Gus Mercurio Movies

Based on a true story, the Australian feelgood comedy Dalkeith takes place in a tranquil retirement home. The elderly residents are bored to tears until they get a thoroughbred greyhound as a pet. The old folks name it Dalkeith, after the name of their home, and soon discover the dog's talent for running. When they enter her in the greyhound dog races, Dalkeith actually starts winning. The residents make bets on the dog's races and even go watch the action at the race track, providing them with a renewed sense of livelihood. The retirement home board of trustees object to the situation and try to put a stop to it, until resident Tarquin (Ray Barrett) revives his past in the legal profession and settles the matter in court. Also starring veteran Australian actors Gus Mercurio, Esme Melville, and Alan Hopgood. ~ Andrea LeVasseur, Rovi

In this humorous Western, Aussie Paul Hogan plays a cowboy running from the law. Lightning Jack Kane is a member of the notorious Younger Brother gang. He is the only member to survive their last shoot-out. Fortunately, he was only a minor member of the gang and escapes notice. Jack decides to rob a bank. He gets away with a small amount of cash and a mute, Ben, as a hostage. Unfortunately for Jack, Ben wants to be an outlaw so Jack is stuck with him. Eventually the two become grudging friends. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi

When a family's boat is capsized by a school of whales, they are left adrift in the shark-infested waters of the Pacific Ocean in this true survival story. ~ Tana Hobart, Rovi

The IMF's assignment: To persuade Frank Marley (James Sloyan), the manager of a casino in the Bahamas, to turn against his boss, mob kingpin Connors (Gus Mercurio). The strategy: To convince Marley that he is being framed for a money-skimming racket perpetrated by his employer. Robert Hammer's script for "The System" was first filmed in 1968, as the 68th episode of the original Mission: Impossible series. The "new" version was telecast on October 30, 1988. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Dave (Jon Blake) and his buddy Peter (Mark Hembrow) are chased by a gang of thugs when they pick up the wrong box from a Melbourne warehouse in this comedy thriller. Instead of toys, the box contains a substantial amount of cash intended to be used in a money-laundering operation. ~ Dan Pavlides, Rovi

It is perhaps a blessing that Hannah Scott, daughter of American-born Australian settler Maggie Scott (Louise Caire Clark), had been sent off to boarding school school before the third season of Five Mile Creek got under way (this move was motivated by the departure of series regular Priscilla Weems). Financial setbacks have forced everyone in the community of Five Mile Creek, including Hannah's mom Maggie, hotel owner Kate (Liz Burch), and stagecoach drivers Jack (Rod Mullinar) and Con (Jay Kerr), to pull up stakes a seek out a new home in the Australian outback of the 1860s. The journey across the Great Divide is fraught with danger, and the settlers receive a none-too-friendly reception upon arrival in the town of Emu Plains. Even so, Maggie and Kate are able to get back to business, and Jack and Con quickly reestablish their stagecoach line. New to the series this season is handsome, callow cowboy Matt Buckland, played by Shannon Presby), and feisty, tomboyish miner's daughter Annie, enacted by a talented redheaded teenager named Nicole Kidman. Also, the character of Five Mile Creek's "boss" Charles Withers (Peter Carroll), hitherto appearing only on a recurring basis,has been elevated to full regular. Among the season's story developments: Annie sets her cap for Jack, but she proves to be a bit rough-and-tumble even for his tastes; Jack must compete with a dashing Irish sea captain (Noel Trevarthen) for the attentions of Maggie; a hotly contested election is highlighted by the arrival of a balloon ascensionist; Con has a deadly showdown with a masked bandit; and, perhaps inevitably, the female leads are imperiled in another hostage crisis. In the series finale, Con is given the opportunity to start a new stagecoach service in faraway America. How will this development affect his partnership with Jack--not to mention his romance with Kate? ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

All the Rivers Run is a four-part miniseries set in the Australia of the early 1900s. Sigrid Thornton stars as Philadelphia Gordon, an English artist who undertakes a tragic move to Australia with her family. During their voyage to the new continent, a shipwreck occurs, killing all but Philadelphia and one of the ship's crewmen. She is then shuttled off to live with her aunt and uncle on their farm, and uses her inheritance to fund a paddleship business with the crewman from the vessel who saved her life. Philadelphia's life is forever altered when she meets handsome frontier paddleboat skipper Brenton Edwards (the Australian actor John Waters -- not to be confused with the iconoclastic American director of the same name). Our heroine marries Edwards, but the union begets trouble when their paddlesteamer catches fire, destroying the craft altogether and forcing Brenton to take another job. Later, an accident that renders Brenton lame forces Philadelphia to work hard and support the couple; she then decides to rebuild the vessel while doubling up her efforts as a painter. Scripted by George Miller (the director of Man from Snowy River), All the Rivers Run was released in the U.S. over the HBO Cable service; it first aired January 15 through 18, 1984. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

