Australian Crime & Violence
Australian directors have produced a number hidden gems in the broad field of crime and violence. Here is a list ordered by an organic index which is inclusive of accessibility, entertainment value, quality and how well I remember them (may change over time as I rewatch them). Should be a useful order for anyone who enjoys gritty crime films but had thought they had run out. Towards the end of the list are tv series, films that the directors later did in Hollywood and some films I am yet to watch.
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- DirectorDavid MichôdStarsJames FrechevilleGuy PearceJoel EdgertonA seventeen-year-old navigates his survival amongst an explosive criminal family and the detective who thinks he can save him.A Melbourne (home of the criminal organisations that inspired the 'Underbelly' tv series) crime family crumbles.
- DirectorJohn HillcoatStarsRay WinstoneGuy PearceEmily WatsonA lawman apprehends a notorious outlaw and gives him nine days to kill his older brother, or else they'll execute his younger brother.
- DirectorAndrew DominikStarsEric BanaSimon LyndonVince ColosimoChopper tells the intense story of Mark "Chopper" Read, a legendary criminal who wrote his autobiography while serving a jail sentence in prison. His book, "From the Inside", upon which the film is based, was a best-seller.The life and times of Mark 'Chopper' Reed, infamous criminal and crime author. Launched Eric Bana's career.
- DirectorRay LawrenceStarsAnthony LaPagliaGeoffrey RushRachael BlakeThe relationships of four couples unravel after the discovery of a young woman's body in Lantana bush in suburban Sydney.
- DirectorGregor JordanStarsHeath LedgerBryan BrownDavid FieldA 19 year old finds himself in debt to a local gangster when some gang loot disappears and sets him on the run from thugs. Meanwhile two street kids start a shopping spree when they find the missing money.
- DirectorRowan WoodsStarsDavid WenhamToni ColletteLynette CurranBrett Sprague is a violent and psychopathic man, who is released on parole after serving a sentence for assault. As he returns to his family house and we watch him and his brothers, Stevie and Glenn, for the next 24 hours, it becomes clear this day will not end well.
- DirectorGreg McLeanStarsNathan PhillipsCassandra MagrathKestie MorassiThree backpackers stranded in the Australian outback are plunged inside a hellish nightmare of insufferable torture by a sadistic psychopathic local.
- DirectorGeoffrey WrightStarsRussell CroweDaniel PollockJacqueline McKenzieA group of skinheads become alarmed at the way their neighbourhood is changing.
- DirectorRowan WoodsStarsCate BlanchettSam NeillHugo WeavingA woman trying to escape her past becomes embroiled in a drug deal.
- DirectorRolf de HeerStarsNicholas HopeClaire BenitoRalph CotterillBubby has spent thirty years trapped in the same small room, tricked by his mother. One day, he manages to escape and, deranged and naive in equal measures, his adventure into a modern and nihilistic life begins.
- DirectorJonathan TeplitzkyStarsSam WorthingtonDavid WenhamTimothy SpallBarry has good intentions when he is released after 8 years in prison, but finding a job is difficult with a prison record, and he can't keep his kid brother or his friend out of crime.
- DirectorRobert ConnollyStarsDavid WenhamAnthony LaPagliaSibylla BuddThe Bank is a thriller about banking, corruption and alchemy.
- DirectorGregor JordanStarsHeath LedgerOrlando BloomGeoffrey RushAn innocent man becomes one of the most wanted criminals the world has ever known.
- DirectorNadia TassStarsColin FrielsJohn HargreavesLindy DaviesA socially awkward and mechanically gifted man becomes involved in a quirky and unconventional crime.
- DirectorBill BennettStarsMatt DayFrances O'ConnorTiffany PetersAfter a robbery scam that goes bad, lovers Nikki and Al take off into the Australian outback, pursued by the police and a malevolent footballer named Zipper Doyle, and meet a number of offbeat characters.
- DirectorMatthew SavilleStarsBrendan CowellMaia ThomasKatie WallThis is a story about the wrong person in the right place at the wrong time. Two heinous crimes have left a suburban town reeling.
- DirectorRolf de HeerStarsDavid GulpililGary SweetDamon GameauFanatic is a government trooper who is heading an expedition to find an Aboriginal man accused of murdering a white woman. Others in the expedition are the Follower, a greenhorn trooper, the Veteran, and the Tracker.
