Backbencher

The film "Dead Heart" is an Australian movie made in 1996. This film can be compared to a classic western here in the United States, my Grandfather could watch this and he would assume it is an American movie. It follows a very basic formula for a classic western; violence starts something, the hero goes about his business nobly, violence ends the conflict. Bryan Brown plays lawman Ray Lorkin. Lorkin is living in the desert village of Waga Waga. He one day comes into the sheriff's office and notices that his prisoner who is an Aboriginal man is lying dead in his cell. He cannot tell what the cause of death is but feels he must investigate it. Lorkin has respect for the aborigines and allow the tribe to do the rituals the must do for the body, including a violent ceremony of vengeance. Another death occurs which makes Lorkin believe this is no ordinary death, rather a murder. I believe this film is a romantic film. By romantic I mean a story about the heroic cowboy, though it is not true for the most part stories are often fabricated because we want to believe it happened. Two interesting topics came up during this film, the idea of tribal traditions versus Australian law and law of the outback. This film does a great job showing how tribal traditions and Australian law conflicted and what the two groups must do to get around the barrier. The film also tackles the idea of outback law and if it possible. The movie likes to say it is possible to control the outback, but in my opinion it is simply two rough and rugged. The land will not allow it and there is simply too much out there to govern over, at least during this time.