''Cut Snake'' is a 2014 Australian

thriller film Thriller film, also known as suspense film or suspense thriller, is a broad film genre that evokes excitement and suspense in the audience. The suspense element found in most films' plots is particularly exploited by the filmmaker in this genre ...

written by Blake Ayshford and directed by

Tony Ayres Tony Ayres (born 16 July 1961) is an Australian showrunner, screenwriter, director in television and feature film. He is most notable for his films '' Walking on Water'' and ''The Home Song Stories'', as well his work in television, including ...

. The title comes from the Australian idiom "mad as a cut snake" which describes either insanity or anger so extreme you don't want to get near it. The film was screened in the Contemporary World Cinema section at the

2014 Toronto International Film Festival The 39th annual Toronto International Film Festival, the 39th event in the Toronto International Film Festival series, was held in Canada from 4–14 September 2014. David Dobkin's film '' The Judge'', starring Robert Downey Jr. and Robert Duv ...

Plot

“Twentysomething Paula”(

Jessica De Gouw Jessica Elise De Gouw (born 15 February 1988) is an Australian actress. She is known for her role as Helena Bertinelli/The Huntress in the television series '' Arrow'', as Mina Murray in the NBC TV series '' Dracula'', and as Elizabeth Hawkes ...

) meets Merv ( Alex Russell), her “dream boyfriend” out of nowhere. While not knowing anything about Merv's background, Paula approaches marriage with the mysterious Merv. James (

Sullivan Stapleton Sullivan Stapleton (born 14 June 1977) is an Australian actor who is best known for his roles in the television series ''The Secret Life of Us'', '' Strike Back'' and '' Animal Kingdom''. He also starred in the NBC crime drama '' Blindspot''. S ...

) aka Pommie comes “fresh out of prison in Sydney” and is looking forward to “pick up where he left off with Merv”. Soon after, Paula finds out that “her fiancé, Merv “whom Pommie calls Sparra, spent four years inside

rison Rison may refer to: People *Andre Rison (born 1967), American football player * Mose Rison (born 1956), American football coach * Vera B. Rison (1939–2015), politician Places *Rison, Arkansas **Rison High School Rison High School (RHS) is a ...

on manslaughter charges”. Little did Paula know that the relationship between these two ex-cons is more than just a fellowship in Prison. The “sexual tension” between Merv and James “hangs in the air like storm clouds”. The presence of James exposes Merv's “criminal history”, jeopardises his future with Paula and brings many conflicts to Merv's emotions. “About halfway through Cut Snake there is a twist, which not only ratchets up tension in the plotlines but reshapes the entire perspective of the film. That twist might have been better placed as the trigger for the second act - for some it will arrive too late - though the surprise does play a big part in making Cut Snake a strange and interesting beast.” Buckmaster, Luke. “Cut Snake Review – Another Creepily Charismatic Australian Screen Criminal.” The Guardian, Guardian News and Media, 23 September 2015, www.theguardian.com/film/2015/sep/24/cut-snake-review-another-creepily-charismatic-australian-screen-criminal.

Cast

as James * Alex Russell as Merv *

as Paula

Reception

''Cut Snake'' was met with positive reviews from critics and audiences, earning a 69% approval rating based of 16 reviews on

Rotten Tomatoes Rotten Tomatoes is an American review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee, and Stephen Wang ...

Accolades

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Cut Snake 2014 films 2014 thriller films 2010s English-language films Australian thriller films Australian LGBT-related films Films directed by Tony Ayres LGBT-related thriller films