Theme Song: Listen to this piece of droney, future-synth madness the filmmakers covered up with unnecessary dialogue –
Shit fucking rules.
Here’s some synth stabbing that’s slightly less interesting. All of this music is credited to a guy named Howard Davidson, who is a veteran composer in Australia/UK.
Interesting Dated References: People enjoying films from Australia.
Best Line: Said by pretentious dildo — “I make movies, I don’t watch them.”
Social Context: I still don’t understand why there was such an influx of Australian film released on home video in the early ‘80s in the United States. Like, I get that Road Warrior and Mad Max were insanely popular, but how does that justify plodding, barely-erotic thrillers getting the same marketing push?
Summary: So this couple, Chris and Sarah, get involved with Dominic, a womanizing media magnate who wants them to make a documentary about his life.
Then the entire fucking movie consists of long, boring shots of them filming him as he blathers on about manipulating people, interspersed with Chris and Sarah getting wasted and/or drugged at various parties where they keep thinking they see topless chicks being murdered.
Or could it all be a big joke? Or a hallucination? Who really gives two shits? Then some people point some guns at some other people and everyone acts all double-crossed and then the movie ends.
Look, this just isn’t my bag. If you want to see some Australian boobs and watch some people give each other mysterious looks for 85 minutes, you should check this out.
Worth Mentioning:
Look at this dope-ass painting, though.
And then there’s this charcoal drawing of a naked, crying woman tied to an electric chair.
Poster and Box Art: The box art for the US home video release is terrible because it gives away the ending in which Dominic is drowned by his assistant.
In a way it provides a service of wrapping up the movie for those who eject it after 20 minutes of nonsense. They can comfortably say, “Oh, looks like that guy who was an asshole probably dies.”
The Australian poster, however, under the original title Final Cut is well executed and striking.
Availability: Used VHS.