The Bet (2006)

A young Sydney stockbroker risks it all to win a friendly bet about making money.

Director:

Mark Lee

Writer:

Caroline Gerard

Stars:

Matthew Newton, Aden Young, Sibylla Budd

2 wins & 2 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Matthew Newton	...	Will
Aden Young	...	Angus
Sibylla Budd	...	Tory
Tim Richards	...	Benno
Roy Billing	...	George
Rick Cosnett	...	Mike Voss
Anthony Harkin	...	Nick
Alyssa McClelland	...	Trish
Peta Sergeant	...	Lila
Paul Gleeson	...	Steven O'Grady
Noel Hodda	...	Brian
Joshua Rosenthal	...	Detective (as Josh Rosenthal)
Michael Beattie	...	Detective
Birgit Wolf	...	Attractive Woman at Polo (as Birgit Wolfe)
Anthony Gerard	...	Tony Hamilton

Storyline

Young Sydney stockbroker, Will, makes a bet with his rich mate Angus - who can make the most money in three months with $50,000? Obsessed with winning, Will finds himself engaged in high stakes games and deception, bending all the rules, until he discovers that winning at all costs could mean losing more than he could ever imagine.

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Plot Keywords:

bet | stockbroker | two word title | directorial debut | australian | 

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Taglines:

What would you risk?

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Genres:

Crime | Drama | Thriller

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User Reviews

Triumph of style over substance

"The Bet" could be described as a triumph of style over substance. There isn't much to the plot. Young stockbroker bets with rich young banker he can make more money over the next 90 days. Stockbroker resorts to illegal methods to get ahead, endangering his relationship with pretty young lawyer. There are a couple of twists in the ending, though one makes very little sense. The film-makers have buffed the whole thing to a high state of gloss with lots of lovely harbour scenery, an atmospheric (if wildly unrealistic) dealing room, harbourside restaurants, smart bars (and real pole dancers), smart cutting, seaside golf and even a trip to the polo at Windsor. There's a nice original score too, in classical style by John Gray. The producers didn't have any government money and did it their way.

The trouble is that this story, unlike Richard Beasley's satirical "Hell Has Harbour Views", is meant to be a serious morality play. Yet the message here seems to be if you are young, greedy and stupid, and going to hell, you might as well do it in style. The women here are gorgeous, the champagne French and the night is beckoning. The concluding scenes have a serious suspension of disbelief issue that I can't go into or I'll give the ending away. Acting, though, is excellent. Matthew Newton (Bert's son, who has been lately having a little local difficulty in his personal life) is great as Will the eager beaver young broker – he's like Russell Crowe's naïve younger brother, with big blue eyes and a love of risk-taking. Aden Young as his handsome, rich and profoundly callous banker mate gives us a study in nastiness. His casual dismissal in public of his beautiful and personable girlfriend Lila (Peta Sargeant) in the same way he might sack a secretary is evidence enough. Sibylla Budd gives us a rounded performance as Tori, the bright young lawyer in love with Will. I also enjoyed Roy Billing as George, Will's father, the Aussie Battler personified (though Roy is actually from New Zealand).

The film-makers, including former actor Mark Lee in his directorial debut and writer/producer Caroline Gerard, an ex- big Sydney law firm employee, have given the whole thing a professional sheen and produced a reasonably entertaining film. The atmospherics are terrific, but the characterizations are pretty basic and the story skew-whiff. Still, it does make a change from stories about Western suburbs junkies. Failure happens in rich suburbs too. Unfortunately it's just as depressing.

Details

Official Sites:

Official site [Australia]

Country:

Australia

Language:

English

Release Date:

13 September 2007 (Australia)

Also Known As:

The Bet on Bet

Filming Locations:

Sydney, New South Wales, Australia

Box Office

Budget:

AUD3,000,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Gerrycan Productions Pty. Ltd.

Technical Specs

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1