Reviewed by GREG KING
Director: Rory Noke
Stars: Stefan Taylor, Saul Darby, Melanie Berry, Craig Annis.
This fast and frenetically paced thriller is heavily influenced by the likes of Rush, Speed and 24, and will give audiences something of an adrenaline rush.
Shot on the smell of an oily rag, 10 Metres follows Scotty, a university student who has a bomb strapped to his body by Carl, a former classmate out for revenge. A chase through the city ensues once he learns that he must stay at least ten metres away from Carl and the detonator. The chase attracts media attention after Carl kills a policeman, triggering a manhunt.
10 Metres was shot guerilla style on the streets of Melbourne, and local audiences will be able to identify many of the locations used. This is an ambitious project made on a minuscule budget, and there are some flaws that add to its gritty charm. There are some problems with pacing in the second half as the film loses much of its energy. The faults though are due mainly to the limitations imposed on the first time film makers by their small budget, and their relative lack of experience. 10 Metres has been written and directed by RMIT graduate Rory Noke, who is obviously a fan of big budget Hollywood action thrillers. The film has been co-produced by assistant director Tim Smith, and produced by Michael Clarkin and Noke.
The film recently won a prize at DigiSPAA, which has given the filmmakers some more money for post-production work and access to editing facilities. The film will be shown at Rotterdam Film Festival, and then hopefully will find a distributor for a local release.
★★☆
