Review of The Boys Are Back (2009) by Dean M — 02 Aug 2010

The relationship between workaholic Brit expat Joe (Clive Owen) and initially his son Artie (Nicholas McAnulty), and later his older son Harry (George MacKay), is the big beating heart of this emotive drama, which will have you weeping within 15 minutes of its first frame.

In a milestone year for Australian film, The Boys Are Back is arguably the best so far, and is potentially the one that could reach the largest audience. It features an Oscar worthy performance from Owen, whose charm transcends the story's potential bleakness, and turns it into a hopeful one. He was obviously aided by Scott Hicks, whose assured direction - particularly evident in the pacing and his ability to elicit phenomenal performances from the child actors - points to a director at the top of his game.