| The Tracker | |
|---|---|
| Directed by | Rolf de Heer |
| Written by | Rolf de Heer |
| Starring | Gary Sweet David Gulpilil |
| Release date(s) | 2002 |
| Running time | 98 minutes |
| Country | Australia |
| Language | English |
The Tracker is an Australian drama film produced in 2002. It was directed and written by Rolf de Heer. It is a set in 1922 in outback Australia where a racist white colonial policeman (Gary Sweet) used the tracking ability of an Indigenous Australian tracker (David Gulpilil) to find the murderer of a white woman. The tagline is "All men choose the path they walk.'
David Stratton described the film as "remarkable".[1]
Contents |
The film is set in the early 20th century Australian outback, where four men are following an Aboriginal man who has been accused of murder. The characters in the film are referred to by their characters rather than by names, they are:
The film was shot in the semi-arid, rugged Arkaroola Sanctuary, in South Australia's Flinders Ranges. De Heer used an intentionally small film crew, saying that “It's all a much better process ...”.[3] The film is intercut with paintings by Peter Coad which portray brutal actions not shown, while the lyrics of the soundtrack (written by De Heer) form part of the narrative, and are sung by Archie Roach with music composed by Graham Tardif.[4]
Film review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes assessed the film at 88% on its tomatometer with an average 7.1/10 rating.[5]