End Play

Tensions rise when an able-bodied young man visits his athletic yet wheelchair-bound older brother in this Australian thriller which is best entered into with as few expectations as possible. There is a dead female hitchhiker in the mix, and an intense scene in which one of the brothers cleverly disposes of the corpse in public, but the plot has several twists and turns along the way as the presence of the cadaver tests the strength of the bond between the brothers. The overhanging question is whether these two lonely, disenfranchised men can trust and love one another when they are both resentful of what the other has (the older one's wealth versus the younger one's health) and though set in a single location, the denouement is powerful stuff as everything slowly unravels. The script is not as airtight as it could have been; there are so many red herrings thrown in one certain direction that it almost seems outrageous when plot switches direction near the end. Then again, the key thing driving the film is the animosity and distrust lingering in the air between the two siblings - something that comes across very well with the way Peter Best's disquieting sound effects style music score hangs constantly in the background. The film has frequently been labeled as Hitchcockian, which is not quite right, however, this is a far more twisted and less straightforward thriller than one might expect from the 1970s Australian filmmaking scene; flawed for sure, but intriguing as anything, especially for a movie where over three quarters of the action takes place in a single indoors location.

'A serial killer stalks sexy backpackers in this Ozploitation classic.' If you believe the tagline for the 1976 Tim Burstall thriller End Play, it appears to hold all the trappings of a mostly forgettable- and probably regrettable- B-grade guilty pleasure. In actuality, the film is a well- scripted, suspense-filled murder mystery, boasting outstanding performances by its co-leads (John Waters and locally adopted George Mallaby) and a plot that thickens with each scene, demanding nothing less than full audience attention.

Waters and Mallaby play dysfunctional siblings Mark and Robbie, whose shaky-at-best relationship is exacerbated by Mark's secretive blood lust for petite blond hitchhikers. As paraplegic Robbie begins to suspect his brother, he is torn between bailing out the only family he has left and assisting the police force he despises so intensely (headed by Ken Goodlet as the inquisitive Supt. Cheadle).

End Play liberally incorporates many facets of the conventional whodunit into its plot, including a secluded setting, piercing score and razor-sharp dialogue, but with an added level of intrigue that is difficult to quantify. The film never regresses into a self-designed 'comfort zone' whereby the viewer can safely predict what comes next. The relentless psychological warfare employed between Mark, Robbie and Cheadle facilitates a thrilling second half, punctuated by a dénouement that lends itself far more to classic Hitchcock than Ozploitation. If ever there was a film to define 'pleasant surprise' in its purest form, End Play may just be it.

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Tim Burstall's film "End Play" has a running time of just eighty minutes. Watching it on DVD, this film seemed to last twice as long. It was slow, ponderous, and in no way did this film live up to the blurb on the back cover which stated, and I quote: "End Play" is a gripping, Hitchcockian-style thriller about a serial killer." end quote. Nothing could be further from the truth. "End Play" is far from being 'gripping' Nor I might add, was it 'thrilling' at least as most people understand the word. However, it is a film about a serial killer. The plot has more red herrings than a fish shop. The acting is either wooden (John Waters), or over the top (George Mallaby), depending on who was on screen. The dialogue was often ludicrous. The music was insignificant. And the ending was straight out of an episode of "Murder, She Wrote." All in all, "End Play" was the longest eighty-minute film I've ever watched.

End Play, in my opinion is one of Oz movie that stands alone, unique and stylish in how it manipulates the audience, and really keeps us riveted from the get go, through it two hour duration. It's uniqueness and style is what I love about it, a true blue original, it's story craftily structured, that makes for an unnerving thriller in which two brother's, one a disgruntled wheelchair bound guy, Mallaby, (another Aussie icon star, loved and lost) and his younger conservative and calm brother, Walters, share a tight bond, as well as a secret. Several murders of women hitchhikers, have been taking place, and one of the brothers is responsible, one of them, it's ostensibly made clear, is the killer. The movie is based on the play, and it's got the stage feel here, seeing most of it, takes place in Mallaby's secluded cottage. The Q and A scene, is funny where spiteful Mallaby, makes jokes at their expense. Waters shows balls, donning a old hippie wig, and pushing a wheelchair, into a cinema, the last woman victim, propped up in it. It's pre ending, arrows never looking this deadly before, is very suspenseful. End Play maintains a beautifully slow pace, of never ending suspense, and mostly due, to Mallaby's intimidating and unpredictable self, a man of angry bitter sarcasm, working in beautiful contrast to the quieter distanced, Waters. Both are very good, but it's the late unforgotten great, Mallaby I liked, showing authenticity as a totally believable cripple. The movie's song is a great number. One of Burstall's best, and one, Aussie lovers must see.

Boasting a talented cast of British-Australian acting royalty, Tim Burstall's 'End Game' is a well-constructed thriller concerning a serial killer leaving a bloody trail of blonde hitchhikers for baffled police to solve.

Young Delvene Delaney features prominently throughout, and TV stars George Mallaby and John Waters co-star as sparring brothers who come to the interest of local detectives investigating the crimes.

Local singer Linda George provides the stirring theme song, and there's even brief roles for future 'Prisoner' alumni Sheila Florance and Elspeth Ballantyne. Blink and you'll miss Max Fairchild as a burly police officer in a flashback.

Dialogue-driven, it's mostly taut with much attention lavished on the unusually co-dependent relationship between the brothers, Waters playing the younger seemingly meek merchant seaman goaded by the elder, competitive but wheelchair bound Mallaby whose dislike for police puts the pair in the crosshairs of detectives Goodlet and Hewett, desperate to stop the grisly murders.

Whilst it might appear predictable at times, the plot is more than meets the eye as the noose tightens and the killer's complex motives become more apparent. A real sleeper, and well worth another look.