Backlash

Two cops drive an Aboriginal barmaid (Miller), accused of castrating her over-attentive boss with garden shears, across country to face trial. Argue is a cynical, aggressive, seen-it-all type, Caridis a rookie policewoman with starry-eyed notions about law enforcement and an increasing sympathy for their prisoner. The tensions within the group create a shifting pattern of alliances, especially when an ill-advised short cut leaves them stranded miles from anywhere. Here, the freewheeling narrative gives way to more static psychodrama. And who is the mysterious man who tracks them by day and disturbs their sleep with anguished cries by night? Former documentarist Bennett makes good use of the sun-parched landscape and improvised dialogue, while his unobtrusive camera style allows the actors ample scope to explore the drama and humour of a scenario laced with social comment. If this loosely coiled road movie doesn't always generate the kind of excitement suggested by the title, it does have a sting in its tail.