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 ...

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Plot Keywords:

1850s | outlaw | australia | dog | prison | 

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Taglines:

beaten, branded, brutalized, but never broken.

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Genres:

Action | Crime | Drama | History | Western

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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

Fourth feature directed by Philippe Mora. Mora's second and third films were the documentaries Brother Can You Spare a Dime and Swastika.

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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.

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Quotes

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

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Connections

Referenced in Gulpilil: One Red Blood (2002)

User Reviews

A "lost" Australian 70s classic with one of Dennis Hopper's best performances.

I've been searching for this movie for years, and now thanks to a recent DVD release here in Australia I've finally been able to see it. And best of all, it's a bloody good movie! 'Mad Dog Morgan' was made in Dennis Hooper's "wilderness" years where his reputation and behaviour meant that mainstream Hollywood was too nervous to employ him. During this period he made some of his most interesting movies, often overseas, with some of his bravest and most honest performances. Movies like 'Tracks', 'Bloodbath', 'The American Friend' and this one. Sadly little seen and rarely talked about. Hopper plays Irish immigrant turned bushranger (that's outlaw to non-Australians) Daniel Morgan, hero to the more famous folk hero Ned Kelly. Hopper, by the look of him in the 25 minute documentary included on the DVD, could out drink and drug Robert Downey Jr and Christian Slater combined and STILL give a remarkable performance. Hopper is helped by a supporting cast of the (then) cream of Aussie acting, most of whom are probably not all that known to overseas audiences apart from Jack Thompson, and maybe David Gulpilil ('Walkabout', 'The Tracker'), Bill Hunter ('Newsfront', 'Muriel's Wedding') and the legendary Frank Thring ('Ben-Hur', 'Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome'). Director, Australian ex-pat Philippe Mora, went on to an eclectic and eccentric career which included cult favourites 'The Beast Within' and 'Communion'. 'Mad Dog Morgan' is one of the most underrated and overlooked movies ever made in Australia and deserves to be rediscovered.