- DirectorPeter WeirStarsRachel RobertsAnne-Louise LambertVivean GrayDuring a rural summer picnic, a few students and a teacher from an Australian girls' school vanish without a trace. Their absence frustrates and haunts the people left behind.
- DirectorRay LawrenceStarsLaura LinneyGabriel ByrneJohn HowardAfter four men on a fishing trip discover a dead body in the water, they choose to delay reporting it and continue fishing.
- DirectorWarwick ThorntonStarsRowan McNamaraMarissa GibsonMitjili Napanangka GibsonA glue-sniffing boy and his girlfriend escape the government-controlled no-hope Aboriginal community they live in and go to the city, Alice Springs, looking for a better life.
- DirectorPeter WeirStarsTerry CamilleriJohn MeillonKevin MilesThe small town of Paris, Australia deliberately causes car accidents, then sells/salvages all valuables from the wrecks as a means of economy.
- DirectorRichard LowensteinStarsNoah TaylorEmily HamiltonRomane BohringerA nightmare chase through hell in a never-ending, unrequited daisy chain of desire...
- DirectorPhillip NoyceStarsJudy DavisRichard MoirChris HaywoodA planned housing development in the mid 70's designed for an upstart Cockney immigrant developer, becomes the centre of controversy as tenants and squatters in the older houses refuse to move.
- DirectorNick ParsonsStarsBryan BrownErnie DingoAngie MillikenA no holds barred look into the gaping divisions which exist within an Aboriginal settlement in outback Australia. These separations split the inhabitants, straining relationships until something has to give.
- DirectorPhillip NoyceStarsEverlyn SampiTianna SansburyKenneth BranaghIn 1931, three half-white, half-Aboriginal girls escape after being plucked from their houses to be trained as domestic staff, and set off on a journey across the Outback.
- DirectorDavid CaesarStarsBryan BrownToni ColletteJohn Goodman1973 Sydney: An Australian gangster sees booming business, due to U.S. soldiers being in town for relaxing between their tours to the Vietnam war, attracts the attention of first the Chicago mafia, and then their East Coast competitors.
- DirectorScott RobertsStarsGuy PearceRachel GriffithsJoel Edgerton3 brothers are in and out of prison in connection with heists planned by their lawyer et al. He gets them out for the heists and "looks after" the money and one's wife.
- DirectorPhillip NoyceStarsNicole KidmanSam NeillBilly ZaneAfter a tragedy, John Ingram and his wife Rae are spending some time isolated at sea, when they come across a stranger who has abandoned a sinking ship.
- DirectorJohn RuaneStarsSam NeillZoe CaridesJohn ClarkeCarl Fitzgerald is down-on-his-luck until he meets Sophie, a beautiful Greek girl. He gets a job as a cook, but accidentally kills a fellow worker. He turns to his unscrupulous best friend for help and they attempt to dispose of the body.
- DirectorIvan SenStarsAaron PedersenHugo WeavingRyan KwantenAn indigenous detective returns to the Outback to investigate the murder of a young girl.
- DirectorDavid CaesarStarsBen MendelsohnJeremy SimsJohn PolsonLooking for the fast track out of suburban hell, two natural born losers scheme an impossible heist. Two undercover cops and a highly strung speed dealer are not far behind.
- DirectorClinton SmithStarsKylie MinogueBen MendelsohnSimon LyndonThis edgy Australian film stars an ensemble cast headed up by pop superstar Kylie Minogue, David Field, and Simon Lyndon. Various characters interact under strange circumstances, calling to mind movies such as GO and PULP FICTION.
- DirectorJoel AndersonStarsRosie TraynorDavid PledgerMartin SharpeStrange things start happening after a girl is found drowned in a lake.
- DirectorJustin KurzelStarsLucas PittawayDaniel HenshallLouise HarrisBased on true events, 16 year-old Jamie falls in with his mother's new boyfriend and his crowd of self-appointed neighborhood watchmen, a relationship that leads to a spree of torture and murder.
- DirectorRichard FranklinStarsStacy KeachJamie Lee CurtisMarion EdwardA laid-back American truck driver in south Australia suspects that the driver of a green van is killing young women along his route, and plays a game of cat-and-mouse to catch him.
- DirectorSerhat CaradeeStarsRachael TaylorMartin HendersonFayssal BazziAn edgy, tense drama which follows the lives of 3 young men from Sydney's outer west with dreams and desires to better themselves and fit into a more glamorous side of Sydney. But choosing a life of crime has its consequences.
