Cut Snake

Set in the 1970s for no good reason except to showcase a few sideburns and groovy shirts, Cut Snake is a not-quite thriller, not-quite drama about a man with a past Merv (Alex Russell) whose idyllic new life engaged to Paula (Jessica DeGouw) is threatened by the sudden appearance of Jim “Pommie” Stuart (Sullivan Stapleton), a tough ex-con who wants to tempt Merv back into his old ways. The new film from Tony Ayres (Walking on Water, The Home Song Stories) has an impressively cracked and volatile star in Stapleton, who looks like he’d head butt you as soon as look at you, but low stakes, an anaemic storyline, and poorly drawn supporting characters. The film threatens to become interesting during a scene set in a drag club but backs shyly away from queer issues every time it raises them. Its title suggests a hint of madness: instead, it’s utterly conventional and lacking in fangs.