Robert Morgan Movies
Stunt man Robert Morgan primarily appeared in films during the '60s. In 1962, he lost a leg when a train stunt went horribly awry. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie GuideA talented dancer who was abducted and tortured by three mysterious women struggles to come to grips with his harrowing experience in director Ana Kokkinos' adaptation of Rupert Thompson's unsettling novel. A beautiful and charismatic dancer who has immersed himself in a dream world of graceful movement, Daniel (Tom Long) maintains an amiable but somewhat detached relationship with his girlfriend, and a passionate relationship with his mentor and choreographer Isabel (Greta Scacci). When Daniel ventures out for cigarettes one day and doesn't return, the women in his life are devastated. Upon returning without explanation eleven days later, the profoundly shaken Daniel is unable to articulate his experience and loses his ability to dance. To make matters worse, Daniel is unable to engage emotionally with even the people who were closest to him before the strange incident. Now, in order to reclaim his identity by confronting his abductors, Daniel sets out to find the three women with only his memories of the ambient sounds that flowed into his window to guide him. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Tom Long, Greta Scacchi, (more)
A narcissistic psychopath and neglectful single mother concocts a deadly scheme to sell the family house, and the only thing standing in the way is her still-breathing father in a cynical and serious-minded suburban soap-opera from director Paul Goldman and first-time screenwriter Alice Bell. Kat (Emily Barclay) is a nineteen-year-old single mother whose life revolves around manicures, cell phone conversations, petty crime, and cheap sex. She lives in a typical suburban home in a typical small town, and she has long since grown bored with her vanilla-flavored surroundings. Kat's brother Danny (Laurence Breuls) is currently serving a life sentence for murder, and the dangerously unpredictable hellion is now forced to move in with her father John (Robert Morgan) or face a life of destitution. Despite the fact that she is utterly dependent on her dad, her hatred for him reaches a breaking point when he informs her that he will sever her financial support and turn her child over to social services unless she finds a job. Subsequently unloading her toddler on her latest boyfriend Rusty (Michael Dorman) before embarking on a sex-fueled bender with Danny's decidedly slow-witted friend Kenny (Anthony Hayes), the enraged Kat soon cooks up a scheme to manipulate one of the men in her life to murder her father so she can sell his home, collect the cash, and carry on in her wild ways. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Emily Barclay, Steve Bastoni, (more)
An outlaw is goaded into taking on justice at its most brutal in this hard-edged Western set in rural Australia in the 1880s. Charlie Burns (Guy Pearce) is a criminal living in the outback. He and his two brothers, Arthur (Danny Huston) and Mikey (Richard Wilson), are on the run from the law for rape and murder. Arthur is a violent and dangerous sociopath with a much longer rap sheet than his siblings and a reputation for hiding out in villages so lawless the police are afraid to visit them, while Mikey is a much younger and more impressionable chap.
