Benny works for old school crime boss Abe, Abe has multiple personalities and is in a gang war with the notorious Frankie. Kane is the deadliest of Abe”s personalities, the next 24 hours will be a killer. Today is a good day to die.
Such is the logline for Blair Moore’s ambitious debut feature Kane, a violent crime thriller featuring an ensemble cast of some of Australia’s most recognised talent, including screen favourite Nathan Phillips.
Best known for his role in the controversial horror breakout Wolf Creek, Phillips has turned his back on the international recognition that followed and happily set up shop in his homeland, working on a variety of locally made productions that tickle his creative bone in a much more organic manner.
Talking to Peter Gray as Kane arrives to purchase physically on DVD, following its digital release in January, Phillips speaks to his comfort in making smaller films in his homeland, the importance of working with kind people, and the creative freedom he was given in forming the unpredictable Frankie.
How did this role come about for you? Are you at the point now where you’re being offered features directly?
I’d met (writer/director) Blair Moore, and was a fan of his work. We had a good walk along the beach and got to know each other, and, you know, he raised the money (for this), and I just love first-time directors. I love people that are authentic, and its nice to work with kind and creative people. So we definitely hit it off. And, to his credit with the budget, he had a very fast timing in filming. It was kind of this old school, Easy Rider-style of filmmaking. You know, that guerilla level of rigour. He’s just very honest and earnest.
It was really empowering, and I was very grateful that he trusted me with the direction of the choices I made with my character. He was just a pleasure to work with. I’m working on his next film, and that’s already been funded and greenlit. I love the friendship we have, but I also love that, regardless of whatever the critics think, I give him kudos for making a film that has a bit of Tony Scott and Guy Ritchie flavour to it. If this is his first film, and this was shot across maybe 16 days, it’s incredible to think what he’ll be capable of.
Obviously with lower budgeted films there’s less of the bells-and-whistles to rely on. Do you enjoy the challenge of working in such limited containments?
It’s a funny one, because there’s this old saying about “Calm seas don’t make good sailors”, and unless you know how to weather the storm, everyone can take a boat out and it’s nice and tranquil, but you get to know people when the pressure’s on, and in that time it’s really ride or die, you know? It’s fight or flight. And Blair ran a really tight ship. He had great command of knowing what he wanted, and he offered it to me, and Jake Ryan, who’s one of my best mates, and I love Jeremy Lindsay Taylor…they’re my kind of people. And I’ve known Tammin (Sursok) for a long time, and I thought she did an amazing job. I think with bigger budgets there can be too many cooks in the kitchen and a lot more hoops to jump through.
I was very blessed to work on Australian Rules. I’m a bit of an old dog now, and I was just very humbled to have worked on some very powerful Australian films in the canon of Wolf Creek, which was similarly done by a first-time director. I’ve been very blessed in that way.
As you mentioned before about this having that Guy Ritchie-feel to it, and your character very much makes his mark as he strolls in and says all the things you know you’re not supposed to. How collaborative an effort was it with Blair in creating this character? Or did you basically say, “Look, this is what I’m doing, and you’re just going to have to go along with it!”
He was so great in that he let me completely just own the character. He trusted my instincts, and let me just riff and play. I was really channelling these punks that I know from California. There used to be a code among thieves, but the new school doesn’t seem to have that, so it’s fun to play someone so reckless, so ego-centric, so narcissistic. He’s very much a sociopath who just wants to climb to the top, and he has a disregard for everyone who gets in his way. It was fun to play.
I’m a Brisbane boy, so it was pretty exciting to see the city all over this. How did you find filming in Brisbane?
It was great. I was only there for two days. It was more just just being able to film with people that are like my family. I’ve always wanted to work with Jeremy (Lindsay Taylor). I think he’s a beautiful, hardworking, incredibly talented actors, but just as importantly he’s a beautiful human being. And I adore Jakey (Ryan). So to be able to just knock about with the people I love and create art…I don’t think there’s any higher currency in our civilisation than our art. I know we’re not curing cancer or reinventing the wheel, but we’re doing something purposeful and something fun.
As you said, it might be a variation of films we’ve seen before in this genre, but it still has its own voice. It’s always great to see Australian films being made, and the fact that this was done in 16 days? My hat goes off to everyone involved here. It’s no easy feat to get a film made.
I’m blown away by it. (Blair) has really hit the nail on the head. It’s definitely worthy of him having another crack so quickly, and to make another movie now with more experience, I know people won’t be disappointed. I think people will be drawn in (with Kane) because of the world created. And I really hope I get to keep working with people like him.
Kane is now available to rent and/or buy on Digital, On Demand (Google, iTunes, Fetch, Foxtel, Telstra, Amazon TVOD) and on DVD.