- DirectorAndrew DominikStarsBrad PittRay LiottaRichard JenkinsJackie Cogan is an enforcer hired to restore order after three dumb guys rob a Mob protected card game, causing the local criminal economy to collapse.
- DirectorRachel PerkinsStarsKaarin FairfaxPaul KellyKelton PellBased on the true story of a young girl who went missing in the Australian outback in 1932.
- DirectorIvan SenStarsDannielle HallDamian PittJenna Lee ConnorsLena is the daughter of an Aboriginal mother and Irish father and Vaughn is a Murri boy doing time in a minimum security prison in North West NSW. Dramatic events throw them together on a journey with no money and no transport.
- DirectorGregor JordanStarsJoaquin PhoenixAnna PaquinEd HarrisA criminal subculture operates among U.S. soldiers stationed in West Germany just before the fall of the Berlin wall.
- DirectorBrendan FletcherStarsDean Daley-JonesLucas YeedaGreg TaitTJ's quest to find the son he's never known, takes him on a journey across the remote and stunning Kimberley landscape. On the road, TJ questions his life of violence... he meets a host of amazing characters who open up a way of life infused with music and hunting and community
- DirectorPatrick HughesStarsRyan KwantenSteve BisleyTommy LewisA young police officer must survive his first day's duty in a small country town.
- DirectorGeoffrey WrightStarsVictoria HillLachy HulmeGary SweetA contemporary retelling of Shakespeare's "Macbeth" set in the ganglands of Melbourne.
- DirectorTony WilliamsStarsJacki KerinJohn JarrattAlex ScottIn a rest home for elderly people, a daughter reads her mother's diary. Soon events that are mentioned in the mother's diary begin to happen to the daughter.
- DirectorAndrew DominikStarsBrad PittCasey AffleckSam ShepardRobert Ford, who has idolized Jesse James since childhood, tries hard to join the resurgent gang of the Missouri outlaw, but gradually becomes resentful of the bandit leader.
- DirectorPhillip NoyceStarsDenzel WashingtonAngelina JolieQueen LatifahA quadriplegic ex-homicide detective and his partner try to track down a serial killer who is terrorizing New York City.
- DirectorGregor JordanStarsSamuel L. JacksonCarrie-Anne MossMichael SheenFollows a black-ops interrogator and an F.B.I. agent who try to press a suspect terrorist into divulging the location of three nuclear weapons set to detonate in the U.S.
- DirectorEmilio Martínez LázaroStarsAntonio ResinesFernando RamalloMaribel VerdúSet in 1974, during last rales of Francoist dictatorship, plot follows journey of salesman Lozano and his son Felipe driving a Citroën DS along Spanish coast.
- DirectorGreg McLeanStarsJohn JarrattRyan CorrShannon AshlynThe outback once more becomes a place of horror as another unwitting tourist becomes the prey for crazed, serial-killing pig-hunter Mick Taylor.
- DirectorAlex ProyasStarsBrandon LeeMichael WincottRochelle DavisA man brutally murdered comes back to life as an undead avenger of his and his fiancée's murder.
- DirectorNash EdgertonStarsDavid RobertsClaire van der BoomJoel EdgertonA man's life begins to unravel when his mistress brings him a bag of cash.
- DirectorShannon YoungStarsPaul ModerRichard CawthorneTeague RookRAZOR EATERS is your front-row ticket to an anarchistic rampage of violence, death and destruction. Based loosely on the exploits of the Hedge-Burners gang who plagued Melbourne and videotaped their crimes, the RAZOR EATERS gang swings its broad sword across suburbia, delivering explosive thrills and bloody eye-candy. Heralding the motto 'Organise, Traumatise, Immortalise', the five young members attract headlines by targeting all those we'd love to see get punished - filthy drug dealers, corrupt politicians, arrogant sports stars...and parking inspectors!
- DirectorDavid MichôdStarsGuy PearceRobert PattinsonScoot McNairy10 years after a global economic collapse, a hardened loner pursues the men who stole his only possession, his car. Along the way, he captures one of the thieves' brother, and the duo form an uneasy bond during the dangerous journey.
- DirectorJonathan auf der HeideStarsOscar ReddingArthur AngelPaul AshcroftThe true story of Alexander Pearce, Australia's most notorious convict. In 1822, Pearce and seven fellow convicts escaped from Macquarie Harbour, a place of ultra banishment and punishment, only to find a world less forgiving.. the Australian wilderness. Abandon all hope you who enter.
