Last Cab to Darwin: Outback road trip has comic heart in right place

LOOSELY based on real events, and adapted from a stage play, this Aussie road movie explores themes of mateship and identity, while also trying to tackle the issue of euthanasia.

MIchael Caton in Last Cab to Darwin.

LOOSELY based on real events, and adapted from a stage play, this Aussie road movie explores themes of mateship and identity, while also trying to tackle the issue of euthanasia.

 At the heart of its story is an ailing loner named Rex (played by Michael Caton). Rex has lived all his life in Broken Hill. He drives a cab and enjoys beers with his mates. And although he clearly has a relationship of sorts with a feisty neighbour named Polly (Ningali Lawford-Wolf), he claims to live alone. That is, until his cancer spreads.

Caton, always a joy to have on screen, brings an innate pathos to what might otherwise be an

Jacki Weaver and Michael Caton in Last Cab To Darwin.

unlikable character. Rex’s actions, particularly his public rejection of Polly, soon come back to haunt him. Even his mates (John Howard, David Field and Alan Dukes) are shocked by his behaviour.

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Later, some additional support from Mark Coles Smith, as an Aboriginal drifter named Tilly, keeps the road-movie aspect of the story ticking along. Outback scenery, handsomely photographed, grabs attention, and Ed Kuepper’s music never fails to stir.

 Some sequences struggle to convince. Rex’s talkback radio confession that exposes his condition to the town feels too pat in tone. Similarly, Tilly finding himself suddenly accepted by a barn-sized country pub of all-white locals doesn’t ring true.

A scene from Last Cab to Darwin directed by Jeremy Sims.

And the issue at hand, of voluntary euthanasia, feels more like an afterthought, despite being the impetus for Rex’s road trip.

Jacki Weaver in a welcome return to local screens has little to work with in her role as a doctor. Some judicious editing elsewhere in the piece would have helped, too.

 Still, Jeremy Sims’ film certainly has its heart in the right place, with Caton effective as Rex and the outback a stunning backdrop.

Opens Thursday

LAST CAB TO DARWIN

Released by Icon

Rating 3.5/5

Director Jeremy Sims

Starring Michael Caton, Mark Coles Smith, Jacki Weaver

Rating M

Running time 124 minutes

Verdict A crowd-pleasing road movie that’s pleasant on the eye

Originally published as Last Cab to Darwin: Outback road trip has comic heart in right place