Titles tagged with ‘murder’
48 titles - sorted alphabetically or by year
0-9
27A feature film – 1974
Robert McDarra won the 1974 AFI Award for his portrait of an alcoholic imprisoned in a Queensland psychiatric hospital. He died in 1975.
A
Australia Today – The ‘Pyjama Girl’ Murder Case newsreel – 1939
This newsreel reconstructs the coronial inquest into the Pyjama Girl mystery, one of the most baffling unsolved murder cases in Australian criminal history.
B
Bad Boy Bubby feature film – 1993
Bad Boy Bubby was conceived as an experiment on virtually every level. It had 32 different cinematographers, for example.
Balibo feature film – 2009
In 1975 an Australian journalist travels to East Timor in search of five Australian journalists rumoured to have been murdered by invading Indonesian forces.
Barred Wives documentary – 1993
Not all these stories of marrying prisoners end well: one woman was murdered by her bridegroom upon his release.
Beyond Reasonable Doubt – Alexander McLeod Lindsey television program – 1977
Criminologist Hawkins presents the case of Alexander McLeod Lindsey, jailed for the brutal bashing of his wife. A series on possible miscarriages of justice.
Beyond Reasonable Doubt – The Case of Ronald Ryan television program – 1977
In 1967 Ronald Ryan was the last man to be hanged in Australia. With the public outrage about his execution, Australia ended capital punishment.
Black and White feature film – 2002
The film presents both the defence’s and the prosecution’s version of what might have happened in the controversial Max Stuart case, so that there is no easy path to the truth.
C
The Chant of Jimmie Blacksmith feature film – 1978
This is one of the key Australian films of the 1970s, because it speaks about the unspeakable with a depth of rage that was absolutely unprecedented and has never been repeated.
Chopper feature film – 2000
The killer who feels no remorse is a movie cliché, but Chopper is about a killer whose remorse is as strong as his desire to wound.
D
Deadly Hurt documentary – 1994
A filmmaker questions whether the National Committee on Violence Against Women’s 1992 national strategy was appropriate.
Death in Brunswick feature film – 1990
An under-achieving Aussie cook falls for a young Greek waitress at a seedy Melbourne nightclub, but a dead body gets in their way.
E
East West 101 – The Enemy Within television program – 2007
A simmering vision of western Sydney and consistently powerful performances define this cop-show take on the fault lines of a post 9/11 world.
Evil Angels feature film – 1988
Evil Angels is a highlight of ‘80s Australian cinema but did not perform as well locally as it deserved, perhaps because it presents the dark side of the easygoing ‘g’day mate’ nation.
F
Facing the Demons documentary – 1999
This is absolutely compelling: two of the four men convicted of the murder of a teenager after a robbery, face his family and friends.
Fatal Bond feature film – 1991
Fans of iconic 1960s cars will be able to see a Valiant S series take on a Citroen Goddess in the final scenes.
The Felt Hat short film – 1951
Arguably the first real attempt at film drama made in South Australia, The Felt Hat draws on 1940s crime fiction and Hollywood film noir to good effect.
Forbidden Lie$ documentary – 2007
Do you want the truth or what I said?’- a real-life thriller about author Norma Khouri’s defence against claims that Forbidden Love is a fraud.
For the Term of His Natural Life feature film – 1927
The use of locations, particularly Port Arthur, is probably the film’s strongest asset, lending both veracity and visual impact. The other real strength of the film is its confident use of special effects.
G
The Goddess of 1967 feature film – 2000
The Goddess of 1967 is a love story that’s made more powerful by its ambiguity and its lack of conventional storytelling.
Gone feature film – 2007
The not uncommon notion of this film is that the isolation felt in the outback can be fatal, especially for the young and seemingly innocent.
Grievous Bodily Harm feature film – 1988
Movie critic David Stratton described Grievous Bodily Harm as 'one of the most satisfying thrillers made in Australia’.
H
Halifax f.p. – Afraid of the Dark television program – 1997
A forensic psychiatrist finds she has to solve a petrol station shooting without getting too personally involved.
Harmony Row feature film – 1933
George Wallace’s talent for physical comedy is fully evident in the boxing match which serves as the film’s climax.
Heatwave feature film – 1982
An architect and an activist from opposing sides unite against a crooked developer.
Homicide – The Decimal Point television program – 1965
When Homicide first aired, Australian television drama, complete with Australian cops and accents, was a novelty on screen.
J
Jindabyne feature film – 2006
Jindabyne is based on a 20-year-old short story by American Raymond Carver, but it’s been so well adapted to the Australian milieu that it feels home-grown.
K
Kiss or Kill feature film – 1997
This Australian film stood out from others of the time because of its fresh mixture of genre thrills, narrative intrigue and black humour.
M
Murder Call – Black Friday television program – 1997
Murder Call’s take on the crime genre combines a slick look and feel with offbeat story-lines that hark back to the clue-puzzle tradition of fictional sleuths.
N
Noise feature film – 2007
This smart script explores the effect that chronic isolation can have on a nation.
P
Patrick feature film – 1978
Patrick proved that Australia had the capacity to produce exportable exploitation movies and is better regarded now than it was in 1978.
The Phantom Stockman feature film – 1953
A bushman known as ‘the Sundowner’ helps cattle station heiress Kim Marsden investigate the death of her father.
R
Raoul Wallenberg: Between the Lines documentary – 1984
Profile of Raoul Wallenberg, an extraordinary humanitarian who disappeared after performing heroic deeds during the Second World War.
S
Sadness documentary – 1999
Australian photographer William Yang explores loss, love and identity as he investigates a family murder and honours the lives of friends who have died from AIDS.
Snowtown feature film – 2010
A vulnerable South Australian teenage boy is drawn into a horrific world of murder and torture.
Stingers – Ratcatcher television program – 1998
The first episode of Stingers wastes no time setting up its premise, diving straight into the action, allowing us to get to know the characters as the crime story unfolds.
Suburban Mayhem feature film – 2006
Katrina, played astonishingly well by Emily Barclay, controls every man in her small kingdom with an overpowering sexuality.
T
The Tracker feature film – 2002
A series of paintings by South Australian artist Peter Coad are used throughout The Tracker in place of visual depictions of violence.
Two Hands feature film – 1999
Desperate for a swim, Jimmy (Heath Ledger) buries an envelope containing $10,000 in the sand at Bondi beach…
W
Ward 13 short film – 2003
This animated short is about the nightmare thrills and spills of a hospital patient.
Water Rats – Goes With the Territory television program – 1999
This episode marks the introduction of Steve Bisley’s character to the long-running crime drama. Of note is the economy with which this major change in cast is addressed.
West feature film – 2007
Pete and Jerry are like the ‘dole-bludgers’ and ‘welfare cheats’ found in current affairs programs; West makes them human.
White Collar Blue – Series 1 Episode 21 television program – 2002
White Collar Blue follows the lives and criminal cases of the police at a Sydney beachside police station.
Who Killed Dr Bogle and Mrs Chandler? documentary – 2006
A landmark documentary that not only reveals the criminal investigation into the mysterious deaths of Dr Bogle and Mrs Chandler in 1963 but solves it as well.
Wildside – Series 1 Episode 1 television program – 1997
The raw style of Wildside is characterised by intense, semi-improvised performances, observational camerawork and sometimes frenetic editing.
Willaberta Jack documentary – 2007
Willaberta Jack and Harry Henty on the record, recalling an incident that occurred almost a century ago.
Wolf Creek feature film – 2005
There have been many outback killers in Australian cinema, but Mick Taylor is the most distinctive — and likeable.
