Another year, another Australian crime drama about an irascible young criminal who gets led astray by some older dude with facial hair. Following in the career-launching footsteps of David Michod’s Animal Kingdom and Justin Kurzel’s Snowtown is the feature-length film debut of Australian writer-director Julius Avery, best known for his award winning short film, Jerrycan.
The same sense of pace and urgency is apparent in his long-form debut, Son Of A Gun, headlined by the most unkempt version possible of Ewan McGregor (Trainspotting, Moulin Rouge!, Beginners) and local actor Brenton Thwaites.
Here’s the synopsis: “A young man who becomes embroiled in a world of crime when he is taken under the wing of Australia’s public enemy Number One. Locked up for a minor crime, 19-year-old JR (Brenton Thwaites) quickly learns the harsh realities of prison life. There is no survival guide. Keep your head down, do your time, get out. Protection – if you can get it – is paramount. After a chance encounter, JR finds himself under the watchful eye of Australia’s most notorious criminal, Brendan Lynch (Ewan McGregor). But protection comes at a price; Lynch and his crew have plans for their young protégé and soon JR’s debt is called in.”
Song Of A Gun opens nationally October 16.
