The Chant of Jimmie Blacksmith

A beautiful exploration of racial tensions and violence down under. The film compellingly juxtaposes savagery with civility with enough ambiguity to never feel didactic.This is the Australian equivalent of American History X.

Harrowing stuff, often downright haunting. The lead character begins as real likeable, then soon wages war and commits some harshly cruel acts with a lot of violent power behind them. Works like a revenge exploitation film, though with plenty of deadpan seriousness. This ain't no lecture, this is just a filmic account of some horrific events that occurred, whilst looking at what possibly could have set them off.

Not bad, but I'd prefer an happy ending.

Quasi-biographical story of an aborigine who tries to fit into the white system, but eventually begins a terrifying murder spree based on revenge. Sometimes it tries to show "both sides" of the institutional racism like a documentary, but at other times it feels like a hagiography. A little more background history might have helped, and I was a little disappointed that the ending didn't explain whether his actions led to legal or societal changes (for good or bad).

This is a really powerful film that ratchets up the tension in the first half through a litany of frustrating indignities and unleashes brutal violence in the second half ... some of which is vengeance, but most of which is somewhat senseless. That's not to suggest that the film is gratuitous, but rather that his anger is quite justifiably unfocused.

Scene after scene, every little event depicted is geared only toward establishing Jimmie's victimhood and how evil and racist his colonial surroundings are. Then, halfway through, Jimmie "declares war" (sic) by going on a killing spree after hearing earlier in the film that England declared war on the Boers in S.A. Totally understandable since "black bastards" is uttered so frequently in this movie. I guess this functions as post-colonial guilt therapy but it's kinda cheesy.

About the karmic reverberations of a genocide, as felt in nature and the hearts of men on both sides. Not that this makes Jimmie any less of a psycho. Positioning him as the tragic hero is wrongheaded.