The Ferryman (2007)

The story of a group of twenty-somethings who charter a boat to Fiji for the trip of a lifetime, before stumbling upon an evil that demands vengeance at any cost.

Director:

Chris Graham

Writers:

Matthew Metcalfe (story), Nick Ward (screenplay)

Stars:

John Rhys-Davies, Kerry Fox, Tamer Hassan

Cast

Cast overview:
John Rhys-Davies	...	The Greek
Kerry Fox	...	Suze
Tamer Hassan	...	Big Dave
Amber Sainsbury	...	Kathy
Craig Hall	...	Chris Hamilton
Julian Arahanga	...	Zane
Sally Stockwell	...	Tate
Ben Fransham	...	The Ferryman
Imogen Cassin	...	Imogen
Lawrence Makoare	...	Snake
Robbie Magasiva	...	Craig (Man in Club)
Jessica Woods	...	Woman in Club
Andi Crown	...	Emergency Crew Member
Brandon Cook	...	Little Boy

Storyline

A voyage from New Zealand to Fiji aboard a large sailboat seems to be a perfect holiday until a mysterious mist appears on the second day and a distress call is picked up on the radio. Going to the aid of the ship in trouble the yacht comes across a drifting fishing boat, and find one lone survivor. When this man is taken aboard the yacht strange events begin to happen and people start acting as if they were not themselves.

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Plot Keywords:

possession | supernatural horror | slasher | yacht | fiji | 

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Taglines:

Everyone must pay

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Genres:

Fantasy | Horror | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for brutal horror violence, language, some sexuality and drug use

Did You Know?

Trivia

The role of Big Dave was offered to Ray Winstone.

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Connections

Referenced in The Seamstress (2009)

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Soundtracks

Dirty Creature
Written by Tim Finn, Neil Finn and Nigel Griggs
Mushroom Music Publishing
Performed by Split Enz
Courtesy of Warner Music

User Reviews

A Nutshell Review: The Ferrryman

I have enjoyed limited movie offerings from New Zealand, with the likes of the romantic comedy Sione's Wedding and horror comedy Black Sheep, and for my horror double bill this weekend, I wouldn't have wanted to miss The Ferryman.

In western folklore, the Ferryman is the one responsible for transporting the dead to the nether realms, where souls would be judged (so you'd better start chalking up those brownie points). Ferrymen had been depicted in movies before, be they just a background character like in Woody Allen's Scoop, or becoming a point of contention in the Pirates of the Caribbean movies with crew of The Flying Dutchman. Think of it as the equivalent to the Chinese folklore characters of "Cow Head" and "Horse Face", where they will visit the body at the point of deaths to escort the soul to the depths of Hell for judgement.

2 couples (two of whom are Craig Hall and Amber Sainsbury whom we will get to see again in 30 Days of Night, in which Ben Fransham who plays The Ferryman will also appear) signs up for an adventure sail from New Zealand to Fiji, where a luxurious spa awaits their tired bodies after their "homestay on the sea" stint. Before everyone, including the captain his wife and their pet dog, can get chummy with one another, their ship receives a distress signal, and the laws of the sea dictates they get themselves into unknown trouble by picking up a survivor from a non-working vessel. And like all hitchhiker styled movies, there's always something strange about the hitcher (played by John Rhys-Davis) you pick up, especially when the weather's all foggy and he starts to give everyone the creeps.

The Ferryman turned out to be a rather interesting concept movie rather than outright horror with shock and awe moments. It doesn't scare, nor does it follow the recent trends in gore and with torture porn. What it's more akin to is a good old fashioned thriller with supernatural elements thrown in for good measure. Some might complain that nothing much really happens, with the usual hack and slash, but I'd argue that it had a very novel take on the theme of longevity, especially when it starts to play out in full. While it certainly isn't something new, the way it was executed (pardon the pun) mattered, and its ending will undoubtedly leave a wicked smile on your face, at what had transpired, and the loads of potential should you possess such capability.

Not without loopholes though, but I thought it could be glossed over given its supernatural slant, unless you choose to harp on it, especially when it didn't get developed properly. In short, The Ferryman still qualifies for an entertaining afternoon matinée when ticket prices are cheaper.

Details

Official Sites:

Official site

Country:

New Zealand UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

July 2007 (New Zealand)

Also Known As:

The Ferryman

Filming Locations:

Auckland, New Zealand

Box Office

Budget:

NZD7,000,000 (estimated)

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$228,695

Company Credits

Production Co:

Atlantic Film Productions, General Film Corporation, Hindsight Media

Technical Specs

Runtime:

100 min (European Film Market)

Color:

Color