09/07/06 Mad Dog Morgan

Mad Dog Morgan (1976), directed by Philippe Mora

watched solo; DVD (personal copy) @ home

This is what happens when three divergent paths collide in a cloud of Australian Outback smoke. The three vital parts to this catastrophe must include true stories about notorious desperado bushrangers in the 1800's; a DVD release with the notoriously goofy Troma Entertainment industry backing a violent film; and finally allowing the notorious rebel actor Dennis Hopper loose on drugs and Irish accents. Yes, this does try to tell the true tale of expatriate Irishman Morgan who has come to the Australian Outback to seek his fortune and fame. During the country's gold rush of the mid 1800's, Morgan soon finds himself on the wrong side of the law after a moment of highway robbery lands him in jail for over a decade. After years of abuse and torture, Morgan vows revenge on his captors and society that put him in that place...and sets out on the open road wielding a brand of vigilante justice which garners him a heroic following. With the help of his new found buddy in an Aboriginal man named Billy (who is the same Aboriginal actor David Gulpilil from 80's classic "Crocodile Dundee"), the two wreak havoc every which way and send the authorities into a criminal tizzy. Blaming social manners as what drove him to his violent conclusion, Morgan is both seen as a villain and a hero, constantly trying to figure it out for himself. I think it's a completely interesting subject matter to deal with, and set against a beautiful Australian scenery...but c'mon, it's a film made for very very little budget...and with poor acting, no direction, plotholes everywhere, and more violent cuts in the editing than Hopper does as playing Morgan in all his insanity. I can't help but think that the film almost could have been better if say the villains were druglord gangsters that were trying to track the Aussie hero's every move in order to get to his woman...oh wait...isn't that "Crocodile Dundee 2?" Imagine if you will, what could have been had Dennis Hopper's and Paul Hogan's careers diverged from this film and their lead-man roles were reversed?! I just blew your bloomin' mind.

2 out of 5 stars