus, troopers, and station hands negotiate wary relations. A hardbitten prospector has stolen gold in his possession and needs to find a way to legitimise it. He falls in with a cameleer and they trek across the desert to escape the law and other criminals in pursuit. This is an outback thriller trying to be a deep and meaningful arthouse excursion. The slow pace eventually becomes tedious and a couple of plot glitches irritate. Talented actors work hard and turn in excellent performances, but they are fighting the director.

Nails epic western tone ... in Australia! Haven't felt such a punch in the guts since Samson And Delilah. Wenham is off his chops in this one. It's all internal but it rips. His costar's naïveté strikes the perfect balance. This summer's sleeper hit. I had no idea it was gonna be that good. Maybe I should see it a second time to make sure. Big screen viewing is a must.

As an Aussie we are better at exporting actors than making films here, sadly. Or so its been for a fair while, until now.... For me the last 2 great Aussie films go Samson & Delilah, then The water Diviner...and now, this....

An excellent Aussie Gold Rush adventure full of suspense and action!