This Australian neo-noir crime thriller is the film debut by the China brothers. It is all but impossible to avoid comparisons to "Blood Simple" (1984), the first film by the Coen brothers. Both films take a simple story about grubby small-time criminals and turn it into an impressive showcase of cinematic style and fluid technique.
The sketchy plot concerns a seedy bar owner (well played by William Garvey) in a rural town who hires an enigmatic Croatian hit-man (George Shevtsov) to murder an old enemy. But the assassin double-crosses him -- for reasons that are never explained. Meanwhile, Lauren Dillon (the obligatory beautiful blond girl), is alone in a big house where she frequently hears strange noises. Anyone who has ever seen a horror movie knows that searching for an intruder in an empty house is just asking for trouble. These moments, and an extended cat- and-mouse sequence later on, are set pieces for the filmmakers to show off their impressive technical skills. There are tense, Hitchcockian passages of sustained suspense that are seamlessly constructed with amazing confidence.
Unfortunately style and technique can't salvage this woefully half-baked script. There is barely enough plot to fill out the scant 75-minute story. And what little narrative there is makes no sense. The story is full of maddening lapses in logic. The hit-man, in particular, does all sorts of strange things for no apparent reason. There is no characterization (who are these people?), no explanation for motive, and no relationships to bind the characters together. Instead, the three principals are thrown together by a series of implausible coincidences.
There is just one scene with a bit of character development, which also (sort of) explains the enigmatic title. The bar owner, besides being involved in various criminal activities, is also a domineering pervert. One of his waitresses owes him money (details are never explained, of course) and she works off $100 of her debt by submissively "giving him the crawl" on all fours then going over his lap for a hard hand spanking.
Someday, this film may become a landmark, like "Blood Simple", not for what it delivers, but for what it promises. The China brothers are clearly bursting with talent and ambition and will almost certainly create some stylish and memorable films in the future. Keep an eye on them.