The authorities capture Charlie and Mikey after a bloody shootout, and the brothers are handed over to Capt. Stanley (Ray Winstone), a British lawman sent to Australia to help bring order to the colonies. Stanley proposes a deal to Charlie, explaining that it's Arthur he really wants, and that he's willing to spare the childlike and terrified Mikey if Charlie can find Arthur and murder him. Charlie, realizing that this is his only hope to save his simpleton younger brother (who is scheduled to be hanged on Christmas Day), agrees and sets out to find and execute his other brother, who he believes has gone too far into the world of crime. As Charlie scours the backwaters of Australia, he encounters Jellon Lamb (John Hurt), an educated yet thoroughly menacing bounty hunter. In time, Charlie finds his brother, but isn't certain if he can carry out his mission. Meanwhile, Stanley struggles to bring a European sense of civility to the rough and tumble land he now calls home, while his wife Martha (Emily Watson) becomes the focus of the lustful appetites of the men in town. The Proposition was written by rock star and novelist Nick Cave; he previously collaborated with director John Hillcoat on the film Ghosts... of the Civil Dead. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
The authorities capture Charlie and Mikey after a bloody shootout, and the brothers are handed over to Capt. Stanley (Ray Winstone), a British lawman sent to Australia to help bring order to the colonies. Stanley proposes a deal to Charlie, explaining that it's Arthur he really wants, and that he's willing to spare the childlike and terrified Mikey if Charlie can find Arthur and murder him. Charlie, realizing that this is his only hope to save his simpleton younger brother (who is scheduled to be hanged on Christmas Day), agrees and sets out to find and execute his other brother, who he believes has gone too far into the world of crime. As Charlie scours the backwaters of Australia, he encounters Jellon Lamb (John Hurt), an educated yet thoroughly menacing bounty hunter. In time, Charlie finds his brother, but isn't certain if he can carry out his mission. Meanwhile, Stanley struggles to bring a European sense of civility to the rough and tumble land he now calls home, while his wife Martha (Emily Watson) becomes the focus of the lustful appetites of the men in town. The Proposition was written by rock star and novelist Nick Cave; he previously collaborated with director John Hillcoat on the film Ghosts... of the Civil Dead. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Guy Pearce, Ray Winstone, (more)
- Starring:
- Emma Lung, Emily Browning, (more)
Coma meets Heathers in this Australian black comedy about crime, revenge, and kidney thieves. Brad (Matt Day) and Gregor (Jason Barry) are eager med students struggling to make ends meet. Thanks to government cutbacks, they are forced to share a cockroach-infested one-bedroom apartment, which they rent from their odious landlord (Reg Evans), and they're even forced to share the same bed (an inflatable sex doll in a nurse's uniform divides the mattress and reasserts their nervous heterosexuality). Their living situation is made even worse by their obnoxious neighbors; one guy who lives upstairs (Robert Carlton) engages in loud parties and noisy lovemaking at all hours of the night while another guy's car alarm constantly goes off. Unable to sleep or eat, much less study, the two are on the brink of giving up their studies. To make matters even worse, they are up to their stethoscopes in debt to gangster/western-enthusiast George Roy Rogers (Chris Haywood). Though his penchant for cheesy western memorabilia and silly hats seems a bit daft, he is deadly serious about collecting, and his two muscle-bound thugs Dale and Trigger are hell-bent on enforcing the debt. Brad and Gregor's luck changes when they learn of a noted surgeon, Marcus Browning (Rod Mullinar), who is willing to pay top dollar for organs, just before a sharply-dressed yuppie takes a flying leap and splatter-lands at their feet. Thinking quickly, Brad yanks out a kidney, crams it in an ice cream carton, and carries it over to Browning. Counting their cash, they realize that they have happened upon a neat little way of getting out of the red. ~ Jonathan Crow, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Matt Day, Jason Barry, (more)
"Craic" is Irish slang for a laugh or a good time, which is what this comedy about two Irishmen on the run in Australia has to offer. Fergus (Jimeoin McKeown) and his best friend Wesley (Alan McKee) are living in Belfast when they incur the wrath of a violent IRA leader, Colin (Robert Morgan). Since Ireland no longer seems like a safe place to stay, the boys hit the road and end up in Sydney, where they manage to find work despite the fact they're illegal aliens. Fergus gets a chance to appear on Australian TV's answer to "The Dating Game" and wins a vacation in Queensland with a pretty but half-bright beautician, Margo (Kate Gorman). While Fergus is enjoying his holiday (if not Margo's company), immigration authorities raid the house where Wesley, Fergus and several other illegals have been staying. Wesley takes it on the lam and tracks down Fergus in Queensland, just in time for Colin to show up, who is in Australia as part of a witness protection program. Fergus and Wesley are still angry at Colin, and vice versa, and so a mad chase ensues as Fergus and Wesley head for the outback with immigration agents, secret service men and IRA renegades hot on their trail. Jimeoin McKeown is a popular stand-up comic in Australia, and Alan McKee is the star of the BBC's The Bill; their combined box-office draw gave The Craic the second-biggest opening week gross ever for an Australian film at home, bested only by Muriel's Wedding in 1994. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jimeoin McKeown, Alan McKee, (more)
