Director: Roderick MacKay
Writer: Roderick MacKay (Screenplay)
Starring: David Wenham, Jay Ryan, Mahesh Jadu, Erik Thomson, Goran D Kleut
Plot: To escape the outback, a young Afghan cameleer falls in with a mysterious bushman on the run with stolen Crown gold.
Runtime: 1 Hour 56 Minutes
There may be spoilers in the rest of the review
Story: The Furnace starts when an Afghan cameleer Hanif (Malek) crosses paths with a bushman Arthur (Wenham) who is on the run with Crown gold, stolen from the British, with Sergeant Shaw (Ryan) on his trail.
The two find themselves going through the different cultural groups in the outback as they look to melt down the gold in a furnace, in an adventure that will bring the unlikely partnership being important.
Thoughts on The Furnace
Characters & Performances – Arthur is the bushman who has stolen from the Crown, he has taken the gold hoping to convert it for his own profit. He reluctantly works with Hanif, knowing his knowledge of the outback will help him survive longer, showing he could get more out of his time on the journey without being caught. David Wenham takes this leading role well, being the desperate character, but one smart enough to know how to survive. Hanif is the cameleer that has been around the open outback, mixing with other groups, making connections, knowing the secrets of water to survive, he will help Arthur travel across the outback in a chance to get his share of the gold. Ahmed Malek shows us this character that has seen a lot and isn’t prepared for the world of conflict the pair find themselves in. we do get to meet the different people after the pair, each if their own reason for searching, some will help others will try to take the gold from them.
Story – The story here follows an Afghan and a bushman traveling across the outback with gold as they are trying to find a furnace to remove the Crown stamp, as they are being tracked by a host of different people who want the gold, including the British. This is a story that will highlight the different cultures that are left in the outback, all trying to survive despite the strict rules imposed by the selfish British militaries. The journey is similar to what we would have seen for years, the odd couple needing to work together to overcome the odds against them, tracking them down. It all plays out like you would imagine with the discussion of greed taking full control of the story.
Themes – The Furnace uses the adventure of traveling across the outback as a way to show us just where the western theme comes into the idea of never knowing who you will meet on your journey. The locations are beautiful, showing the scale, beauty and danger of the outback.
Final Thoughts – The Furnace is a western that keeps things simple, while highlight the cultural changes Australia went through.
Signature Entertainment present The Furnace on Digital Platforms 25th January
