This was a damn good movie. I had heard of it before, because I read a lot of movie blogs where people cover film festivals and things, but I hadn't seen it and it wasn't high on my list to see. But it was on the server and I thought I would give it a shot. I love Willem Dafoe. He is so good at everything he does. I don't know why, but sometimes I forget that and then I'm surprised all over again.
Martin Davis (Willem Dafoe) is a hunter hired by a corporation called Red Leaf to travel to Tasmania. Red Leaf believes that there is a living Tasmanian tiger somewhere on the island and they want Davis to find it, kill it, and take samples of it. He goes to Tasmania posing as a university researcher interested in studying Tasmanian devils in the wild, but soon finds himself caught in a far larger web. The logging concerns hate the environmentalists for shutting down their work, the greenies are very specific about what they consider proper procedures, and the family that Davis is staying with has their own secrets. The dad disappeared into the woods searching for the tiger and was never found. The mom (Frances O'Connor) retreated into a depressive spiral and left the two kids in the care of laconic neighbor, Jack (Sam Neill).
If I had to compare to another film as far as tone and general mood, I would have to go with either The Grey or The Ghost and the Darkness. Both films capitalize on the savage beauty of nature and the equal savagery of mankind.
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