A honest police detective begins to crack under the strain of the cynicism and lawlessness surrounding her in the Australian crime drama Redball. The film opens with a sequence that's an apt metaphor for what follows -- two cops on the beat in Melbourne discover a body floating in the Yarra river and call in detectives to handle the matter. The plainclothes cops, however, prefer not to be bothered, and figure if they wait long enough, the body will float into another precinct's jurisdiction. Meanwhile, Jane Wilson (Belinda McClory), known to her friends as "JJ," is assigned with her partner Robbie Walsh (John Brumpton) to investigate a string of especially grisly child killings committed by an unknown lunatic the police have nicknamed Mr. Creep. While JJ has always been an idealist who tries to play fair and by the book, she's grown disgusted with the corruption and abuse of power that goes on around her, ranging from simple laziness in procedural matters to brutal violence and rape committed by her fellow officers. When evidence begins to suggest Mr. Creep may be a member of the police department, some of JJ's colleagues fear she's become worn to an emotional frazzle and may just break, bringing down not only herself but every member of the force who's not on the straight and narrow in the process. A violent and downbeat drama, Redball was shot on digital video and transferred to film for theatrical release, with its low-budget look enhancing the emotional grit of the story. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Belinda McClory, John Brumpton, (more)
Set within an Australian prison in a section reserved for AIDS-infected inmates, this moving but unsentimental drama, based on screenwriter/lead actor John Brumpton's 1991 play Containment, centers on the friendship and bonding that goes on between the afflicted patients. Former nightclub bouncer Des is the newest prisoner in the HIV block. He says he got the disease from Sharon, a club stripper. His new cellmate Ralph blames a blood transfusion for his illness. As Des (who is also epileptic) begins to get to know Ralph and the others, the story moves between present and past, before he was convicted. In the present, Des has trouble with a particularly cruel guard, Berwick. Other acquaintances include the tragic Snakey who watches his lover Jimmy slowly die. Ralph is also dying fairly quickly. The flashback scenes deal with Des' relationship to Sharon and Ralph's relationship with his girl friend Jane. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
In this unusual romantic drama from Australia, Harry (John Lynch) and Kate (Jacqueline McKenzie) are both patients at a psychiatric care facility. While in therapy, the two meet and fall in love, in spite of their troubled pasts. Despite the potential complications they might foresee with the relationship, Harry's main sources of support, his brother Morris (Colin Friels) and Morris's wife Louise (Deborra-Lee Furness), are more concerned with Harry's stability and happiness than anything else, and they soon give him their blessing to marry Kate. However, it soon becomes obvious that love does not conquer all. Kate becomes pregnant, and her doctors try to persuade her to have an abortion. They believe that her mental illness could be passed along to her child, that she would not make a fit mother, and that her medication for schizophrenia could have a harmful effect on the fetus. Kate is convinced that the angel Astral speaks to her, and that the child she carries is his earthly incarnation; she refuses to have an abortion, but compromises by not taking her medication while pregnant. Harry stops taking his as well, but the couple's happiness is short-lived when their increasing instability leads to tragic consequences. Angel Baby won seven Australian Academy Awards, including Best Picture, Best Actor, and Best Actress. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- John Lynch, Jacqueline McKenzie, (more)
Created by Michael Caulfield, Tony Cavanaugh, and Simone North, the Australian drama series Fire was divided into two basic story lines, each telecast over a period of 13 weeks. In the first continuity, the combined forces of the Brisbane police and fire departments endeavored to track down a deadly arsonist. The second story line was a complicated affair, interweaving elements of arson, revenge, and sexual harassment. Co-produced by Beyond Productions and Extra Dimensions, Fire was broadcast in Australia from 1995 to 1996. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Prison life is examined in this black and white Australian drama. The realistic portrayal of prison violence and language may be too graphic for some viewers. After he hits a prison guard, Dale is placed within the confines of the H division, the highest security area of the prison. Here Dale finds a living hell as he and the other prisoners are regularly beaten and abused by the cruel guards. Dale with his courageous spirit is not easily broken and leads a minor revolt. As a result, the government launches an investigation of the prison. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- David Field, Bill Hunter, (more)