This patchy, uneven combination of fantasy and musical comedy is hilarious in parts and embarrassing in others, though the premise has great potential in itself -- a screwball Captain Invincible is out to save the world from his nemesis, Mr. Midnight, the white supremacist. Captain Invincible (Alan Arkin) is wallowing in his cups in the Australian outback when he receives an unusual call from the American President asking for his help. Unusual because the Captain had no choice but to go into exile after Joseph McCarthy's Un-American Activities Committee became suspicious of his red cape, and he has never been sober enough to recover from the shock. This history is given in a mock newsreel at the beginning of the film. But now Mr. Midnight is threatening to dismember New York City by convincing all the ethnic groups to live along the seashore. Once they are situated on beachfront property, he will blast out a crack in the earth behind them, cut their connection to the mainland, and send them drifting off into the Atlantic. It seems the dastardly Midnight has stolen the ultra-secret hypno-ray and can slice off New Jersey whenever he wants. Weakened by depression and alcohol, Captain Invincible is nursed back to full throttle by Patty Patria (Kate Fitzpatrick) and is soon ready to zoom over Sydney to the far side of the globe -- after practicing in harness in front of rear-projected scenes. Meanwhile, Mr. Midnight and his sidekick are all set to defend their turf, and their ability to slice it up -- though the (American) patriotic sentimentality that prevails in the end, after several other songs have come and gone, is summarized in a rendition of "God Bless America" that conflicts with the opening scenes and may leave foreign audiences cold. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, Rovi

This grim, violent Australian production is an artless mishmash incorporating elements of The Road Warrior, 1984 , and The Most Dangerous Game. The story is set in a dystopian future society where all "deviants" (i.e. anyone whose ideas don't jive with those of the government) are interred in nightmarish re-education camps where they are tortured, beaten, raped and put to death -- mostly on the whim of the psychotic commandant (Michael Craig). Periodically, a handful of particularly defiant inmates will be released unarmed to be hunted down (for the entertainment of the elite) in a free-for-all "Turkey Shoot" (the film's original Australian title). Among the latest batch of potential targets are strong-willed Steve Railsback and Olivia Hussey, who are confronted in the wilderness by the commandant and his goofy mutant cronies -- all of whom carry rocket-launchers, exploding arrows, and flamethrowers. This entire exercise is basically a prolonged excuse for a plethora of cheap, splattery makeup effects, made far more unpleasant by the blatant sadism of the proceedings. Unsuspecting viewers exposed to this film may wish to follow with My Brilliant Career to restore their faith in Australian cinema. ~ Cavett Binion, Rovi

This 1980 version of the oft-filmed Henry Devere Stackpoole novel The Blue Lagoon was the first to be stamped with an "R" rating. The basic story remains unchanged. Two very small children, a boy and a girl, are shipwrecked on a lush tropical island. They are cared for by fellow castaway Leo McKern. When he dies, the kids, played with a minimum of clothing by Brooke Shields and Christopher Atkins, have no one but each other. When they grow into teen-hood, they also fall madly in love. Heavily reshaped and reedited before its release, The Blue Lagoon's principal attribute is the lush photography by Nestor Almendros. In 1990, a sequel was made, Return to the Blue Lagoon. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

In this Australian action comedy, Texas and Alby (Joseph Bottoms and Grigor Taylor) mostly work as roustabouts at carnivals, but they are bored with the kind of work they do and take to the road together, looking for some fun and adventure. They are picked up in a beautiful green Corvette owned by a well-heeled man named Arnold (John Clayton). When Arnold starts putting the romantic moves on Alby, he and his buddy beat the driver up and steal his wallet and car. Once underway, they discover that the Corvette is full of drugs, and the wallet is full of money. They pick up Lynn (Judy Davis) a lovely and idealistic female hitchhiker, who brings out Tex's protective instincts. The duo's gift at seeking out trouble continues to provide them with adventures throughout the film. ~ Clarke Fountain, Rovi