Vicious (1988)
Vicious (also known as To make a killing and Wild Boys) is an Australian drama thriller film from 1988 written and directed by Karl Zwicky. Starring Tamblyn Lord, Craig Pearce, and Kelly Dingwall.
Plot
Damon (Tamblyn Lord) graduates from high school but ends up bored on summer vacation and looks to rebel.
He meets a trio of home invaders whose lifestyle offers Damon the excitement he craves, until the gang’s crimes escalate during a home invasion. Damon must now decide how far he’s willing to go to survive.
Making of Vicious
Producers Tom Broadbridge and David Hannay had decided to make a package of four exploitation films all shot on 35mm for the world video market which were all shot in late 1987. This was one of them – Broadbridge wanted Zwicky to make another script but he wanted to make his own and the producers agreed. The script was written in five weeks and the movie was shot in four 6-day weeks in the northern suburbs of Sydney.
This film is considered Ozploitation as it comes from Austria.
Notable Scenes
The home invasion scene.
Our view on Vicious
The movie’s title refers to our hero who’s forced to kill these hoodlums, after they kill his girlfriend and her parents. A hard working university student, Damon, with everything in front of him, needs something else outside of this. He hooks up with the bad guys, thegang who has been breaking into houses around the area, including Damon’s. Later on, out in the woods, the hoodlums share stories, get drunk and have sex with two girls they pick up, one of them who becomes Damon’s girlfriend.
Damon, pie eyed, having the time of his life, spouts out more information than he should have. This is valuable information for the these thieves who break into Sondra’s parents house, where they take a hostage and a torture scene begins.
Trailer
Where to buy
DVD/VHS/Betamax/VCC LP
Watch on Archive.org
Details
Genre: thriller
Released in: 1988
Era: eighties
Actors: Tamblyn Lord, Craig Pearce
Director: Karl Zwicky
Poster artist: Unknown
Country: Australia
