John Polson Movies

Adapted from the novel by Robert Cormier, this psychological crime drama tells the tense story of an obsessed police lieutenant who's on the hunt for a dangerous young killer. The first thing most people notice about handsome high school student Eric Komenko (Jon Foster) is his easy charm. But that charm doesn't run deep, because a closer look reveals a cold-blooded killer. When Eric's devoutly religious mother discovers that her son has been sleeping around, the teen responds to her maternal scolding by viciously slaughtering both she and his father. The man assigned to Eric's case, Lt. Cristofuoro (Russell Crowe), believes that the young psychopath will kill again if given the opportunity. Lt. Cristofuoro knows that Eric has had a rough life, but he's determined to catch him before his murderous impulses once again take over. As Eric hits the road to Syracuse in search of a girl he met in juvenile detention, he is surprised to find Lori Cranston hiding in his truck. A tragic victim of sexual abuse, Lori knows what Eric is capable of, yet remains steadfast in her devotion to him. The crueler Eric is to Lori, the more she desires him. Later, as Lt. Cristofuoro closes in on the pair, Lori embraces her fate as Eric's next victim, and gives herself to him without struggle. But Eric is more interested in the girl from juvenile detention than he is with Lori. Little does the young killer realize that he's walking straight into a carefully set trap. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

A moment of temptation leads to a high body count and untold regrets for a high-school swimming star in this thriller starring Bring It On's Jesse Bradford and Traffic's Erika Christensen. Despite a shady past involving drugs and the juvenile justice system, Ben Cronin (Bradford) seems to have it all: a loving mother, a devoted girlfriend (Shiri Appleby), and a shot at a college scholarship in California. But the same week that athletic scouts will be deciding his future, Ben finds himself embroiled in a flirtation with Madison Bell (Christensen), a bewitching transfer student who seduces him into supposedly strings-free sex during an impromptu swim lesson after hours in the school pool. When Ben takes Madison at her word and goes about his business as if nothing had happened, she insinuates herself into his life with sinister glee. Showing up at Ben's house, befriending his girlfriend, and sending him naked pictures -- none of her strategies wins his heart. So Madison turns to other, more devious forms of courtship. Soon, Ben finds himself kicked off the swim team for supposed steroid use, suspected of murdering a rival (Clayne Crawford), and rejected by his girlfriend for his sexual indiscretions. Eventually, though, he receives help in uncovering the genesis of Madison's uncanny fixation from an unexpected source. Originally titled "Swimfan85" (after Madison's Internet screen name), the retitled Swimfan hit the top spot at the back-to-school box office when it was released September 6, 2002. Dan Hedaya co-stars as Ben's stern but loving mentor, Coach Simkins. Actor-turned-director John Polson previously helmed Siam Sunset. ~ Brian J. Dillard, Rovi

Siam Sunset is a post-modern love story about two lost souls. Perry works for an English paint company. His job of creating colors gradually becomes one of constant misfortune. In desperation, he travels to one of the most desolate parts of Australia, where he hopes to find a special color called Siam Sunset that will somehow bring about his salvation from the natural disasters that mysteriously torment him. Along the way, he meets Grace, a woman as troubled by the world as he is. Together they decide to give life and love another chance if the universe lets them. ~ Gönül Dönmez-Colin, Rovi

Co-produced by Britain's Channel Four and Australia's Seven Network, the two-part miniseries Kangaroo Palace was set in the "swinging" London of the 1960s. The story focused upon a trio of young Australians who'd come to Great Britain to seek their fortunes, establishing residence in a low-rent flat which they nicknamed Kangaroo Palace. One of the transplanted Aussies, Catherine Macaleese (Jacqueline McKenzie), was on a dual mission: to establish herself as a professional photographer and to track down her long-missing father. The other two flatmates were Heather Randall (Rebecca Gibney), who merely wanted to "party on" in perpetuity, and Richard Turner (John Polson), who'd bolted Australia to escape his irksome fiancée. Kangaroo Palace was originally seen in two 120-minute doses in 1997. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

