THE DRY *

 I'm sure the Australian outback isn't quite as bad as it's painted in the movies but in film after film it seems to be a landscape full of ignorant rednecks, or whatever the Aussie equivalent is, who are capable of the most extreme violence at the drop of a wide-brimmed hat. The latest addition to what is now almost a genre in its own right is Robert Connolly's "The Dry" which begins with an apparent murder/suicide and continues with the subsequent investigation by city cop and friend of the family involved, Eric Bana, still looking remarkably fresh-faced at fifty-two. It's an investigation that's tied up with the death of another girl years before and in which Bana may have been involved.

It's a slow-paced, reasonably well-acted movie, beautifully shot by Stefan Duscio. The problem is we've been here before. I know there's nothing new under the sun but a good murder mystery needs originality  and a bit of a kick and this doesn't really have either. It's certainly very watchable and it never insults our intelligence; it's just never very exciting. The title, "The Dry", refers to the fact that it hasn't rained in almost a year.