Snowtown

The press junket and first wave of critical notices built Snowtown up as a throat ripper that will cause you nightmares. That didn't do it any favours as per expectation levels for the horror enthusiast. However, this is a superb piece of film making, a real gritty and grainy deconstruction of the human condition gone sour. As with all films of this type that are based on real life incidents, it pays to read up on the facts if you be so inclined.

Debut director Justin Kurzel doesn't shirk from the horrors of the case, but skillfully he doesn't bang everyone over the head with shock tactics to grab the attention. It's a relentlessly bleak picture, there's a continuous build of impending dread, of human devastation wrung out by a master manipulator (Daniel Henshall as John Bunting superb), the depressing story told through the eyes of the simple and confused Jamie Vlassakis (Lucas Pittaway).

Not to be watched if one is looking to be cheered up! But that doesn't mean it shouldn't be sought out as essential cinema. It's a strong and potent film, worthy of inspection by adults who understand that not all film is about entertainment. 8.5/10

Brilliant in it's authenticity and simplicity. The attention to detail, costume and set design deserve recognition and credit. As the viewer you actually feel like your in the 90s, from the Nike Air sneakers to the Sega Master System etc. There is no clear distinction between characters at the beginning of the film, who are complex to say the least.This may leave some audience members confused, but also add to the intended emotions of the film. The actual murders were committed amongst the seemingly mundane and relatively normal lower class suburbs of Adelaide. The director Justin Kurzel, does a fine job at recreating that image. I loved this film because I am some what a crime buff and have a profound interest in Australian criminal history. This movie captures the very essence that is Snowtown. Crime buffs especially will enjoy this movie. The director doesn't necessarily rely on graphic imagery to the extent some people may think. More the psychological game of fear and suspense is applied through out the feature with impeccable brilliance. My heart was racing for a majority of the time, even the quieter moments don't allow you time to relax as the suspense builds. Snowtown is definitely not for the faint hearted or squeamish, but it is for those who can appreciate gritty Aussie crime flicks.

This is not like any other film I've seen before, I think that it would be an understatement to say that this film was chilling and eye opening. This film terrified me, and amazed me in it's brilliance.

I don't know where to begin, but when I think back to this film I remember how I'd felt while watching it, which is also something I can't even begin to describe. I never write reviews but for this one I felt I should just because I believe that a lot of people pass on watching films that don't have a rating above 7/10. But this film, definitely deserves to be watched.

At the time when I watched the film, I only found out afterwards that it was a true story. And you won't believe how little difference that made to how I already felt, because it was that powerful already. I felt terrified, and I'm not the one to be 'scared' easily, but you should've seen what it did to people who do get scared. This film like many other brilliant films has left me with something to think about afterwards, but unlike any other movie I've ever seen before, Snowtown gave me a slap across the face to open my eyes to an obvious truth. And it felt harsh to realize it, as it probably did for anyone who's seen Snowtown. It's that murderers exist, and yes it's no surprise, but this film showed me just how desensitized we all are to murders, serial killers. That's why watching this film felt like I'd experienced something. It's like that same exciting feeling you get when you watch Avatar and you're 'experiencing' the 3-D aspects, but for this you're exhilarated and experiencing something so f"cked up and real. It made "This Is England" look like a Disney film. This is actually a quote that seemed to best summarize what we all felt as me and about 8 other people discussed the film outside the cinema. And we could still hear a hint of fear in our laughter then.

It wasn't just another film. I've been inspired by how realistic the scenes are, I can't imagine that it was just scripted scenes, it truly felt all real. The actor that played the killer was the most terrifying character or man I've ever seen on film. You must watch this, a lot of people have become obsessed with this film, and it definitely deserves a higher rating.

This movie is a big knot in your stomach for 2 hours. Its beautifully shot, good actors, good storyline, but my god it is hard to watch. A good movie, but I could never watch it again.

Big TW for sexual assault/r*pe, animal cruelty, torture, murder, child abuse, and probably something more I forgot.

Still makes me shudder when I think of it. One of the most intensely distressing movies I have ever seen. Seriously raw stuff. Chilling in its depiction of the Snowtown murders. Recommended viewing, but not for the squeamish.

The acting is so credible that I feel like I am really in the home of these working class Australians that I have known in my childhood in the 1990s. This is a dark, dark film, but so it should be. It sticks in my mind when I think of the deepest, most nihilistic chasms of this world, and whatever we do in life, that place is always there. The crimes begin with a grain of righteous intent and spiral down into that deepest sea trench. Recommended if you can face it.