In this drama, a daughter defends her aging father against scandalous accusations. Joseph Mueller (Max Von Sydow) was born in Germany but emigrated to Australia shortly after the end of World War II. Joseph is happily spending the autumn of his years doting on his two grandchildren and giving friendly business advice to his daughter Anne Winton (Carol Drinkwater) and son-in-law Bobby (Steven Jacobs), who have inherited the hotel that Mueller founded. One morning, as Joseph walks his grandchildren to school, he discovers that a camera crew is following him from a distance, led by reporter Leah Zetnick (Julia Blake). A few days later, Leah broadcasts a report alleging that Joseph is in fact Franz Kessler, a former member of Hitler's S.S. and a war criminal responsible for the death of Leah's parents, among many others. Suddenly besieged by the media, Anne and Joseph go into hiding after authorities issue an indictment against him. Joseph eventually steps forward to stand trial, defended by attorney George Coleman (Tom Robertson). After George calls Leah's credibility into serious question in court, Joseph is cleared of all charges, and a seriously distraught Leah commits suicide in front of Joseph and Anne. But Joseph's casual reaction to Leah's shocking act makes Anne wonder if Bobby's suspicions about her father's past might have a basis in fact. Max Von Sydow and Julia Blake both won Australian Film Institute awards for their performences. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Max von Sydow, Carol Drinkwater, (more)
What happens when baby-boom rock 'n rollers, having had their fleeting moment of fame and notoriety, grow up, get other jobs, and have children of their own? For one thing, if this movie is to be believed, they envy their children's musical abilities and, when the youngsters get involved in their own version of rebel-music, they re-create the famed "generation gap" all over again. Johnny (played by Australian actor John Waters) was a member of a 1960s band called the Chosen Ones and enjoyed the famed trinity of that era: sex, drugs and rock 'n roll. Now the middle-aged man is bored with his "straight" job and wants to see if he can't start a revival of his band's popularity, but his wife wants his career change to be more practical and suggests that they invest in a restaurant. At the same time, Johnny's much more talented son Paul is making waves in his own band. One highlight of this film is the surprisingly skillful music-making of the performers, none of them music pros. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- John Waters, Rebecca Gilling, (more)
The husband and wife team of Nadia Tass and David Parker concocted this charming teen comedy concerning a disappointing birthday present. Ben Mendelsohn plays Danny Clark, a shy 18-year old who only wants two things out of life: to go out with Joanna (Claudia Karvan) and to own a sleek new Jaguar. When Danny's father Desmond (Marshall Napier) comes through with a birthday gift for Danny, it's a car but it's not what Danny had hoped for --it is the family's old 1963 Nissan Cedric. Disappointed, Danny decides to trade the car in for a 1973 Jaguar before he goes out on his first date. Danny makes a deal with sleazy car dealer Gordon Farkes (Steve Bisley) for the 1973 Jaguar -- but Farkes switches engines on poor Danny. While Farkes is having a good time at a sex club, Danny decides to retaliate by gathering together a few of his friends to help him steal the engine from Farkes' Jaguar. ~ Paul Brenner, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Ben Mendelsohn, Claudia Karvan, (more)
Two people trying to leave ugly memories behind them find life and love anew in Australia in this made-for-television adaptation of the novel by Nevil Shute. Carl Zlinter (Michael York) was a doctor who was drafted into the German Army during World War II and forced to serve the Axis war effort. After the fall of the Third Reich, Carl becomes a displaced person and in time emigrated to Australia, where he tries to build a new life for himself and forget his horrific past. Jennifer Morton (Sigrid Thornton), meanwhile, is a woman from Great Britain who has her own grim memories of the toll the war took upon her nation, and has decided to visit Australia in search of sunshine and fresh scenery. Carl and Jennifer meet, and they soon fall in love, but it becomes obvious that they must reconcile their very different pasts if they are to make a future together. Originally produced for Australian television, The Far Country first aired as a two-part miniseries. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide















