Reviewed by Victor Rebikoff.
Director: Jeremy Sims, Icon Film Distribution Australia, M 124 Minutes.
Australian filmmaker, Jeremy Sims (‘Beneath Hill 60’) has directed an inspiring and thought-provoking film with considerable compassion and sensitivity as well as heartfelt humour, shot against the splendid backdrop of the Australian outback.
‘Last Cab to Darwin’ tells the stimulating story of Rex (Aussie legend Michael Caton – ‘The Castle’) a Broken Hill cab driver with a terminal illness taking an epic journey to Darwin to determine how best to deal with his dilemma.
It follows an earlier conversation with Darwin euthanasia advocate Dr Nicole Farmer (Aussie icon Jacki Weaver – ‘Stoker’) during which she informs him of her machine to help people die with dignity following legislation recently passed in the Northern Territory.
In deciding to go Rex realises that he will need to disrupt his regular routine of enjoying breakfast and discreet liaisons with his difficult neighbour Polly (Ningali Lawford – ‘Bran Nue Dae’) especially in meeting his pub mates.
Rex’s lengthy journey is not without incident after coming across Tilly (Mark Coles Smith – ‘Around the Block’) a young Aboriginal lacking any real purpose in life but prepared to go along for the ride and get to see Darwin.
In the closing stages of their road trip Rex comes across attractive pub worker Julie (Emma Hamilton – ‘Stand Off’) an English nurse who ends up providing the crucial care for him as he prepares to face his final days.
There is much to enjoy in Sims’s warm-hearted production of an outback cab driver undertaking his last journey to discover life’s meaning and learn that it is never too late to start living particularly where it involves personal relationships.
The stunning landscape of the Australian outback also features as a character only to be surpassed by the stand-out performance of Caton and complemented by the performances from Hamilton and Weaver.
At the same time it is Caton’s persona and presence that provides the linchpin to the impressive portrayals of their characters by Aboriginal actors Lawford and Smith.
In making such a memorable Australian movie Sims manages to instil the prevailing melancholy with the right amount of sensitivity, sentimentality and humour to ensure an enduring yet uplifting experience perfectly shot alongside a magnificent setting.
Last Cab to Darwin is televised on Channel 7Flix at 8.30pm on Friday 30 October
Vic’s Verdict: 4 Stars
