Bad Blood (1981)

Director:  Mike Newell

Writers:  Andrew Brown, Howard Willis

Composer:  Richard Hartley

Starring:  Jack Thompson, Carol Burns, Denis Lill, Donna Akersten, Martyn Sanderson, Marshall Napier, Cliff Wood, David Copeland, Ken Blackburn, John Bach, John Black, Karl Bradley, Greg Naughton, Alan Jervis Wilks

More info:  IMDb

Tagline:  In 1941 Stan Graham ran amok with his guns and murdered 7 men....Sparking off one of the most bizarre manhunt's in history. The tragedy is that it really happened.

Plot:  During World War 2, a farmer in New Zealand murders seven people, and the police, along with local Maori trackers, hunt him in the bush country.

My rating:  7.5/10

Will I watch it again?   Yes.

Great performances, especially from Jack Thompson (Stan) and Carol Burns (his wife).  Burns really lights up once the shit hits the fan.  She completely sells it.  Thompson makes you feel like he lived it.  It's worth watching for those two alone.  But then you've also get to see a side of New Zealand you haven't seen, and a little slice of life there from 80 years ago.  The build-up to the killing is splendidly handled and the tension builds almost to a breaking point.  Richard Hartley's excellent score is used sparingly and with precision.  It makes you appreciate that moments with no music are just as important as those with it.  That's something that most people don't consider, particularly those who make movies. 

An hour and fifteen minutes in is when the things get ugly for everyone and it is intense.  What happens feels like you would imagine would happen when people get show with a low caliber rifle.   Not every shot is a lethal one.  It's harrowing how it goes down.  The next half hour is the aftermath and manhunt.  In reality, Stan alludes escape in the bush  for twelve days.  Here it feels like maybe two or three.  It was somewhat refreshing how the final act goes down but at the same time it was a little odd because we're not used to that as an audience.  You'll have to see it to understand.  I'd rather avoid spoilers on this one.  I don't want to say that I'm disappointed that the film's final half hour went the way it did but I would like to have spent more time with the Stan's ordeal and with the manhunt effort.