The Snowtown Murders

...maybe check the messages on your phone AFTER the movie...?What could have been a sympathetic (even cheering) moment went off the rails...if they stuck to the paedophiles, I don't think too many would complain if a slew of them were found in barrels. Unless of course (universal) you are 'one of those,' who can't really understand the kind of pain people like that cause until it happens to YOU. (Otherwise, please do shut up.) Having been raped and sodomized by law enforcement when I was a 13yo kid...I completely understand that sort of vigilante murder by people who KNOW they will not get justice otherwise. People who go to jail for this sort of thing get protection...if that's the case: Why bother? It's just free rent, food, medical care, etc. for them...never work a day in their lives in the REAL rat race out there, and daydream about their diddling with a smile evermore. What about the victims? Not so lucky. Again, I'm one of them.Back to the Movie and Review: Therefore, I can see why these people did what they did.  Not everyone gets their day in court...and even THEN, not everyone gets justice.  I mean, the blatant pedophile who had photos to PROVE he was guilty was free the next day on bond.  This taught the young victims across the street only one thing:  The bad guy is free to do it again.  So much so, the older brother actually continued where one left off...!! Yes, death for him, please!! So yeah.  Forget "due process."  If the law let the guy walk the next day...then the guy probably had the money to hire an attorney to get him out on some loophole or technicality.   So yeah.  By the way...this IS the kind of movie that sends inference, not constant dialogue to keep the brainless viewer up to speed.  You truly need to pay attention and I agree that the subtitles (I have auto-captioning on my computer) were completely necessary. I also agree that it ended poorly...should have taken all the eating scenes and ditched them for something a bit more useful.

I don't recommend eating while watching because some scenes are incredibly graphic. For the sake of run time, there was information left out of the movie. For instance, the neighbor who molested the 3 boys did barely any time in jail for his behavior. That said, it was very well done. It's a horrible story but one that needed to be told.

this is a good movie. customer reviews are getting so hard to trust anymore. i almost didn't watch this because of some of the reviews. this is worth watching. it's based on a true story. the acting is really good. the dialect is thick at times. it's nothing you can't figure out though. it's IS English. some of these reviewers would probably complain about southern, east coast, urban accents and dialects too. every single film doesn't need to be so dumbed down to fit into small, closed minds. the u.s. is only one small part of the planet. also, this film won't give you nightmares for a week. it has some pretty chilling moments however they're surrounded by a lot of mystery and suspense.watch this movie if:1. you enjoy films that don't fit into the standard, mainstream template2. you have something between your two ears that you can use to fill in the gaps. everything isn't spelled out and handed to you.3. you enjoy stories based on true events. especially serial killer and murder stories.4. you have the ability to deduce context without understanding every single syllable, of every single word, of every single sentence.5. you're looking for more of a: "holy **** that really happened" type of scared than a: "omg! he has a scary mask and a chainsaw. and look at all the blood!"hope this helps someone. i don't normally review flicks on here. i'm getting sick of reading all these reviews from clueless individuals who i'm sure think dirty dancing, grease and grey's anatomy are all great.

Watching The Snowtown Murders isn't something that will get you charged up, or excited, or turned on (if it does, seek help); it won't have you laughing and it isn't quotable or fun. There is nobody to root for. For the first 90 minutes, you can't even really feel bad for the people that die. But the fact that it can create such a sense of dread for two hours straight is a testament to the value of the movie. It is two straight hours of unpleasantness with no sly winks to the audience to break the tension. There was nothing that felt compromised or stylized in order to make the content easier to swallow. It's quite an experience and is worth watching.

Those who are heavily into Hollywood glamour, special effects and super fast paced, action movies may find this slow and unattractive to the eye, but it's the best movie I've ever watched - and I've watched a LOT. The acting is some of the finest I've ever seen and the environment is how it is when you're dirt poor. Not too pleasing to the eye, but reality. The theme is horrific, though true and very disturbing on many levels. I have strong personal views on anyone who touches a kid and have no issues with what happened to the monsters which were dealt with here and even felt that their murders were justified (though many would argue with me on that). I drive myself and other's nuts when I watch a movie, cause I'm always talking to the screen, but this one... not one peep. It's THAT intense. I watched it, then watched it again. Unbelievably talented actors. I friggin LOVED the man who played John and my heart went out to Jamie so much - I don't know how many times I cried. It's a VERY depressing movie but VERY well done. No doubt, this is the BEST movie I have ever seen.

Quality of DVDs very good . Just disappointed on the film

I bought this DVD because I had read a bit about it, but the DVD is very Disappointing, slow and hard going and nothing like the story.

Rather gruesome, only watched this once, not sure I'd go back for another viewing.

great watch

Australian screenwriter and director Justin Kurzel`s feature film debut which was written by screenwriter Shaun Grant after a story by Justin Kurzel and Shaun Grant, was inspired by Australian author and journalist Debi Marshall`s book "Killing For Pleasure: the definitive story of the Snowtown serial killings" (2006) and Australian author and journalist Andrew McGarry`s book "The Snowtown Murders: The Real Story Behind The Bodies-in-the-Barrels Killings" (2005). It was produced by Anna Mcleish and Sarah Shaw and is an Australian production which premiered at the Adelaide Film Festival in 2011. It tells the story about 16-year-old Jamie Vlassakis who lives in a suburb North of Adelaide in South Australia in a tract home during the early 1990s with his mother Elizabeth Harvey who is struggling to take care of him and his brothers. After discovering that her boyfriend Jeffrey has been taking violating photographs of her sons, Elizabeth reports him to police. The following day, Elizabeth learns that Jeffrey has been released and contacts her gay friend Barry who later shows up at her place with his friend John. John makes quite an impression on Elizabeth and her sons with his domineering presence, expresses his resentment regarding what has happened to Elizabeth`s sons and takes an immediate liking to Jaimie. By giving Jaime and his brothers the chance to get revenge on Jeffrey by harassing him in various ways, he wins their affection and takes on the role as their father figure. Everyone feels safer now that John has come into their lives, but as Jaimie grows closer to John who acts as if he was his guardian angel, he is lured into an evil man`s world.Acutely and precisely directed by first-time filmmaker Justin Kurzel, this poignantly eerie and graphic retelling of the eleven murders, instigated and mostly perpetrated by one of Australia`s worst serial killers John Bunting, which took place between August 1992 and May 1999 in the country town of Snowtown near Adelaide, the capital of South Australia. With a social realist approach and while notable for its naturalistic milieu depictions, the fine editing by film editor Veronika Jenet, cinematography by cinematographer Adam Arkapaw and the brilliant use of sound, this gritty and visceral psychological thriller, somewhat reminiscent of David Micôd`s "Animal Kingdom" (2010), draws a harrowing portrayal of a mother`s heartbreaking battle to support and protect her children and a rare father-son relationship.This character-driven independent film about an afflicted family who sees a sign of hope when they meet a seemingly charming, considerate and affectionate man who walks into their home and takes command, depicts an internal study of character and is impelled and reinforced by its cogent narrative structure and the unflinching acting performance by Australian actor Daniel Henshall and the heartrending acting performances by Lucas Pittaway in his first feature film role and Louise Harris in her first feature film role. A reverent directorial debut which gained the Audience Award at the Adelaide Film Festival in 2011, the AACTA Award for Best Direction Justin Kurzel, Best Adapted Screenplay Shaun Grant, Best Lead Actor Daniel Henshall, Best Supporting Actress Louise Harris, Best Editing Veronika Jenet and Best Sound at the Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts Awards in 2011 and a Special Mention from the Jury President at the 64th Cannes International Film Festival in 2011.