- DirectorJohn HillcoatStarsViggo MortensenCharlize TheronKodi Smit-McPheeIn a dangerous post-apocalyptic world, an ailing father defends his son as they slowly travel to the sea.
- DirectorRowan WoodsStarsKate BeckinsaleForest WhitakerGuy PearceA group of strangers form a unique relationship with each other after surviving a random shooting at a Los Angeles diner.
- DirectorJeffrey WalkerStarsGuy PearceMarta DusseldorpAaron PedersenA former criminal lawyer is getting his life back together and now spends his days as a part-time investigator, debt collector, apprentice cabinet maker, punter and finding those who don't want to be found - dead or alive. When an ex-client wants his help, he lets it pass away. But then this guy turns up dead which forces him back into the ominous past he thought he left for good.
- DirectorJeffrey WalkerStarsGuy PearceMarta DusseldorpAaron PedersenJack Irish has no shortage of friends, but family members are few and far between. His wife was murdered by an ex-client and his father is a fading photo on the pubs football wall of fame. So when Des Connors, the last link to his dad, calls to ask for help in the matter of a missing son, Jack is more than happy to lend a hand. But sometimes prodigal sons go missing for a reason... As Jack begins to dig, he discovers that Gary Connors was a man with something to hide, and his friends are people with yet darker and even more deadly secrets.
- DirectorJeffrey WalkerStarsGuy PearceMarta DusseldorpAaron PedersenWhen a high profile judge commissions Jack Irish to locate a mysterious red book, Jack is thrown into a world of sexy club owners, drug dealers and unhinged killers.
- DirectorJohn HillcoatStarsTom HardyShia LaBeoufGuy PearceSet in Depression-era Franklin County, Virginia, a trio of bootlegging brothers are threatened by a new special deputy and other authorities angling for a cut of their profits.
- DirectorJohn HillcoatStarsDavid FieldMike BishopChris DeRosePrisoners and guards clash in a high-tech security jail where there are no rules.
- DirectorJohn HillcoatStarsTchéky KaryoRachel GriffithsSteve JacobsAn Australian widower living in New Guinea starts a relationship with a woman very similar to his much-beloved wife, but their life together turns out to be far from the imagined romantic ideal.
- DirectorRowan WoodsStarsRobert MenziesLuke FordBille BrownIn 1929 Arthur Upfield, Australia's premier crime writer, plotted the perfect murder for his novel The Sands of Windee. Meanwhile, one of his friends, stock-man Snowy Rowles, put the scheme into deadly effect, even before the book was published. This true story resulted in one of Australia's most sensational murder trials of the 1930's and catapulted Upfield's name onto the world stage.
- DirectorMatthew SavilleStarsJoel EdgertonJai CourtneyTom WilkinsonAn accident involving a young child sets off a chain of events that brings an Australian police officer's world crashing down.
- StarsCaroline CraigPaul TassoneDieter BrummerEach season of this multi-award-winning television series takes you through a 13-episode run in the rise and fall of real-life Australian underworld figures as told from both sides of the law.
- CreatorTony McDonaldAlison NisselleStarsSimon WestawayPeter CumminsSean ScullyPhoenix is an Australian police drama television series.
- CreatorTony McDonaldAlison NisselleStarsChris HaywoodSimon WestawayJeremy KewleyFour members of the infamous Hennessey clan are acquitted of the shooting of two policemen in a bungled bank heist. Melbourne is shocked as brothers Mal and Steve, along with brother-in-law Darren Mack and friend Ken Hardy, walk free.
- CreatorReg WatsonLara RadulovichStarsKate AtkinsonKatrina MilosevicRobbie MagasivaThe confronting look into the lives of the inmates and prison staff of Wentworth Correctional Centre as they navigate the ups and downs of their lives in the prison system.
- StarsRichard RoxburghTony MartinSteve BastoniSet in 1980s Sydney, this acclaimed mini-series tells the story of the relationship between corrupt Detective Roger Rogerson and one of Australia's most infamous criminals Neddy Smith.
- DirectorColin EgglestonStarsJohn HargreavesBriony BehetsMike McEwenWhen a suburban couple go camping for the weekend at a remote beach, they discover that nature isn't in an accommodating mood.
- DirectorJennifer KentStarsEssie DavisNoah WisemanDaniel HenshallA single mother and her child fall into a deep well of paranoia when an eerie children's book titled "Mister Babadook" manifests in their home.