Ah yes, the intrepid T.V. movie genre, the straight to video and the mostly forgotten classics of the small screen, but, once in a while there is always a hidden gem, a small nugget of gold, and unlike other thorns in the crown of this movie category there is often the odd surprise. And this pleasant surprise comes from Australian born (1957) T.V. and movie director Michael Pattinson, having done eleven episodes of the cult television show "Prisoner" and his movie career also includes Secrets (1992) and Ground Zero (1987) with Donald Pleasence, he's no stranger to both worlds of television and cinema.
The Last Bullet is loosely based around actual events between July 8th and the 15th of August 1945, on the oil rich, and Japanese occupied, island of Borneo, and in mid 1945, it was now the turn of the Australian Allied Forces to take the lead. The Battle of Balikpapan was soon to be, at least, the last fight of the Wars history, and after the final push, the 7th Division et el had to then seek out and capture the last remaining Japanese fighters scattered in the dense jungle.
Centralising not just on the plight of the soldiers, from both sides, in the heat and the dirt of the jungle The Last Bullet uses imaginative edits for the delicate flashbacks, from Peter Carrodus, to capture the moments when these poor souls were remembered as family members, lovers and friends, a time of beautiful, sensitive and fond reflection when all around them the fear of death and the capture of that last bullet is all that awaits them. The story kicks off proper when novice Stanley Brennan, played here by Jason Donovan, who excel's himself as the naïve rookie, finds more than just grit and determination when alone and out of his depth during a battle of cunning and stealth between himself and a Japanese sniper. Learning more than just survival in this terrain, this too is a moral code of honour toward ones comrades and toward the enemy, that to know your enemy is to also respect him.
With an average age of 25 years, these young men were on the threshold of their lives, but into the deep, unforgiving jungle they were thrown, and in this new dimension of bravery beyond the call of duty we see a wonderful movie that gives no biased toward either side. The Last Bullet is seen from both perspectives, there is no enemy, just two factions trying to stay alive and reunite with their families. The production design here, by Japanese born (1918) Takeo Kimura is a wonderful adaptation of Borneo's killing fields, even if the movie had been filmed at Tamborine Mountain, South East Queensland, Australia and at Tochigi in Japan. The hard work put into this arena is as fitting as any standard blockbuster, while not up-to-par with the big boys, Takeo Kimura has a keen eye for realism and Michael Pattinson's work is as outstanding as it is both physically harsh and at times graphic, sentimental and heart-warming, a grand combination for a story of cultural pride and personal anguish, lovingly seen from both sides.
Within an instant of the opening scene we are introduced to the beautiful accompaniment of Ms. Nerida Tyson-Chew's score, trained in both classical and contemporary genres and her Bachelor of Music (Composition) Honours Degree has put her in good stead with her collaborations with fellow Composers' Bruce Broughton, Henry Mancini and Jerry Goldsmith. Nominated for the 1996 Australian Screen Music Award for Best Music for a Mini-Series or Telemovie, for The Last Bullet, she's done herself proud in this movies production; haunting, graceful and atmospheric. As too are the edits, by one Peter Carrodus, whose twenty-three year career, so far, brings a sharp perceptive to this hell-on-earth; exciting, interesting and hard and fast.
The Last Bullet isn't about the taking part nor is it about the winning, there can never be any winners here, this movie is a fine example of how we should never forget the past, but how we can learn to forgive, and not cry havoc, and to let sleep the dogs of war.
The small screen has, for once, conquered the Silver Screen, The Last Bullet, right toward its final moment, will hit you where it hurts, a battle worthy of remembrance.
The Last Bullet is loosely based around actual events between July 8th and the 15th of August 1945, on the oil rich, and Japanese occupied, island of Borneo, and in mid 1945, it was now the turn of the Australian Allied Forces to take the lead. The Battle of Balikpapan was soon to be, at least, the last fight of the Wars history, and after the final push, the 7th Division et el had to then seek out and capture the last remaining Japanese fighters scattered in the dense jungle.
Centralising not just on the plight of the soldiers, from both sides, in the heat and the dirt of the jungle The Last Bullet uses imaginative edits for the delicate flashbacks, from Peter Carrodus, to capture the moments when these poor souls were remembered as family members, lovers and friends, a time of beautiful, sensitive and fond reflection when all around them the fear of death and the capture of that last bullet is all that awaits them. The story kicks off proper when novice Stanley Brennan, played here by Jason Donovan, who excel's himself as the naïve rookie, finds more than just grit and determination when alone and out of his depth during a battle of cunning and stealth between himself and a Japanese sniper. Learning more than just survival in this terrain, this too is a moral code of honour toward ones comrades and toward the enemy, that to know your enemy is to also respect him.
With an average age of 25 years, these young men were on the threshold of their lives, but into the deep, unforgiving jungle they were thrown, and in this new dimension of bravery beyond the call of duty we see a wonderful movie that gives no biased toward either side. The Last Bullet is seen from both perspectives, there is no enemy, just two factions trying to stay alive and reunite with their families. The production design here, by Japanese born (1918) Takeo Kimura is a wonderful adaptation of Borneo's killing fields, even if the movie had been filmed at Tamborine Mountain, South East Queensland, Australia and at Tochigi in Japan. The hard work put into this arena is as fitting as any standard blockbuster, while not up-to-par with the big boys, Takeo Kimura has a keen eye for realism and Michael Pattinson's work is as outstanding as it is both physically harsh and at times graphic, sentimental and heart-warming, a grand combination for a story of cultural pride and personal anguish, lovingly seen from both sides.
Within an instant of the opening scene we are introduced to the beautiful accompaniment of Ms. Nerida Tyson-Chew's score, trained in both classical and contemporary genres and her Bachelor of Music (Composition) Honours Degree has put her in good stead with her collaborations with fellow Composers' Bruce Broughton, Henry Mancini and Jerry Goldsmith. Nominated for the 1996 Australian Screen Music Award for Best Music for a Mini-Series or Telemovie, for The Last Bullet, she's done herself proud in this movies production; haunting, graceful and atmospheric. As too are the edits, by one Peter Carrodus, whose twenty-three year career, so far, brings a sharp perceptive to this hell-on-earth; exciting, interesting and hard and fast.
The Last Bullet isn't about the taking part nor is it about the winning, there can never be any winners here, this movie is a fine example of how we should never forget the past, but how we can learn to forgive, and not cry havoc, and to let sleep the dogs of war.
The small screen has, for once, conquered the Silver Screen, The Last Bullet, right toward its final moment, will hit you where it hurts, a battle worthy of remembrance.