9 Aussie road movies
To celebrate the imminent release of A Few Less Men, we take a look at nine Aussie films that hit the road – some driven by fear, others by grief, laughter, freedom or family.
The sequel to the 2012 comedy A Few Best Men follows best mates David (Xavier Samuel), Graham (Kevin Bishop) and Tom (Kris Marshall), who after the sudden death of their friend Luke (squashed by a giant rock) are tasked with transporting his body to his grieving aunt in Perth. Naturally, not all goes to plan and the boys must deal with everyone from young ravers, to machete-wielding cross dressers in an attempt to get Luke’s corpse (and themselves) to Perth in one piece. In cinemas 9 March.
Damon Gameau (That Sugar Film), Stephen Curry (Hounds of Love), Ryan Johnson (Doctor, Doctor), Callan Mulvey (Rush) and Sam Worthington (Hacksaw Ridge) star as five AC/DC-obsessed friends, who make a pact that if one of them dies, the other four would bury him next to the grave of AC/DC frontman Bon Scott. Twelve years later, they find themselves having to live up to that promise, and embark on a road trip from Sydney to Fremantle to scatter their mate’s ashes. Directed by Darren Ashton (Offspring, Here Come the Habibs). Available on iTunes and more
Quentin Tarantino has named this as one of his top Australian films, calling it “truly magnificent”. Directed by Richard Franklin (Patrick), this Hitchcockian thriller starred Stacy Keach as a truckie driving from Melbourne to Perth, who comes to believe another driver is a serial killer targeting female hitchhikers. Along with the help of a hitchhiker (Jamie Lee Curtis), he tries to track down the criminal. Available on SBS On Demand and more
This stage-to-screen adaptation starring Aussie legends Michal Caton, Jacki Weaver and Ningali Lawford-Wolf plus up-and-comers Mark Cole Smith and Emma Hamilton, tells the story of private man Rex, who, having found out he doesn’t have long to live, decides to drive from Broken Hill to Darwin to die on his own terms. Available on Dendy Direct, iTunes, Google Play and more
The winner of six Oscars and Australia’s most successful film at the Academy Awards to date, it stars Tom Hardy as Max, who is embroiled in a high-octane cross-country car chase across a bleak dystopian desert when Furiosa (Charlize Theron) tries to escape a tyrannical ruler and free his five enslaved wives. Watch it on Stan and more
Based on the true story of Robyn Davidson, who trekked 2,700km from Alice Springs to the Indian Ocean in 1977 with just four camels and her faithful dog, Diggity. Adapted from Davidson’s book of the same name, it stars Mia Wasikowska stars as the 27-year-old Robyn, while Adam Driver (Star Wars: Episode VII) plays the National Geographic photographer who helped chronicle her journey. Directed by John Curran. Available on Dendy Direct, iTunes, Google Play and more
Paul Hogan and Shane Jacobson star as an estranged father and son, who make the journey from Victoria to Cape York to fulfil a long held ambition to fish off Australia’s northern tip. Available on iTunes.
The feature film directorial debut from acclaimed filmmaker Ivan Sen (Goldstone, Mystery Road) follows teenagers Lena (Dannielle Hall) and Vaughn (Damian Pitt), who hitchhike to Sydney together to escape the isolated town they’ve come from in a struggle to discover meaning and identity in their lives. Watch it via SBS On Demand.
Written and directed by Stephan Elliott, this starred Hugo Weaving as Mitzi, a drag queen who along with Felicia (Guy Pearce) and Bernadette (Terence Stamp) set out across the harsh Australian outback in their lavender bus, Priscilla, to put on a show at a remote resort. Available on Stan, Google Play and more
What to read next
Film critic David Stratton lists his top five Australian films ahead of the release of documentary David Stratton: A Cinematic Life.
07 Mar 2017
Caris Bizzaca