The Tracker

Saw The Tracker, a historical drama about a trio of white men hunting down an Aborigine in the Australian outback with the help of an Aboriginal man who is their tracker. As the title suggests, the tracker is the protagonist here and most of the film consists of him walking the razor's edge between trying to help the white men and trying to retain his humanity. The three white guys consist of a callow youth, a soggy old hand, and a psychotic general who is the villain. The general gets along very well with the tracker but their relationship is predicated on him being firmly in control. As soon as his authority wavers by the slightest, out come the manacles and bullwhip. For much of the film, we're not clear about what the tracker is doing. Has he sold out and is he now aiding the white men, or is he slyly wasting their time, letting their quarry escape?

The film is scored with a man's voice, accompanied by guitar, singing some fairly on-the-nose lyrics about freedom and "my people" and so on. An unusual choice for a period drama. The film also sometimes suddenly cuts away to crudely drawn pictures of the events, as if their budget had run out. This usually happens when violence occurs or is about to occur. I suspect the motivation may have really been budgetary or special-effects constraints, but the effect is eerie and jarring which - since this is usually when violence occurs - is entirely appropriate.

The film reminded me a lot of some of the more morbid westerns I've seen. Things are mostly kept lighter here, but motives are unclear and outcomes are uncertain. The four men are in hostile territory and, although the sun is shining and they are singing, it's unclear if they'll make it out alive. An interesting film. Not bad!