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Cactus (2007)

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clip Beneath his captor’s skin

Original classification rating: M. This clip chosen to be PG

Clip description

Eli (David Lyons) sets about discovering the identity of the person who ordered his kidnapping and tries to further needle his captor, John (Travis McMahon), with the aim of shifting the power balance between them and gaining an upper hand.

Curator’s notes

by Lynden Barber

The power struggle between kidnapper and victim is the film’s backbone, providing its central dramatic conflict. This clip gives a highly effective example. Eli’s needling John for calling his employer 'sir’ indicates how different the two men are in their class backgrounds and attitudes. The final straw for John is when he asks Eli if his wife is disappointed in him. John’s over-reaction shifts the power balance in Eli’s favour by exposing John’s emotional vulnerability regarding his marriage.

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australianscreen is produced by the National Film and Sound Archive. By using the website you agree to comply with the terms and conditions described elsewhere on this site. The NFSA may amend the 'Conditions of Use’ from time to time without notice.

All materials on the site, including but not limited to text, video clips, audio clips, designs, logos, illustrations and still images, are protected by the Copyright Laws of Australia and international conventions.

When you access australianscreen you agree that:

  • You may retrieve materials for information only.
  • You may download materials for your personal use or for non-commercial educational purposes, but you must not publish them elsewhere or redistribute clips in any way.
  • You may embed the clip for non-commercial educational purposes including for use on a school intranet site or a school resource catalogue.
  • The National Film and Sound Archive’s permission must be sought to amend any information in the materials, unless otherwise stated in notices throughout the Site.

All other rights reserved.

ANY UNAUTHORISED USE OF MATERIAL ON THIS SITE MAY RESULT IN CIVIL AND CRIMINAL LIABILITY.

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