The Tracker (2002)

The Tracker is yet another fine example of how refined Australian films have become in the last decade or so, this time from director and writer Rolf de Heer. It is a very moving story that will not fail to stir a variety of emotions.

The film opens somewhere in Australia’s beautiful outback. It is 1922, and three officers of the law - The Fanatic, The Follower, and The Veteran, (Gary Sweet, Damon Gameau and Grant Page respectively) - along with The Tracker (David Gulpilil) are already on the trail of an Aboriginal man wanted for the murder of a white woman. The courts will decide his fate, if they can just bring him in.

The Tracker is well aware of The Fugitive’s constantly changing whereabouts, and The Fanatic is pretty damned sure he is too, though he's unable to really push the point for fear of further alienating The Tracker (if that is possible), whose skills are essential for catching The Fugitive. The Follower, a young inexperienced policeman, has his doubts about the ability and trustworthiness of The Tracker, and The Veteran is soon dealing with a significant problem of his own.

The mind games continue, and escalate. The power base begins to shift as the conditions begin to eat at The Fanatic’s fragile control over the group. The violent and racist Fanatic becomes ever more frustrated with The Tracker’s lack of a result and increasing recalcitrance. As they close in on The Fugitive, things come to a violent and somewhat unpredictable end.

There is so much going for this film, from the fine performances, the casting, the magnificent cinematography, the story, the drama, the tension, the use of art to suggest the most violent and disturbing episodes and the haunting, beautiful music augmented by Archie Roach’s earthy and rich vocals.

Although The Tracker is a work of fiction, there is little doubt that events such as this were more common than we would probably care to admit. It is a beautiful film, about a very sad part of our history, and deserves all the praise it has so far garnered.

This is a great looking transfer and is in an aspect ratio of 2.35:1, 16:9 enhanced. Right from the opening shot of a painting that fades into a real landscape, you can see this is a beautifully coloured film. Skin tones are also accurate, black levels are just fine, and there are virtually no issues with shadow detail apart from one or two night scenes.

There are no artefacts such as dirt, or specks, and there is virtually no grain. Shimmer is present, but not in worrying amounts, however there are no other compression artefacts. There is minimal edge enhancement, and the clunky and obvious layer change late in the film is worthy of comment.

One highlight of this film is the soundtrack, featuring the vocal talent of Archie Roach, and the Dolby Digital 5.1 audio does it justice, as it does the whole film. It has a great fidelity with solid low-level sounds mainly in the soundtrack, and the acoustic slide guitar music is crystal clear.

The rear speakers are used continuously for ambient sounds such as flies buzzing, rain, wind in the trees and the like, but also for some minimal sound effects. There is some panning and separation of the sound scape across the front speakers, but it all sounds very natural. It is from here where most of the dialogue and action comes, with all dialogue clear and well synchronised.

The Dolby Digital 2.0 stereo track is also fine with good fidelity and separation.

There is a wealth of extra features here which is most comprehensive. Make sure you watch them after the feature though, as they contain numerous spoilers.

Interview: Lasting 6:35, David Stratton from SBS's The Movie Show asks questions of Rolf de Heer, who obligingly answers.

Outtakes: David Gulpilil it seems finds his own bloopers and foul-ups hilarious and demanded a blooper reel from de Heer, who has included them for us to see too. At over 15 minutes, you can’t complain.

Peter Goad Featurette: Peter Goad is the artist responsible for the paintings that are sprinkled with great effect throughout the film. This 15-minute featurette is filmed on location and in his studio, and he discusses his motivation, creativity, plus his style and techniques.

Theatrical Trailer: This is a great trailer - things of which I am not usually a fan. For two minutes, various scenes from the film are flashed up, while Archie Roach sings the theme over the top. There is some audio from the film that increases in volume as the music builds to a climax. There is no need for a voiceover.

Biographies: With 14 biographies to choose from, the cast and crew are well represented. Each is a series of easy to read text screens varying in length from one page to six. Rolf de Heer’s biography contains the two-minute trailer to his next film, Alexandra’s Project, again featuring Gary Sweet. It looks like a great mystery.

Awards and Festivals: Included here is a number of pieces of footage from various awards shows and festivals. They are loose in their approach, not really edited and filmed ‘on the fly’ without commentary, but each has a short text intro. There are some question-and-answer sessions buried within, and they are generally quite interesting. The pieces combined run for a little over half an hour.

The Soundtrack: This is a video clip of Archie Roach’s song Alien Invasion from his latest album, Sensual Being. It indicates a change in style for Roach.

Madman Propaganda: This contains trailers for Walkabout, Till Human Voices Wake Us, Nine Queens, Samsara, Spirited Away and Walking On Water.

There have been some fine Aussie dramas made lately, and The Tracker is right up there as one of the best. Everything about it is wonderful, and it scrubs up very well on DVD with a host of varied extras. Whether you rent or buy, you can’t lose.