The Boys

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Audience Member The Boys, a chilling Australian film rife with domestic violence features Brett Sprague (David Wenham), a man on parole whose thin veil of humanity becomes evident within hours of moving back in with his two brothers, their girlfriends, and mom. Manipulating and intimidating everyone in the household doesn't come easy. As the mother fails to keep together the family in Brett's wake, the household becomes beset with Brett's omnipotent presence evidenced in the following quote from the end of the film "We're all gods in our own world", said before committing a heinous crime that viewers are only allowed to speculate at based on a few lines in the ending scene and cut ins of the three brothers being escorted in handcuffs. The beginning of the film features eerie piano music from The Necks, showing images of everyday household objects illustrating how the ordinary can take on meaning often larger than itself, providing escape for the inhabitants of this household run by a sociopath. Rated 5/5 Stars •  Rated 5 out of 5 stars 02/14/23 Full Review Audience Member Apart from a couple of swerves into histrionics typical of Australian dramas, this is really good; the tension is built really well, and though the flash-forwards seem trite at first, they make more and more sense as it goes along, until you get the to perfectly-timed ending and it all comes together. Fucking bogans. Rated 4.5/5 Stars •  Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 01/30/23 Full Review Audience Member excellent gritty film. recommended for those who like character studies Rated 5/5 Stars •  Rated 5 out of 5 stars 01/19/23 Full Review Audience Member This fictional dramatisation of the events leading up to the real life rape and murder of Anita Cobby is compelling viewing. David Wenham is chillingly convincing as Brett Sprague who has just been released from prison and returns home to his mother, brothers and girlfriend. Rated 4/5 Stars •  Rated 4 out of 5 stars 02/05/23 Full Review Audience Member It doesn't take long to work out how the structure of the Sprague family works, with David Wenham's Brett intimidating and manipulating his way to the top of the pack, allowing the men to dominate and the woman to become subservient. And it's through this process that Wenham truly shines, because it says a lot about an actor who can make his audience on edge as much as those around him. As his younger brother Glenn, John Polson is also brilliant and is the most compassionate of the title characters, with youngest brother Stevie (a solid performance from Anthony Hayes) conveying his suppressed rage in almost every scene. As for the women, Lynette Curran is sympathetically convincing as the boys' mother and Toni Collette is superbly powerful as Brett's girlfriend Michelle. Exceptionally directed by Rowan Woods, this gritty tale in which flashforwards gradually reveal the boys' fate, finishes off with a final line of dialogue that says so much about Brett. Rated 4.5/5 Stars •  Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 01/20/23 Full Review Audience Member Easily one of the most striking films of the 90's to come from Australia. It is a showcase of future Australian talent and a remarkable observation on the family psyche with crime and disrespect. Rated 4/5 Stars •  Rated 4 out of 5 stars 02/15/23 Full Review Read all reviews

The Boys

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