Set in the sparse outlands of Australia ‘Roadkill’ sees Connor (Alexander Whitrow), a petty thief working the roads of the outback robbing the users of any money they have a bit like an antipodean version of London mayor Sadiq Khan and his ULEZ cameras. It’s all to enable him and his girlfriend Lucy (Sarah Milde) to move out of their makeshift home to somewhere better and maybe build a better life for themselves. Lucy is wholly unaware of his highway robbery thinking that he works down the mines and Connor’s path will eventually come to the attention of a pair of detectives investigating a serial killer who is also committing his crimes in a similar area as Connor.
The Killer as played by Edward Boyd also prays at a church where the priest becomes aware that the man who justifies his murders using the book of Revelation and the detectives are informed that their man , ‘ will kill the unbelieving, the sexually immoral and all liars’ meaning that next on the list is surely Boris Johnson. The first half of the film is very much Connor’s with only a single scene where he does first encounter the killer who wears skinny jeans committing crimes against fashion as odious as his crimes against humanity. The latter half focuses more on the killer and it’s the construction of the narrative that is not handled as well as it should be. The structure of scripts such as Hitchcock’s final film, ‘Family Plot’ which had two seemingly separate plots eventually converging is a popular one and highly effective when done well but here the two plot threads diverge before eventually converging and it’s not helped by the detectives, especially the senior officer, conducting a not particularly logical or procedurally accurate investigation.
Written, produced, directed and starring Alexander Whitrow this is a low budget thriller with the type of music score featured in scene re-enactments from series such as When Pensioners Attack! But there are several effective moments with locations that are photographed well especially the climactic scene that has you rooting for the anti-hero in what is a serviceable thriller.
related feature: Henry Portrait of a Serial Killer – LIMITED EDITION 4K UHD / BLU-RAY
related feature: How to be Ted Bundy | Luke Kirby talks about his role as the killer in ‘No Man of God’
Here’s the Roadkill trailer…..
