Review of Last Cab to Darwin (2015) by Harry W — 28 Jul 2015

Putting Aussie comedy legend Michael Caton in a serious dramatic role, Last Cab to Darwin sounded like an entertaining change of pace for the man.

I can't say that I ever saw the original play that Last Cab to Darwin is based on, but I will admit that it is a film that is easy to find fault in. A lot of the subject matter in Last Cab to Darwin feels thrown in there for the sake of the gimmicks. Many themes are not explored all that well, such as the concepts of euthanasia or racism against Indigenous Australians. As much as Jeremy Sims has the best intentions to explore complicated themes in his film, he only lightly touches upon a lot of concepts. It's appropriate that he is actually shedding light on legitimate issues, but I feel that a lot of them should have made him go into the shadows to discover what lies beneath. Ultimately, the only times that the film gets really insightful about its concepts are at a sporadic rate of occasionally tense moments throughout the story. Yet these moments are largely buried beneath an extensive surplus of choppy melodramatic plot points. There are many characters and themes along the way in Last Cab to Darwin which serve as a largely sufficient distraction from one another, but in all honesty they all get structured together loosely within a single narrative which is ultimately inconsistent. Frankly, all the conventions and stereotypes in Last Cab to Darwin against the backdrop of the slow pace made it difficult for me to get sucked into the story since I felt like I had seen it all before in superior films along the lines of Driving Miss Daisy and Scent of a Woman. And by the end of it, though there had been devlopment in the story, I felt like many plot points such as the entire concept of the character Dr. Farmer were just unresolved.

Ultimately, Last Cab to Darwin is a heavily conventional road movie, but it stands out for its Aussie charm. With the best intentions of Jeremy Sims and Reg Cribb, it is easy to get lost in the charms of the characters. I found that I was so invested in the relationships of the story that at some point along the way I forgot that the film was largely about euthanasia. Instead of being about death, Last Cab to Darwin is largely about life and appreciating the existence of other people. Though this is a conventional theme for a film about mortality, it is one of the few concepts which Last Cab to Darwin does not hit viewers over the head with. The most important thing is that they provide strong fronts for the talented cast who do bring the story to life, largely compensating for its slow pace.

At the same time, the lush Australian scenery gives appeal to the experience as the beautiful Australian outback lights up the screen with its natural life. The cinematography also makes use of a good blend of wide angled shots to capture the big scale of the scenery and close-ups to emphasize the experience of the characters. The musical score by Ed Kuepper captures the feel of the Aussie outback very nicely and brings the sentimental nature of the film to the ears of the viewers and then to their hearts when they can embrace the subject matter. So Last Cab to Darwin is a stylish production as well.

There are many characters to Last Cab to Darwin, but the charm of the cast is undeniable.

Michael Caton's leading performance is just wonderful. The actor has such a great legacy in Australian, and Last Cab to Darwin capitalizes on that by giving him a chance to push the boundaries on expectations. While his natural Aussie charm has underlying comic appeal in some of the scenes, Michael Caton makes a genuine dramatic effort which is just wonderful to watch. Rex is a very simple man who has never had such a complicated life, but when he is forced to face his own death that is where it all changes and so he transitions into being fragile and scared. Though the emotions are restrained within Michael Caton, they are all there consistently. He has some powerful moments of projecting them through the stare in his eyes or the shake of his jaw, and his line delivery is very gentle yet edgy. Michael Caton leads Last Cab to Darwin very well, and he manages to bring out the best in the cast around him by truly putting his heart into the role. Michael Caton's dramatic turn shows an unprecedented spirit for the actor which is truly admirable, and it is wonderful to see him up on the big screen again.

Ningali Lawford is the screen stealer. It's not that frequent that you see a big role in any film being given to an indigenous Australian, and so the presence of one in Last Cab to Darwin is most welcome. But rather than being a mere gimmic, Ningali Lawford does a beautiful job as Polly because of how she has such a strong edge to her which she uses to take command over the other actors combined with an underlying sense of comic charm. Ningali Lawford's energy means that she steals the screen whenever she is on it, and her developing chemistry with Michael Caton is one of the most touching sentiments in the film.

Mark Coles Smith is also remarkable. Arguably the funniest cast member in Last Cab to Darwin, Mark Coles Smith has such an easygoing persona which paves the way for a lot of humourous moments in the story due to his contrasting nature to Michael Caton's. He delivers his lines with instinctive charm, and makes for an Indigenous character who is both hilarious and legitimately valuable to the development of the drama in the story. He is very involved and funny at the same time, making the experience of Last Cab to Darwin all the more energetic and just genuinely enjoyable.

Emma Hamilton also has a distinctive charm, and although Jacki Weaver's character lacks sufficient depth her presence is most welcome.

So Last Cab to Darwin is rather familiar and simplistic, but it's Aussie charm and wonderful cast make for a touching and funny experience.