‘Dirty Deeds’: Movie Overview

Dirty Deeds is an Australian movie released in 2002 and was produced by Nine Films and Television Macquarie Film Corporation.

The film was directed and written by David Caesar and Produced by Bryan Brown. Dirty Deeds stars Bryan Brown (as Barry Ryan), Andrew Sommerich, Toni Collette (as Sharon Ryan), Sam Worthington (Darcy “Darce” Ryan), Sam Neill (Ray Murphy), and John Goodman (as Tony Testano). 

They are all the greatest film actors making the film a success at the box office in Australia. Dirty Deeds was also successful in the US which was released on DVD by Paramount Home Entertainment on 4 November 2003 and distributed by DEJ Productions. The film was among the Golden Kinnaree Award nominees as the best film during the Bangkok International Film Festival in 2003.

 

What is Dirty Deeds About?

Dirty Deeds is about an Australian gangster Darcy “Darce” Ryan (played by Sam Worthington) in the late 1960s who commands the gambling sphere in Sydney and is making huge financial gains from highest paying casinos and slot machines. His business attracts the American mafia so two mobsters Tony Testano (John Goodman) and Sal Cassela (Fred Williamson) were sent there to control the illegal slot-machine venture run by this former criminal. As a matter of fact, due to the US soldiers who came in town to relax, this gambling racket was discovered by this criminal organization. 

 

As both sides have experiences in killing people and blowing things up, Darce has become Barry’s partner. On the family front, Bryan cheats on his wife (Toni Collette) with the bar staff (Kestie Morassi) who has her eye on his nephew (Sam Worthington). Dirty Deeds is also a comedy and thriller but there is a moment when the movie is hopeless. When watching the film, the spectators wonder if the situation will be resolved or not. Despite the retro plot not being very persuasive, everything is professional in the film.

 

Is Dirty Deeds Worth Watching?

David Caesar, the film’s director sends a message to the spectators by making the film more real. For example, in the casino gambling scenes, the viewers will be dived in the real casino. The producers had to visit several physical and online casinos to include the smallest details in the film. They learnt the slot machines, how they work to make the film more realistic. On one hand, Dirty Deeds resembles comedy but on the other hand, there is an appearance of a thriller making the film more seductive. 

Bryan Brown stars as Barry Ryan, a well-known gangster that rivals the strong mobster in the trade. He is married to Sharon (Toni Collette) and they have a son Jason (Andrew Sommerich) but he spends the majority of his time with his mistress Margaret (Kestie Morassi) and his gangster friends. When a mafia boss from Chicago sends two of his men to control the poker machine scene, Ryan’s business is threatened. 

Nonetheless, the two goons Tony (John Goodman) and Sal (Felix Williamson) are lost in the Australian culture. Barry faces difficulties negotiating with the Americans and he is very deceived when he learns that one of his gangs has been deceitful. The film is worth watching because not only does it send messages to the viewers about the bad effects of gambling but it also shows some true facts in Sydney.

 

What Lessons can the Spectators Learn from Dirty Deeds?

Dirty Deeds is one of the films that address the issue of gambling. This movie teaches the viewers about the consequences of gambling. Today, several players are experiencing gambling problems and with Dirty Deeds, people will be warned about the negative impact of gambling. It is undeniable that many organisms were launched to educate and help problem gamblers, but the movie is also an effective system to reduce gambling-related harms. 

Despite some negative reviews written by the audience, Dirty Deeds can be considered as one of the solutions to increase public awareness. The film director and writer David Caesar are well-reputed in Australia and already wrote several successful films and television drama series. Among the recognized TV series written by David Caesar are RAN (Remote Area Nurse), Dangerous, and All Saints. David Caesar was Film Critics Circle of Australia Awards (FCCA) nominee as the Best Screenplay and Original in 2002.