This Adventure/Drama movie stars one of my favorite actors, Willem Dafoe. Dafoe has played a variety of roles over the years, with one of my favorites being Paul Smecker in The Boondock Saints (2000). Now this part as the hunter, Martin David, is also one of my favorites. He is a mercenary sent to hunt down what is believed to be the last remaining of a long thought extinct species Tasmanian Tiger.
During his hunt, he stays with a family in a remote area where the Tiger has supposedly been sited. The two kids there are brilliantly played by kid actors I've never seen before. The drugged out mom, grieving for a long missing husband, who the kids still think is coming home, is played by another actress I've only seen once, in The Windtalkers (2002). She handles the role well, only hinting at attraction for the mysterious hunter masquerading as a scientist.
Sam Neill plays a local guide who seems a little too interested in the status quo. Neill is perfect for this role and handles it astutely.
As they story unfolds, the main characters all become interesting, and are mostly sympathetic if not down right liked. The interplay of the supposedly aloof mercenary, the family he begins to form attachments with, and the usual crowd of locals who only complicate matters, makes for a very appealing story. Things get a lot more tense when Dafoe's employers become impatient with his apparent lack of progress.
Adding to the mood is some very cleverly chosen Springsteen music, along with some classical pieces; classical seems to be common in Dafoe movies.
If you like a film with some heart and nothing blowing up every few minutes, this is definitely a good movie to watch, one that I will probably see again sometime.
