It's not difficult to pick holes in this film, but they're pretty much minor grouches in comparison with the two hours of fun you can have just enjoying the ride in this first full-length flick from Australian director Jules Avery.
Ewan McGregor is the budget-approving name in the cast, and here he plays Brendan, a tough Scottish gangster doing long-term porridge in a Western Australian prison that reminds me of that curious sun holiday mix of pleasant weather, dull surroundings and sociopathic tourists.
Brenton Thwaites plays JR, a young first offender who teaches Brendan a lesson in chess (to which there are several references throughout the film), before avoiding a death worse than fate thanks to Brendan's intervention.
This, of course, puts JR in debt to Brendan, and when he gets released a while later, he helps the Scot to escape in an operation that reminded me of a certain outrageous act at Dublin's Mountjoy Jail many years ago. Once outside again, a plan is hatched with another crook to steal some gold bullion and make themselves millionaires overnight.
Parallel to that, JR starts falling for a Russian plaything who may or may not be under the spell of the gang boss who's a co-conspirator in the gold robbery. So, who are the pawns here? How will this deadly game play out? Is JR being used – and if so, by whom?
While the plot's a bit clunky and chunks are unbelievable, Son of a Gun rattles along nicely and always looks well. And while it won't feature prominently in end of year top tens, it's a very promising start for Avery. He clearly knows how to put a film together and gets some good performances here - all he really needs is a better, more coherent script.
John Byrne
