Mad Dog Morgan (1976)

The true story of Irish outlaw Daniel Morgan, who is wanted, dead or alive, in Australia during the 1850s.

Director:

Philippe Mora

Writers:

Philippe Mora (screenplay), Margaret Carnegie (book)

Stars:

Dennis Hopper, Jack Thompson, David Gulpilil

2 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Dennis Hopper	...	Daniel Morgan
Jack Thompson	...	Detective Manwaring
David Gulpilil	...	Billy
Frank Thring	...	Superintendent Cobham
Michael Pate	...	Superintendent Winch
Wallas Eaton	...	Macpherson (as Wallace Eaton)
Bill Hunter	...	Sergeant Smith
John Hargreaves	...	Baylis
Martin Harris	...	Wendlan
Robin Ramsay	...	Roget
Graeme Blundell	...	Italian Jack
Gregory Apps	...	Arthur
Liza Lee-Atkinson	...	Barmaid
Elaine Baillie	...	Farm Girl
Don Barkham	...	Morrow

Storyline

Australia in the 1850s. Daniel Morgan, like hundreds of other ex-patriots from the British Isles (he is from Ireland), has come Downunder to seek his fortune. There is a gold rush going on, and Morgan wants to strike it rich. As fate would have it, Morgan soon finds himself on the other side of the law, broke and desperate. A single act of highway robbery gets him 12 years of hard labor. While in prison, he is systematically abused. Upon release, Morgan vows revenge on those who wronged him. With the help of an aborigine named Billy, and a growing legend of audacity, Morgan soon becomes a hero. The locals love him, while the wealthy and powerful fear his influence. They want this outlaw dead or alive, and will stop at nothing to see that their sense of justice is done. But Morgan only wants those to pay for the crimes they have committed, to recognize that he wasn't always a bushranger - he was made into one. It wasn't only his mind that made him bad. It was society that turned him ...

---

Plot Keywords:

1850s | outlaw | australia | dog | prison | 

---

Taglines:

beaten, branded, brutalized, but never broken.

---

Genres:

Action | Crime | Drama | History | Western

---

Certificate:

R

Details

Official Sites:

Troma

Country:

Australia

Language:

English

Release Date:

9 July 1976 (Australia)

Also Known As:

Mad Dog

Filming Locations:

Australia

Company Credits

Production Co:

Mad Dog, Motion Picture Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

102 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

"Mad Dog" was the name given to Australian bush-ranger Daniel Morgan by the 19th Century Australian constabulary (police).

---

Goofs

In a farmhouse, a picture of a Tasmanian tiger or Thylacine is pointed out as being that of an extinct animal. The Thylacine did not become extinct until the 1930s.

---

Quotes

Supt. Cobham: By all means, off with his head... and don't forget the scrotum.

---

Connections

Featured in Not Quite Hollywood: The Wild, Untold Story of Ozploitation! (2008)

User Reviews

Rough, brutal, ugly, complex, compelling, and unsettling.

This Australian film is based on a true story of an outlaw in the rough and ready world of the 1800's Way Down Under. It's a very rough world indeed. There are no jokes, no hijinks, no pretty lady loves. Morgan is brutalized by his environment of gold camps, opium dens, and a hellish period in prison. His one love, his one true friend, is a male aborigine who acts as both his savior and his servant.

This is, indeed, an ugly film. Yet Dennis Hopper manages to find a note of grace, and gives the film it's heart. The last portion of the film seems deeper and truer than the scenes that went before, allowing the viewer to understand more fully the complexity of a man such as Morgan.

The movie is low-budget and a bit disjointed. It is also often compelling.....and unsettling. I can't give it a high grade, due to it's poor producton values. But I'm glad it's in my collection.