This romantic, adventurous Australian thriller is set in the continent's Red Center. There Tom McGregor and his sister Susan work their lonely desert gas station. He and Susan are first seen racing along a desert road towards the horizon. Soon afterward, he is seen walking alone towards the seemingly abandoned filling station. During the course of the film, many interesting characters happen by, including the girl friend of a diamond thief on the lam. His car breaks down and he sends her to the station for assistance. Once there, she finds herself falling in love with Tom. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi

Three years before he became a household name in Hollywood with 1997's L.A. Confidential, Russell Crowe starred in this Australian drama, the directorial debuts of Geoff Burton and Kevin Dowling. Crowe plays Jeff Mitchell, a young gay man and the son of widower Harry Mitchell (Jack Thompson). The two live together while they both search for a special someone with whom to spend their lives. And while Harry is more than comfortable with Jeff's sexuality, his new lady friend isn't, leading to tension and a personal struggle for Harry. Based on the play by screenwriter David Stevens, The Sum of Us was the 1994 recipient of the Austalian Film Institute's Best Adapted Screenplay award. ~ Matthew Tobey, Rovi

In 1945, a tribunal was held to investigate atrocities committed by the Japanese upon Australian soldiers during World War II. At an internment camp, 1100 Australian soldiers were tortured and killed by the Japanese, with only 300 survivors. This horrible event was not known until a terrible discovery of decapitated corpses was made at a grisly site on Ambon Island in Indonesia after the war. Stephen Wallace directed this courtroom drama based on the incident and follows the intrepid investigator who uncovers the truth behind the missing Australian soldiers. Bryan Brown plays Captain Cooper, the prosecutor of the case, in which 91 Japanese officers and soldiers are accused of murdering the Australian prisoners-of-war. The chief defendants are camp commander Takahashi (George Takei) and Captain Ikeuchi (Tetsu Watanabe). Takahashi denies knowing anything about the atrocities, as does Ikeuchi. Nevertheless, Cooper presses on to undercover the truth. But standing in his way is the American delegation, led by Major Beckett (Terry O'Quinn). They don't want a case to go forward that would reflect badly on the Japanese high command, since General MacArthur wants to reinstate many of the Japanese officers in a new postwar Japanese order. ~ Paul Brenner, Rovi

The roiling emotions and rivalries of three teenagers are explored in this Australian drama, which pitches three dissimilar young people together in a high-tension situation. David (Kelly Dingwall) has persuaded his gal-pal Michelle (Rebecca Rigg) to join him as he breaks into a posh home to grab some cash. He claims that he's done this before, and there won't be any problems. Trouble appears in the form of another of David's friends, Billy (John Polson), a boy with a bad attitude from the "wrong side of the tracks." He has been tailing the duo, and joins them at the scene of the crime. He wants to trash the house, since it represents an example of "the good life" to which he will never have access. Over the course of the evening these three very different personalities will come to share their innermost secrets and be drawn together in a way they could never have anticipated. ~ Clarke Fountain, Rovi

This two-part TV movie, produced in Australia, was based on the tragically true story of an Australian teenager (John Polson) condemned to death for dealing in drugs in Malaysia. Part One set up the circumstances which landed Polson and his friend Hugo Weaving on Malaysia's death row. In Part Two, Polson's mother, played by Julie Christie, races desperately against time to save her son from the gallows. She enlists the support of the Queen of England, the Pope, and a large international organization of concerned citizens--but the Malaysian government remains unmoved. Evocatively filmed in Macao, Dadah Is Death had the bad luck to premiere on American TV opposite the highly rated miniseries Favorite Son. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Christina Stead's novel For Love Alone was a best-seller in Australia, but remains essentially unknown to the outside world. The same can be said for this 1986 film version, likewise a homegrown Australian product. Set in the 1930s, the film stars Helen Buhay as a starry-eyed young girl chafing under the oppressive attitudes of society in general and her father in particular. She kicks over the traces to enter into a romance with college Latin professor Hugo Weaving. Still not realizing that Weaving considers her a pleasant diversion and nothing more, Helen nearly misses out on a chance for happiness with liberal-minded banker Sam Neill. Once she's settled down with Neill, the idealistic Buhay is smitten by another aesthete, poet Huw Williams. Neill encourages this affair, hoping that Buhay will eventually realize that there's more to true love than mere sexual impulsiveness. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi