Dirty Deeds (2002)

1973 Sydney: An Australian gangster sees booming business, due to U.S. soldiers being in town for relaxing between their tours to the Vietnam war, attracts the attention of first the Chicago mafia, and then their East Coast competitors.

Director:

David Caesar

Writer:

David Caesar

Stars:

Bryan Brown, Toni Collette, John Goodman

3 wins & 9 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Bryan Brown	...	Barry Ryan
Toni Collette	...	Sharon Ryan
John Goodman	...	Tony Testano
Sam Neill	...	Detective Sergeant Ray Murphy
Sam Worthington	...	Darcy
Kestie Morassi	...	Margaret
William McInnes	...	Hollywood
Andrew S. Gilbert	...	Norm
Gary Waddell	...	Freddie
Felix Williamson	...	Sal Cassela
Derek Amer	...	Manager
Laeni Baille	...	Coin Lady
Rudi Baker	...	Bell Boy
Bille Brown	...	Senator
Michael Brownjohn	...	Bouncer #1

Storyline

Set in 1960s Sydney, this is the story of an Australian gangster whose booming business, buoyed by the influx of U.S. soldiers in town for R&R during their tours in Vietnam, attracts the attention of first the Chicago mafia, and then their East Coast competitors.

---

Plot Keywords:

american | cooking | mafia | gangster | vietnam war | 

---

Taglines:

Get ready to get dirty.

---

Genres:

Comedy | Crime

---

Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for strong violence and language

Details

Official Sites:

The Official site at NineMSN

Country:

Australia Canada

Language:

English

Release Date:

18 July 2002 (Australia)

Also Known As:

Dirty Deeds - Dreckige Geschäfte

Filming Locations:

Broken Hill, New South Wales, Australia

Box Office

Budget:

AUD 10,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

$134,510 (Australia), 9 August 2002, Limited Release

Company Credits

Production Co:

Alliance Atlantis Communications,Australian Film Finance Corporation (AFFC),Haystack Productions Ltd.

Technical Specs

Runtime:

110 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The aircraft that they fly to the outback in is a Piper Chieftain, and actually manufactured and bought into service after the movie was set. That same aircraft is now used within an air ambulance service for flying patients between hospitals within Australia.

---

Goofs

Tony and Sal are flying to Sydney when Sal looks down and sees Hawaii as they fly over. Tony tells Sal that it will be another 6 hours until they get there. However, even today, the flight time from Honolulu to Sydney is about 10-11 hours.

---

Quotes

Barry Ryan: What made you think you had a FUCKING CHOICE?

---

Crazy Credits

At the end of the closing credits, the title DIRTY DEEDS appears with the individual letters spinning like the wheels of a slot machine.

---

Connections

References 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)

---

Soundtracks

Trouble
Composed by Tim Rogers
Published by Festival Music Publishing
Performed by You Am I with Bernard Fanning
2002 BMG Australia Limited

User Reviews

if you skip this because it's not a blockbuster, you're missing a good film

Ah, yeah!

This is a nicely paced caper and its only real crime is the weak ending.

It's been criminally undersold here, and sad to report I was alone in the dark corner of the multiplex I saw it in. As all the comments here are Australian and a year old, the film has obviously been leaked late to the rest of the world in advance of its video or dvd release. This is lacklustre treatment of a little gem.

First and most important, you don't need to be Australian to understand the dialog. I wouldn't fault any of the performances, which pretty much match the characters' function in the film. Bryan Brown and Sam Neill stand out, inevitably, but John Goodman and Toni Colette are sound in support.

I smiled from the moment this started to the closing credits, laughed out loud more than once, and salute the repeated use of "bouf-head" as a term of endearment.