In Like Flynn

This film is a moderately low budget film that uses the 2010s social lens that describes an historical incident. Applying patches of modern irrationality does not help make a good historical film.

The story is interesting in that it captures some of the events and the culture from the era. Australia was only founded a few decades earlier and this movie captures pockets of that cultural ruggedness you'd expect.

Where the movie lets itself down is in the portrayal of Achun (Grace Huang) who should not have been let near a camera. If she had researched an Australian vagabond like Tilly Devine she may have had some idea that tough women of that era didn't run around pushing girl power or behaving like Achun does. The performance of Rose (Isabel Lucas) was almost as misguided. I watched this movie to see William Moseley in action and it was reasonable. David Wenham playing Christian Travers was great fun. There were also solid moments from Clive Standen (Charlie) and Thomas Coquerel (Errol Flynn) who were both solid performers.

The Australian film industry needs a shakeup. It needs to take more risks and it needs to stop pandering. This film doesn't satisfy anyone. The last decade has not been a positive step.