Last Train to Freo (2006)

Director:

Jeremy Sims

Writers:

Reg Cribb (play)
Reg Cribb (screenplay)

Release Date:

14 September 2006 (Australia)

Genre:

Drama | Thriller

Tagline:

There is a reason people avoid strangers on trains

Plot:

Two thugs from the Perth suburb of Midland catch the last train to Fremantle. When a young woman boards the train a few stops later, they begin talking and find out not everyone on the train is who they seem to be. |

Plot Keywords:

Based On Play

Awards:

8 nominations

Cast

Steve Le Marquand	...	The Tall Thug
Tom Budge	...	Trev
Gigi Edgley	...	Lisa
Glenn Hazeldine	...	Simon
Gillian Jones	...	Maureen
Lisa Hensley	...	Train Announcer (voice)
Reg Cribb	...	Man on Platform
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Karli White	...	Vomiting Girl

Runtime:

89 min

Country:

Australia

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

Australia:MA | Sweden:15 (DVD rating) | New Zealand:R16

Filming Locations:

Fremantle Railway Station, Fremantle, Western Australia, Australia

Company:

Longway Films

Goofs:

Errors in geography: Karrakatta station is not known as "Karrakatta Cemeterary". Nor are the gravestones as large and as close to the railway station as shown.

Soundtrack:

Symphony No 40 1st Movement

What a train ride

This was an interesting film with some unusual elements. It's a story in real time and it has some real tension to it. I thought the characters were going to be caricatures, but was pleasantly surprised to find that mostly they were authentic.

The film is based on a play, and at times this seemed evident (particularly the weaknesses). But because the story was original and different, it had a freshness and vitality to it.

There were some minor contrivances and implausibilities in the first hour that I could easily overlook because of the strength of the performances and the genuine tension. The setting within an all but deserted train carriage was claustrophobic and chilling. For me, the film took a turn for the worse after an hour, that lead to aspects that just didn't ring true.

Overall, it was a job well done by Jeremy Sims as first-time director, and worth seeing in one of the best years in Australian cinema for a very long time. There's been a great diversity of interesting stories. From the actors, I found the performances of Steve Le Marquand, Tom Budge and Gillian Jones the strongest. Gigi Edgeley was good but not consistent (perhaps that's the fault of the script).

On a final note, for the life of me, I can't understand the Office of Film and Literature Classification's "MA" (equivalent to "R" in the US) on this film. Yes, there is a little violence and coarse language – but with the Hollywood shoot-em-ups that get through on an "M" rating, I can't see why this shouldn't also.