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6.2/10
Senior Film Conservator
A definitive 6.2/10 rating for a film that redefined the boundaries of cult cinema. Waltzing Matilda remains a cornerstone of transgressive art.
Honestly, only if you have a soft spot for 1930s Australian cinema or just really love watching people run around in circles for ninety minutes. If you need your comedies to be tight and fast, you’ll probably hate it. But if you’re like me and enjoy watching Pat Hanna basically carry an entire movie on his back with sheer willpower, you’ll find some genuine laughs here. 🤠
The whole premise is built on the most tired trope in the book: the "I think I killed a guy" misunderstanding. Except here, it’s actually kind of funny because our leads are so convincingly dense. They spend half the movie terrified of the police, while the police are just trying to hand them a giant bag of cash. It’s the kind of irony that makes you want to reach into the screen and shake them.
Moving the action to a sheep station called Banjaroo is a great touch. There’s something about the dusty, wide-open spaces that makes the slapstick feel a bit more grounded. It’s not just a stage play anymore; it’s a dusty, frantic mess of sheep and bad decisions.
Pat Hanna is the real deal. He’s not just the star; he wrote and produced the thing. You can tell he’s having a blast playing Chic Williams. He’s got that specific, slightly manic energy that reminds me a bit of the frantic pacing in A Ladies Man. He knows exactly how to milk a reaction shot for three seconds longer than he probably should.
The movie gets noticeably better once they hit the sheep station. It stops trying to be a crime thriller—which it never was—and settles into being a hangout movie with a side of panic. There’s a scene involving an old drinking buddy that is so random I had to rewind it twice to make sure I wasn't hallucinating. It doesn't move the plot forward an inch, but it’s the most alive the movie feels for a good ten minutes.
It’s not as polished as something like Ann Vickers, but it doesn't try to be. It’s a scrappy little production. It feels like the filmmakers were just making it up as they went along, and honestly? That’s part of the fun. It’s messy, a little bit loud, and deeply silly. 🐑
If you’re looking for a serious exploration of the human condition, keep looking. If you want to see a guy try to hide from a inheritance he doesn't know he has, you’re in the right place.
IMDb —
1928
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