While you watch this surprisingly short film, again, you are reminded, it's not quality, not quantity, and The Boys is a jarringly intense masterpiece of scenes, that seem handpicked, as they are all potent, with some truly claustrophobic moments. One reason, evidently stands out: David Wenham, as one of three ex cons, good for nothing brothers, who's just got out of the nick. The telling of this story moves back and forth, so don't try and think, just enjoy this blessed experience of high calibre acting, Lynette Curran up there with Wenham, as the much suffering mother, while Toni Collette relishes in a role in what you would call her most sexiest, as Wenham's loud mouthed girlfriend. This is basically a domestic drama, but the film's magic, is in how the story's utilized, so tight knit, a no holed drama, which is at times, is so confrontingly real, especially in Wenham's performance. The fantastic Another Hayes plays the weak, unhinged, patsy sort of brother, kind of reminding you a bit of him, in Suburban Mayhem, where he also played a, good for nothing loser. John Polson, seems the most together brother, you so want him to get his life on track, and leave with his girlfriend, sugar mummy, of higher class, but, his brothers mean too much to him. The film with it's dark music scores, and fade outs, that work perfectly for this film, mirrors real life, with an all too realness, in a chilling, engrossing watch, that sadly runs shorter than you want it too, it's last scene, memorably scarring. One Oz movie experience, which again does us proud, joining that section of fine Oz films.
The Boys
1998
Action / Crime / Drama
The Boys
1998
Action / Crime / Drama
Plot summary
A chilling 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 girlfriend, two brothers, and mom. Manipulating and intimidating everyone in the household as the mother fails to keep together the family in Brett's wake, the family 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". The beginning of the film features eerie piano music from The Necks while showing still images of everyday household objects, illustrating how the ordinary can take on meaning often larger than itself and providing escape for the inhabitants of this household run by a sociopath.
Uploaded by: FREEMAN
Director
Movie Reviews
Highly overrated.
The Boys is a movie with a high score, with extremely positive reviews, and that thricked me into watching it. Do I regret it? Kind of, as it's really nothing special. The acting is okay, nothing wrong about that aspect of the movie, but the story is boring, slow and too long, the timeline mostly confusing, the camerawork is half of the time shaky, in other words all ingredients for a mediocre movie. I don't get what people find extraordinary about The Boys, it's just a mess going nowhere.
This is the TAXI DRIVER of the nineties.
The Western suburbs of Sydney and Brett is released from prison to be welcomed back into his own prison, Home. The family are at odds with life and Brett makes matters worse. By evenings end the brothers dwell into a deep dark void and go on a primitive hunt. A disturbing film capturing the struggle of the male species placed at the bottom of the social ladder. Brett, repressed by the laws of society and the repressor of the weak, portrays the primitive role of man as he and his brothers roam within the confines of their cave where they rule supreme. In the outside world they are powerless. They even fail in controlling their women that their forefathers were able to do with a heavy hand. So society has changed but not the testerone levels these men carry. Have we gone against nature and created these oppressed monsters who break and rise to seek their fury on the weak? A wonderful discussion to have over a beer and BBQ. The director Woods opts for the neo-realist approach that works in the confine spaces of the house. Strong filmmaking for a small film carrying important issues.