Produced and shot on
location using an entirely New Zealand based production crew, the microbudget
effort successfully launched the careers of Donaldson and then newcomer Neill
who is tasked with a great deal of physical acting which still eclipses his
efforts on Steven Spielberg’s Jurassic
Park. While Neill had yet to give
his first truly great performance in the 1981 psychological horror film Possession, the actor displayed
considerable screen presence as Smith who is run through the gamut as
totalitarian forces close around him.
Joining Neill’s side is Bullen (played by the film’s screenwriter Ian
Mune) who drags Smith into what is shaping up to be a losing battle. Also sporting a colorful cameo that almost
upstages Neill’s acting is Warren Oates as US Colonel Willoughby, lending a
degree of skepticism to the proceedings that counters arguments in Smith’s
favor.
A modestly sized thriller which
eerily forecasted the 1981 Springbok Tour protests and riots in New Zealand
just a few years later, Donaldson’s film quickly became an important chapter in
the evolution of New Zealand’s then fledgling film industry. Cinematography by Michael Seresin (War for the Planet of the Apes)
beautifully exploits the rural and mountainous New Zealand landscape though the
film’s soundtrack co-written by Mathew Brown, David Calder and Murray Grindlay
comes across as uneven with some cues working well while others fall flat.
Seen today, the debut effort holds up
considerably well with Donaldson also acting as the film’s producer and art
director and Sam Neill fans keen on his earlier work will get some
entertainment value out of the young actor.
That said, the film’s goals don’t aim particularly high and the effort
largely emerges as another genre thriller.
All in all, Sleeping Dogs proves
to be a solid and often effective chase picture with a head on its shoulders
showing promise for Donaldson and Neill.
Just don’t expect it to reinvent the wheel.
Score:
- Andrew Kotwicki